Zamenis is a genus of Old World non-venomous snakes in the subfamily Colubrinae of the family Colubridae. Species of the genus Zamenis are native to Europe and the Middle East.
Etymology The generic name Zamenis comes from Greek ζαμενής (lat. vehemens, iracundus)Wagler, J. (1830). Natürliches System der Amphibien : mit vorangehender Classification der Säugethiere und Vögel : ein Beitrag zur vergleichenden Zoologie. Munich, Stuttgart and Tübingen: J.G. Cotta. vi + 354 pp. + one plate. (Zamenis, new genus, p. 188). (in German and Latin). Available online at the Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL). meaning "angry", "irritable", "fierce".
Species The following six species are recognized as being valid: www.reptile-database.org. Zamenis hohenackeri – Transcaucasian ratsnake Zamenis lineatus – Italian Aesculapian snake Zamenis longissimus – Aesculapian snake Zamenis persicus – Persian ratsnake Zamenis scalaris – ladder snake Zamenis situla – European ratsnake
Nota bene: A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Zamenis.
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