NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Rhadinella xerophila Ariano-Sánchez & Campbell, 2018
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.
Head of holotype of Rhadinella xerophila
Darianosanchez · 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
Rhadinella xerophila is a very rare snake endemic to the seasonally dry forests and thornscrub of the Middle Motagua Valley in Guatemala. This snake is characterized by its orange auburn head and its small size. This species is related to the group of Rhadinella that have dark dorsal coloration, which mostly or completely obscures a pattern of longitudinal striping characteristic of the majority of species of Rhadinella. This species has dark gray, almost black, dorsal coloration with barely discernible slightly darker striping. Top of the head is mostly blackish with irregular auburn-orange markings on the internasals, prefrontals, frontal, parietals, loreals, postoculars, temporals, and two ultimate supralabials. Most conspicuous features are an orange-auburn Y-shaped marking along frontal-parietal and interparietal sutures, followed by an orange nuchal collar. The closest relative of the new species, based on morphological similarities, appears to be Rhadinella pilonaorum, which occurs in a relatively mesic habitat of pine-oak forest located about 90 km southwest from the type-locality of the new species. It has been recorded only at Heloderma Natural Reserve, El Arenal, Zacapa, Guatemala.
Wikipedia contributors, Rhadinella xerophila; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T14:49:33.135183+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Rhadinella xerophila Ariano-Sánchez & Campbell, 2018
- Name authority
- Ariano-Sánchez & Campbell, 2018
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Colubridae
- Genus
- Rhadinella
- 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
- subfamilyDipsadinae
- genusRhadinella
- speciesRhadinella xerophila Ariano-Sánchez & Campbell, 2018
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Rhadinella. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Godman's Graceful Brown SnakeRhadinella godmani (Günther, 1865) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Hannstein's Spot-lipped SnakeRhadinella hannsteini (Stuart, 1949) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Hempstead's Pine Woods SnakeRhadinella hempsteadae (Stuart & Bailey, 1941) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Kanalchutchan Graceful Brown SnakeRhadinella kanalchutchan (Mendelson & Kizirian, 1995) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Monte Cristi Graceful Brown SnakeRhadinella montecristi (Mertens, 1952) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Stuart's Graceful Brown SnakeRhadinella pilonaorum (Stuart, 1954) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Brokencollar Graceful Brown SnakeRhadinella schistosa Smith, 1941 | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Rhadinella tolpanorum (Holm & Cruz-Díaz, 1994) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Posada's Graceful Brown SnakeRhadinella posadasi (Slevin, 1936) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Guerrero Slender Leaf Litter SnakeRhadinella dysmica Campillo, Dávila-Galavíz, Flores-Villela & Campbell, 2016 | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Rhadinella lisyae Mccranie, 2017 | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Rhadinella anachoreta (Smith & Campbell, 1994) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
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=Rhadinella&species=xerophila 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:8H5RK. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.