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Sibon noalamina
Sibon noalamina is a species of snail-eating snake discovered in 2012 from western Panama. It belongs to the genus Sibon. It has a striking defensive mechanism from predators by mimicking the light and dark stripes of venomous coral snakes.
The species was listed among the Top 10 New Species 2013 discovered in 2012 as selected by the International Institute for Species Exploration at Arizona State University out of more than 140 nominated species. Its distinctiveness is its resemblance to a venomous snake and its presence in an area of anthropogenic exploitation. The selection was publicised on 22 May 2013.
From the article Sibon noalamina on Wikipedia (CC BY-SA), quoted section by section
Description
S. noalamina is quite similar to other colubrid snakes of America such as Dipsas species especially in the pattern of colouration. However, it differs distinctively from other snakes including its related species of Sibon in the specific alignment and shape of the scales. It has only five supralabial scales, the shape of the posterior supralabial are different, and some dorsal rows (3rd to 5th) are keeled in adults. The snake is nocturnal and hunts soft-bodied prey including earthworms and amphibian eggs, in addition to snails and slugs. The contrasting alternating dark rings on light background of the skin are also significantly different from those of other snakes, and consist of 15 dorsal rows throughout the body.
Where it lives
Recorded sightings
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geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
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In the stacks
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Every page naming Sibon noalamina in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 200600.