Salvadora grahamiae

Salvadora grahamiae, also known commonly as the eastern patch-nosed snake and the mountain patchnose snake, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is native to the southwestern United States and adjacent northeastern Mexico.

Etymology

The specific name, grahamiae, is in honor of Colonel James Duncan Graham, United States Army Corps of Topographical Engineers.

Geographic range

S. grahamiae is found in the US states of Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, and in the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Querétaro, Tamaulipas, and Veracruz.

Habitat

S. grahamiae occurs in a wide variety of habitats including forest, savanna, shrubland, grassland, and desert, at altitudes from sea level to.

Description

S. grahamiae may attain a total length of. It has eight upper labials. The posterior chin shields touch or are separated by only one small scale.

Diet

S. grahamiae preys predominately upon lizards, especially those of the genus Aspidoscelis. It also eats reptile eggs, small snakes, nestling birds, and small mammals.

Reproduction

S. grahamiae is oviparous. Eggs are laid in April–June, and clutch size is 5–10.