Neelaps calonotos

Neelaps calonotos
Conservation status
Near Threatened  (IUCN 3.1) [1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Elapidae
Genus:	Neelaps
Species:	N. calonotos
Binomial name
Neelaps calonotos (Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854)
Synonyms [2]
Furina calonotos A.M.C. Duméril, Bibron & A.H.A. Duméril, 1854 Neelaps calonotus Günther, 1863 Furina calonota — Boulenger, 1896 Vermicella calonota — Glauert, 1950 Melwardia calonota — Worrell, 1960 Simoselaps calonotus — Cogger, 1992 Neelaps calonotus — S. Wilson & Swan, 2010

Neelaps calonotos, also known commonly as the black-striped burrowing snake, the black-striped snake, and the western black-striped snake, is a species of mildly venomous burrowing snake endemic to Australia. The specific epithet calonotos ("beautiful-backed") refers to the patterning on the upper surface of the body. ^[3]

Description

Neelaps calonotos rarely grows to a length (including tail) of more than 28 cm (11 in), and is considered to be Australia's smallest venomous snake. Females are larger than males. Dorsally, it is reddish-orange, with a narrow black stripe along the back. The belly is whitish. Three black patches cover the snout, top of the head, and the nape. ^[4]

Reproduction

Neelaps calonotos is oviparous, with an average clutch size of four (range 2–6). ^[3]

Behaviour and diet

Neelaps calonotos is nocturnal, staying in loose sand during the day and preying on small animals such as lizards at night. ^[4]

Geographic range and habitat

Neelaps calonotos occurs in coastal south-western Western Australia. ^[3] It lives in dunes as well as open woodlands and shrublands with sandy soils. ^[4]

References

1. Gaikhorst G, Valentine L, Craig M, Sanderson C, Ford S, Teale R (2018) [amended version of 2017 assessment]. "Neelaps calonotus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2018: e.T20230A136221347. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
2. Species Neelaps calonotos at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
3. "Black-striped burrowing snake". Australian Reptile Online Database. Stewart Macdonald. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
4. "western black-striped snake". Britannica Kids. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved 2 June 2021.

Further reading

• Boulenger GA (1896). Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume III., Containing the Colubridæ (Opisthoglyphæ and Proteroglyphæ), Amblycephalidæ, and Viperidæ. London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natrural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiv + 727 pp. + Plates I–XXV. (Furina calonota, p. 407).
• Cogger HG (2014). Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia, Seventh Edition. Clayton, Victoria, Australia: CSIRO Publishing. xxx + 1,033 pp. ISBN   978-0643100350.
• Duméril A-M-C, Bibron G, Duméril A[-H-A] (1854). Erpétologie générale ou histoire naturelle complète des reptiles. Tome septième [Volume 7]. Deuxième partie [Part 2]. Comprenant l'histoire des serpents venimeux. Paris: Roret. xii + pp. 781–1536. (Furina calonotos, new species, pp. 1241–1242).
• Glauert L (1960). A Handbook of the Snakes of Western Australia, Second Edition. Perth: Western Australian Naturalists' Club. 62 pp.
• Sanders KL, Lee MSY, Leys R, Foster R, Keogh JS (2008). "Molecular phylogeny and divergence dates for Australasian elapids and sea snakes (hydrophiinae): evidence from seven genes for rapid evolutionary radiations". Journal of Evolutionary Biology21 (3): 682–695.
• Wilson S, Swan G (2013). A Complete Guide to Reptiles of Australia, Fourth Edition. Sydney: New Holland Publishers. 522 pp. ISBN   978-1921517280.