NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Palestine Kukri Snake
Rhynchocalamus melanocephalus (Jan, 1862)
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.
Open encyclopedia reference
The black-headed ground snake (Rhynchocalamus melanocephalus), also known as the Palestine kukri snake, is a species of small and elegant harmless snake, which is endemic to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Near East. It belongs to the Colubridae family. Two subspecies, Rhynchocalamus melanocephalus melanocephalus and Rhynchocalamus melanocephalus satunini, are currently recognized.
Wikipedia contributors, Rhynchocalamus melanocephalus; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T09:33:29.621118+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Rhynchocalamus melanocephalus (Jan, 1862)
- Name authority
- (Jan, 1862)
- Common name
- Palestine Kukri Snake
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Colubridae
- Genus
- Rhynchocalamus
- 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
- familyColubridae
- subfamilyColubrinae
- genusRhynchocalamus
- speciesRhynchocalamus melanocephalus (Jan, 1862)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Rhynchocalamus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Palestine Kukri SnakeRhynchocalamus satunini (Nikolsky, 1899) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Rhynchocalamus levitoni (Torki, 2017) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Aden Kukri SnakeRhynchocalamus arabicus Schmidt, 1933 | ColubridaeChordata | 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 |
|---|---|
| Homalosoma melanocephalum Jan, 1862 Jan, 1862 | 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=Rhynchocalamus&species=melanocephalus 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. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
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:4SRKK. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.