Eirenis collaris
species of reptile
Eirenis collaris, the collared dwarf racer or collared dwarf snake, is a species of non-venomous snake in the family Colubridae. The species is found in West Asia in eastern Turkey, the Caucasus (the range thus marginally extending into Europe), Iraq, and Iran. The Reptile Database also lists it from Lebanon and Bulgaria.
History and taxonomy
The species was first described as Coluber collaris by Édouard Ménétries in 1832, who wrote "I caught this beautiful species under rocks near the Bèchebermak, not far from the Caspian Sea, in July". The type locality is Besh Barmag, Azerbaijan.
Jan and Sordelli published the first drawings of the specimens they collected in 1866. The nomenclature has been fairly stable.
Anatomy and physiology
The collared dwarf racer is recognized by the 15 to 19 rows of unkeeled dorsal scales on its back. They are roughly 30 to 40 centimeters in size; in the original description, Ménétries wrote "Elle est de la grosseur d'une plume d'ote" ("It is the size of a goose feather").
The overall color is a golden brown (Ménétries called it "café-au-lait") with a dark brown or black collar encircling the neck.
The public source identifies “Eirenis collaris” as species of reptile. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Eirenis, collaris and species.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Eirenis collaris”, the useful work is to connect “species of reptile” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
The date and method of observation matter as much as the stated conclusion, especially where classification or consensus has changed. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 20, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q3049472. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1832 and 1866.
A general summary may omit uncertainty, sample limits or methodological disagreement that is explicit in the technical record. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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This entry incorporates text from “Eirenis collaris” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.