Eunectes deschauenseei

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Eunectes deschauenseei
Eunectes deschauenseei.png
Dark-spotted anaconda in Beni, Bolivia
CITES Appendix II (CITES) [2]
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
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]
Dark spotted anaconda range.png
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]

Contents

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]

Related Research Articles

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Anacondas or water boas are a group of large boas of the genus Eunectes. They are a semiaquatic group of snakes found in tropical South America. Five extant and one extinct species are currently recognized, including one of the largest snakes in the world, E. murinus, the green anaconda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boidae</span> Family of snakes

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern green anaconda</span> Species of anaconda

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 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. 1 2 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   1893777014.
  4. 1 2 3 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. 1 2 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