Elaphe dione

Seasonal dynamics of sex hormone levels in Elaphe dione (Pallas 1773) (Colubridae, Reptilia) in the northern part of the range

Authors: Klenina A. A., Kuznetsova E. V.

We investigated seasonal changes in the plasma levels of sex hormones in males (testosterone) and females (progesterone and estradiol) of Elaphe dione (Pallas 1773). Snakes (21 males and 17 females) were captured from May to August 2022 on the Samarskaya Luka (Samara Region, Russian Federation). Some individuals (4 males and 11 females) after capture were kept under controlled laboratory conditions for two months, then they were released at the capture sites. Blood was sampled immediately after capture.

Year-round habitat of snakes of the genus Elaphe (Colubridae, Reptilia) in industrial waste from a timber processing complex in the Lower Amur region

Authors: Tagirova V. T., Kriskevich D. D., Kuranova V. N.

We studied the colonization of the Amur Rat Snake Elaphe schrenckii and the Steppes Rat Snake E. dione of a sawdust mountain, located among the wastes a timber processing complex, during high floods of the Amur River. Since 2013, both species of snakes live in this territory year-round. For snakes, shelters from the cold are shelters in the form of “floa-ting” cracks (depth 1–1.5 m, temperature in winter up to +18°C) with a snow “roof”. Species E. schrenckii dominates in numbers on group wintering.

Morphological characteristics of Elaphe dione (Pallas, 1773) (Reptilia: Colubridae) on the North of the range in the Samara region

Authors: Klenina A. A., Kuznetsova E. V.

A detailed morphological description of the Elaphe dione (Pallas, 1773) in the Samara region is given. In wild-caught adult specimens that were not in a state of molting (n = 119), three variants of belly coloration were identified: beige (47.0%), ginger (26.9%), and gray (26.1%). Among individuals with beige and ginger bellies predominated males (67.9% and 59.4%, respectively), and females with gray bellies predominated (54.8%). The first case of partial melanism in the region was registered. The maximum L.corp.

Differences in Features of External Morphology Traits of Young and Adult Snakes of the Family Colubridae (Reptilia)

Authors: Klenina A. A.

Characteristics of the meristic features of the external morphology of young and adult snakes (the Colubridae family) of three species, namely, the grass snake Natrix natrix, the dice snake N. tessellata and the Pallas’ coluber Elaphe dione, living in the Samara region, are described. For the first time, a comparative analysis was carried out of a number of morphological characters of unevenaged snakes, namely: newborns obtained in laboratory conditions, juvenile specimens, and adult snakes captured in nature.