Toxicocalamus loriae

Toxicocalamus loriae, also known commonly as the Loria forest snake, is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is endemic to New Guinea (including some outlying islands) and occurs in both Western New Guinea (Indonesia) and Papua New Guinea.^[1][3]

Toxicocalamus loriae
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Elapidae
Genus:	Toxicocalamus
Species:	T. loriae
Binomial name
Toxicocalamus loriae (Boulenger, 1897)[2]
Synonyms[3]
Apistocalamus loriae Boulenger, 1897 Apistocalamus pratti Boulenger, 1904 Apisthocalamus loriae — Boulenger, 1908 Toxicocalamus loriae — McDowell, 1969

Etymology

The specific name, loriae, is in honor of Italian ethnologist Lamberto Loria.^[4]

Habitat

The preferred natural habitat of T. loriae is forest, at altitudes from sea level to 1,830 m (6,000 ft).^[1]

Behavior

T. loriae is diurnal and fossorial.^[3]

Diet

T. loriae preys upon earthworms, fly larvae, land snails, and other small invertebrates.^[1]

Reproduction

T. loriae is oviparous.^[3]

References

1. Tallowin, O.; O'Shea, M.; Parker, F. (2022) [amended version of 2015 assessment]. "Toxicocalamus loriae". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2022: e.T42493924A217802781. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-1.RLTS.T42493924A217802781.en. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
2. Boulenger GA (1897). "An account of the Reptiles and Batrachians collected by Dr. L. Loria in British New Guinea". Annali del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Genova 38: 694–710 + Plates VI–VIII. (Apistocalamus loriae, new species, pp. 705–706 + Plate VIII, figure 1).
3. Toxicocalamus loriae at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 21 August 2022.
4. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Toxicocalamus loriae, p. 160).

Further reading

• Boulenger GA (1908). "Description of a new Elapine Snake of the Genus Apisthocalamus, Blgr., from New Guinea". Annals and Magazine of Natural History, Eighth Series 1 (3): 248–249. (Apisthocalamus loriae, new spelling, p. 249).
• McDowell SB (1969). "Toxicocalamus, a New Guinea genus of snakes of the family Elapidae". Journal of Zoology 159 (4): 443–511. (Toxicocalamus loriae, new combination, p. 455).
• O'Shea M, Allison A, Kaiser H (2018). "The taxonomic history of the enigmatic Papuan snake genus Toxicocalamus (Elapidae: Hydrophiinae), with the description of a new species from the Managalas Plateau of Oro Province, Papua New Guinea, and a revised dichotomous key". Amphibia-Reptilia 39 (4): 403–433.
• O'Shea M, Parker F, Kaiser H (2015). "A New Species of New Guinea Worm-Eating Snake, Genus Toxicocalamus (Serpentes: Elapidae), From the Star Mountains of Western Province, Papua New Guinea, With a Revised Dichotomous Key to the Genus". Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 161 (6): 241–264.