NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Western beaked snake
Rhamphiophis oxyrhynchus (Reinhardt, 1843)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Rufous beaked snake (Rhamphiophis oxyrhynchus)
Melvin TOULLEC · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
Rhamphiophis oxyrhynchus is a species of mildly venomous snake in the family Psammophiidae. The species is native to East Africa. Its common name refers to its hooked snout, which it uses to dig burrows, and to its reddish-brown dorsal coloration. It hunts small animals during the day with the help of its venomous bite.
Wikipedia contributors, Rhamphiophis oxyrhynchus; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T09:00:25.584147+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Rhamphiophis oxyrhynchus (Reinhardt, 1843)
- Name authority
- (Reinhardt, 1843)
- Common name
- Western beaked snake
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Psammophiidae
- Genus
- Rhamphiophis
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classReptilia Laurenti, 1768
- orderSquamata Oppel, 1811
- suborderSerpentes Linnaeus, 1758
- infraorderAlethinophidia Nopcsa, 1923
- familyPsammophiidae
- genusRhamphiophis
- speciesRhamphiophis oxyrhynchus (Reinhardt, 1843)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Rhamphiophis. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Red Beaked SnakeRhamphiophis rubropunctatus (Fischer, 1884) | PsammophiidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Rufous Beaked SnakeRhamphiophis rostratus Peters, 1854 | PsammophiidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Rhamphiophis maradiensis Chirio & Ineich, 1991 | PsammophiidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Psammophis oxyrhynchus Reinhardt, 1843 Reinhardt, 1843 | synonym |
| Rhamphiophis connali Parker, 1929 Parker, 1929 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Rhamphiophis&species=oxyrhynchus Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:4S2L9. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.