Pseudalsophis is a genus of snakes in the family Colubridae. The genus is endemic to South America. Out of the ten species, nine are endemic to the Galapagos Islands.
Geographic range Species in the genus Pseudalsophis are found in Ecuador (particularly the Galápagos), Chile and Peru.
Species Ten species are recognized as being valid. Pseudalsophis biserialis – Galápagos racer Pseudalsophis darwini () – Darwin's racerZaher, Hassam; Yánez-Muños, Mario H.; Rodrigues, Miguel T.; Graboski, Roberta; Machado, Fabio A., Bonatto, Sandro L.; Grazziotin, Felipe G. (2018) – Darwin's racer "Origin and hidden diversity within the poorly known Galápagos radiation (Serpentes: Dipsadidae)". Systematics and Biodiversity. Published online. (Pseudalsophis darwini, new species; P. hephaestus, n. sp.; P. thomasi, n. sp.). Pseudalsophis dorsalis – Central Galapagos racer Pseudalsophis elegans – South American elegant racer, Guayaquil racer Pseudalsophis hephaestus () – Santiago racer Pseudalsophis hoodensis – Espanola racer Pseudalsophis occidentalis – Western Galapagos racer Pseudalsophis slevini – Banded Galápagos snake Pseudalsophis steindachneri – Striped Galápagos snake Pseudalsophis thomasi () – Thomas's racer
Nota bene: A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Pseudalsophis.
Etymology The specific names, slevini and steidachneri, are in honor of American herpetologist Joseph Richard Slevin and Austrian herpetologist Franz Steindachner, respectively.Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (Antillophis slevini, p. 245; Antillophis steindachneri, p. 252).
References
Further reading Zaher, Hussam; Grazziotin, Felipe Gobbi; Cadle, John E.; Murphy, Robert W.; de Moura-Leite, Julio Cesar; Bonatto, Sandro (2009). "Molecular phylogeny of advanced snakes (Serpentes, Caenophidia) with an emphasis on South American Xenodontines: a revised classification and descriptions of new taxa". Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia 49 (11): 115–153. (Pseudalsophis, new genus). (in English, with abstracts in English and Portuguese).