Erpetogomphus compositus

Hagen in Selys, 1858

white-belted ringtail

Erpetogomphus compositus, commonly known as the -belted ringtail, is a in the . It inhabits streams and rivers in Central America and North America. The is distinguished by its heavily striped with a prominent white central stripe on the side, which gives it the . It is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN with a stable .

Erpetogomphus compositus by (c) Nick Block, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Nick Block. Used under a CC-BY license.

E. compositus by MarkDugan. Used under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license.

Male White-belted Ringtail (9461384107) by Mike Lewinski from Tres Piedras, NM, United States. Used under a CC BY 2.0 license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Erpetogomphus compositus: /ˌɛrpɛtoʊˈɡɒmfəs kəmˈpoʊsɪtəs/

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Identification

The -belted ringtail can be distinguished from similar ringtail by its heavily striped . The central stripe on the side of the thorax is white, in contrast to the -green adjacent to it. This pattern has led to the suggestion that it might be better called the 'zebra ringtail.' It differs from the related Dashed Ringtail (Erpetogomphus heterodon), which has a solid green thorax with relatively few stripes.

Images

Habitat

Found along streams and rivers, typically perching on vegetation overhanging water or on objects in the middle of watercourses. Observed in canyon environments and marsh boardwalk areas with emergent vegetation such as cattails.

Distribution

Central America and North America. Documented in the southwestern United States including New Mexico and Arizona, with records from the Gila River watershed and Bosque del Apache National Wildlife .

Behavior

perch on vegetation overhanging water or on objects in mid-stream. They are approachable and relatively easy to photograph compared to some other . Like other , they are likely to be found along running water rather than still water.

Similar Taxa

Erpetogomphus heterodonThe Dashed Ringtail has a solid green with relatively few stripes, in contrast to the heavily striped thorax of E. compositus with its distinctive central stripe.
Erpetogomphus lampropeltisThe Serpent Ringtail has a turquoise and different striping pattern; it also prefers similar riverine .

More Details

Etymology

The '-belted ringtail' refers to the prominent white central stripe on the side of the . The epithet 'compositus' is Latin for 'composed' or 'put together,' possibly referring to the complex pattern of stripes on the thorax.