Eunectes deschauenseei

Eunectes deschauenseei
Dark-spotted anaconda in Beni, Bolivia
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1) [1]
CITES Appendix II (CITES) [2]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Boidae
Genus:	Eunectes
Species:	E. deschauenseei
Binomial name
Eunectes deschauenseei Dunn & Conant, 1936 [3]
Natural range of E. deschauenseei

Eunectes deschauenseei, commonly known as the dark-spotted anaconda ^{[1] [4]} or De Schauensee's anaconda, ^[5] is a species of snake in the subfamily Boinae of the family Boidae. The species is native to northeastern South America. Like all boas, it is a nonvenomous constrictor. No subspecies are currently recognized. ^[4]

Taxonomy

The specific name, deschauenseei, is in honor of American ornithologist Rodolphe Meyer de Schauensee, ^[6] who donated a specimen to the Philadelphia Zoo in 1924. ^[4] The type locality given is "probably collected on the island of Marajo at the mouth of the Amazon". ^[3]

Distribution and habitat

Eunectes deschauenseei is found in South America, in northern Brazil (the Pará and Amapá states) and French Guiana. ^{[1] [4]} E. deschauenseei is a semi-aquatic species usually found in swampy, seasonally flooded freshwater areas at elevations below 300 m (980 ft). ^[1]

Description

Adult males of E. deschauenseei measure 130–211 cm (51–83 in) and adult females 120–231 cm (47–91 in) in snout-to-vent length (SVL). ^[7]

Reproduction

Vitellogenesis in E. deschauenseei probably occurs from autumn to spring (May to December). Gestation may last as long as nine months. Litter size among five gravid females ranged from 3 to 27 (mean 10.6). Newborns measure 29–53 cm (11–21 in) in snout–vent length. ^[7]

Conservation

The savanna habitat of E. deschauenseei is highly threatened by agricultural expansion, but the threat posed on this species is not known. ^[1]

References

1. Dirksen, L.; Oubotar [sic], P. (2021). "Eunectes deschauenseei ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2021 e.T176262A18978500. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-2.RLTS.T176262A18978500.en . Retrieved 20 November 2021.
2. "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
3. McDiarmid, R.W.; Campbell, J.A.; Toure, T.A. (1999). Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, Vol. 1. Washington, District of Columbia: Herpetologists' League. ISBN   1-893777-01-4.
4. Eunectes deschauenseei at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database . Accessed 10 September 2018.
5. Smith, Hugo (director), "Amazon Anaconda", Mark O'Shea Official Website, retrieved 1 December 2008
6. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 70. ISBN   978-1-4214-0135-5.
7. Pizzatto, Lígia; Marques, Otávio A. V. (2007). "Reproductive ecology of Boinae snakes with emphasis on Brazilian species and a comparison to pythons". South American Journal of Herpetology. 2 (2): 107–122. doi:10.2994/1808-9798(2007)2[107:reobsw]2.0.co;2. S2CID   86033920.

Further reading

• Dirksen, Lutz; Henderson, Robert W. (2002). Eunectes deschauenseei. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles. pp. 755.1 –755.2. doi:10.15781/T2707WS99. hdl:2152/44652.
• Dirksen, Lutz (2002). Anakondas. Monographische Revision der Gattung Eunectes (Wagler, 1830) (in German). Münster: Natur und Tier-Verlag. ISBN   3-931587-43-6.
• Dirksen, Lutz (2002). "Zur Kenntnis der Anakonda-Arten (Serpentes: Boidae: Eunectes ). I. Eunectes deschauenseei Dunn & Conant, 1936 ". Herpetofauna (in German). 21 (122). Weinstadt: 12–21.
• Dunn, Emmett R.; Conant, Roger (1936). "Notes on Anacondas, with Descriptions of Two New Species". Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. 88: 503–506. JSTOR   4064198. (Eunectes deschauenseei, new species).