Liophidium pattoni
Liophidium pattoni is a species of snake in the subfamily Pseudoxyrhophiinae of the family Lamprophiidae. The species is endemic to Madagascar. Little is known about the snake as it was recently described in 2010, although its existence had been known for some decades (one was pictured in a 1996 guidebook) before a specimen could be caught for detailed study. Etymology. The specific name, "pattoni", is in honor of American mammalogist James L. Patton. Geographic range and habitat. "L. pattoni" is known to occur in two sites in Madagascar, the Masoala peninsula and the Makira Plateau. It has been  found in primary rainforest vegetation at elevations up to . Taxonomy. Originally described in 2010, "Liophidium pattoni" is a member of the pseudoxyrhophiine genus "Liophidium", which is a genus of lamprophiid snakes. Which means that "Liophidium pattoni" is harmless to humans. Previously, nine species of "Liophidium" from Madagascar had been formally described. Molecular evidence indicates that the closest sister taxon to "L. pattoni" is "L. rhodogaster" (Schlegel, 1837). Description. "L. pattoni" can easily be distinguished from other members of the genus "Liophidium" by its unique color pattern. This species is most similar in external morphology to "L. torquatum". It is a  thin-bodied snake with a black dorsum with discontinuous pink stripes that fade to blue-gray and white towards the posterior. The ventral coloration is bright yellow with a pink-red ventral tail region. An adult male can be in total length (including tail), and have a snout-vent length (SVL) of , and a head length of . Diet. "L. pattoni" is a terrestrial hunter, and while its diet is largely unknown, the holotype was collected with a Malagasy ground skink ("Madascincus melanopleura") in its stomach, suggesting that it feeds on small terrestrial rainforest fauna.