The Herpetological Journal is the Society's prestigious quarterly scientific journal. Articles are listed in Biological Abstracts, Current Awareness in Biological Sciences,Current Contents, Science Citation Index, and Zoological Record.
ISSN 0268-0130
2021 Impact Factor from Clarivate for the Herpetological Journal is 1.194, an increase of 0.332 from 2020.
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pp.1-5
Authors: Dario Capizzi And Luca Luiselli
Abstract: The feeding habits of the four-lined snake (Elaphe quatuorlineata) were studied in a hilly, Mediterranean locality in central Italy (Tolfa mountains, province of Rome). The adult prey consisted exclusively of rodents (about 77% of the diet) and birds (including nestlings and eggs, about 23% of the diet). Birds represented the main part of the diet during spring-time (April, May and June), whilst rodents accounted for I 00% of the diet from July to November. The juveniles were found to prey exclusively on lacertid lizards. There was a significantly positive correlation between prey mass and predator mass, but the snakes tended to prey on organisms of small size in relation to themselves. Some general remarks on the snake assemblages of the Tolfa mountains are also presented.