Transcaucasian Rat Snake

Zamenis hohenackeri (Strauch 1873)

38. Zamenis hohenackeri (Strauch, 1873) Coluber hohenackeri Strauch, 1873 Elaphe hohenackeri: Terentyev and Chernov (1940: 143); Muskhelishvili (1970: 159); Bannikov et al. (1977: 280), et auct. Taxonomic sources followed. Utiger et al. (2002), Bánki et al. (2026), Speybroeck et al. (2020), Tuniyev and Ananjeva (2024), Uetz et al. (2025). Records in Georgia. Nikolskii (1913), Muskhelishvili (1970), Bannikov et al. (1977), Iankoshvili and Tarkhnishvili (2021). Infraspecific variation. Z. h. hohenackeri (Strauch, 1873) — subspecies occurring in Georgia (the Reptile Database also lists Z. h. lyciensis Hofmann et al. 2018 and Z. h. aurica (Werner 1898) for parts of the wider range). Taxonomic remark. Biologically confirmed species. Genetically close to other populations from the Caucasus and eastern Türkiye. Barcoded individuals. CaBOL -ID 1027409 (BOLD: AGH 7939; Gomaro). The closest homologous sequences: Z. hohenackeri (NCBI AY 122765; unknown location; similarity 100 %). Next closest taxon: Pseudoxyrhopus imerinae (NCBI JQ 909566; Madagascar; similarity 90.02 %).

An Annotated Checklist of the Amphibians and Reptiles of Georgia with DNA Barcoding Data and Taxonomic Remarks

Zamenis hohenackeri

Key to snake taxa of Zamenis hohenackeri and Z. situla For exampleS of principal colour morphS and taxa See Fig. 5. 1a Upper side of head with three groups of distinct markings (Fig. 6): 1) the anterior end of the dorsal band or equivalent horseshoe-shaped nuchal blotch reaching as a thick line along the parietal suture up/into to the frontal plate, 2) upper ends of the bilateral postocular line beginning above each eye on the supraoculars/parietals/frontal, 3) a thick line reaching across the suture of the frontal/prefrontals, connecting the eyes, but in some specimens being dissolved into broad blotches; 25–27 dorsals at mid-body; dorsal blotches usually rusty, reddish or orangish in juveniles and adults, 3–5 dorsal in width along the body axis; dorsal blotches can form two paravertebral lines; 220–255 ventrals............................... Zamenis situla 1b Upper side of head usually without distinct black markings (Fig. 6); 1) the nuchal blotch barely reaching the parietals or continuing along the suture only as a thin line, sometimes with a blotch on each parietal, 2) upper end of the thick postocular line beginning at mid-level (postocular) of the eye, not above, 3) no

A new subspecies of Zamenis hohenackeri (Strauch, 1873) (Serpentes: Colubridae) based on morphological and molecular data