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Pareas boulengeri

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Pareas boulengeri
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Pareidae
Genus: Pareas
Species:
P. boulengeri
Binomial name
Pareas boulengeri
(Angel, 1920)
Synonyms
  • Amblycephalus stanleyi
  • Amblycephalus boulengeri
  • Amblycephalus monticola boulengeri

Pareas boulengeri, also known as Boulenger's slug snake, is a species of non-venomous snake native to southern China.[2]

Description

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Pareas boulengeri has a very light brown upper body with minimal countershading. A narrow, dark brown, intermittently broken line runs from the posterior edge of the eye to the corner of the mouth. Two wider, frequently breaking dorsal lines run from the subocular scale, along the side of the parietal scales and to the head and neck where it loses definition, fading into irregular dots that may broaden across the sides and disappear toward the latter half of the body. These dots are tightly grouped on the cephalic scales. Juveniles' spots are much clearer.[3]

Pareas boulengeri lay 5-7 eggs at a time, which likely need roughly 6.5 weeks to incubate before hatching, based on others of its genus.[4]

Behaviour

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Pareas boulengeri is a nocturnal, mostly arboreal snake that feeds exclusively on snails and slugs. As such, they are known to forage agricultural lands late at night for roaming gastropods.[1]

Distribution

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Pareas boulengeri is endemic to China, where it is widespread but rare due to its low population density, though there is very little fragmentation. Being mostly arboreal, P. boulengeri prefers montane forests 1,360 to 313 metres above sea level.[1]

Etymology

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Its species is named after the Belgian-British zoologist George Albert Boulenger.[3]

References

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  1. ^ a b c D., Rao; X., Feng (September 9, 2011). "The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2012". ICUN Red List. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
  2. ^ "Pareas boulengeri". The Reptile Database. Retrieved 2025-07-06.
  3. ^ a b F Angel (1920). Liste de Reptiles récemment déterminés et entrés dans les collections et description d'une nouvelle espèce du genre Amblycephalus.
  4. ^ Biakzuala, Lal; Ralte, Lalrinsanga; Lalremsanga, H.T. (December 10, 2019). "Natural history Notes: Pareas monticola (Reproduction)". ResearchGate. Retrieved July 5, 2025.