Platyceps karelini

Platyceps karelini, the spotted desert racer, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to Asia.

Geographic range
P. karelini is found in Afghanistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

Description
P. karelini exhibits sexual dimorphism, with females being larger than males. Females may attain a total length of 94 cm, including a tail 23 cm long. Males may attain a total length of 83.5 cm, with a tail 22.5 cm long.

Dorsally, it is pale gray or tan, with a series of black crossbars, which are narrower than the spaces between them. Some individuals lack the crossbars, and instead have an orange vertebral stripe. Ventrally, it is whitish, pinkish, or yellowish.

Reproduction
P. karelini is oviparous.

Subspecies
There are three subspecies of P. karelini which are recognized as being valid, including the nominotypical subspecies.
 * Platyceps karelini chesneii (Martin, 1838)
 * Platyceps karelini karelini (Brandt, 1838)
 * Platyceps karelini mintonorum (Mertens, 1969)

Nota bene: A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Platyceps.

Etymology
The specific name, karelini, is in honor of Russian naturalist Grigory Karelin. The subspecific name, mintonorum, is in honor of American herpetologist Sherman A. Minton and his wife Madge Alice Shortridge Rutherford Minton.