Tantilla melanocephala
Tantilla melanocephala, commonly known as the black-headed snake, the neotropical black-headed snake, and la culebra de cabeza negra in Spanish, is a small species of snake in the subfamily Colubrinae of the family Colubridae. The species is native to Central America and South America.
Geographic range
In Central America Tantilla melanocephala is found from Guatemala south to Panama. In South America it is found from Trinidad and Tobago south to northern Argentina.Habitat
The preferred natural habitats of Tantilla melanocephala are grassland, savanna, and forest, at altitudes from sea level to, and it has also been found in artificial habitats such as pastures, gardens, and plantations.Description
Tantilla melanocephala may attain a total length of, which includes a tail long.Dorsally, it is pale brown or red, and some specimens also have 3 or 5 narrow brown stripes. The top of the head and neck are black or dark brown. Ventrally, it is yellowish white.
The dorsal scales are smooth, without apical pits, and arranged in 15 rows at midbody.
Behavior
Tantilla melanocephala is terrestrial and diurnal.Diet
Tantilla melanocephala preys predominately upon centipedes and possibly occasionally other arthropods.Reproduction
Tantilla melanocephala is oviparous.Taxonomy
Several species of snakes, which were originally described as species new to science, are synonyms of Tantilla melanocephala. The following is a partial list in chronological order.- Elapomorphus mexicanus
- Tantilla pallida
- Homalocranium longifrontale
- Homalocranium hoffmanni
- Elapomorphus nuchalis
- Tantilla equatoriana
- ''Tantilla marcovani''