Spilotes sulphureus

Spilotes sulphureus
Spilotes sulphureus in defensive posture at Murici Ecological Station, Brazil
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1) [1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Colubridae
Genus:	Spilotes
Species:	S. sulphureus
Binomial name
Spilotes sulphureus (Wagler, 1824)
Synonyms [2]
Natrix sulphureaWagler, 1824 Coluber poecilostoma Wied-Neuwied, 1824 Spilotes poecilostoma A.M.C. Duméril, Bibron & A.H.A. Duméril, 1854 Phrynonax sulphureus Boulenger, 1894 Paraphrynonax versicolorLutz & Mello, 1920 Pseustes sulphureusWagler, 1824

Spilotes sulphureus, commonly known as the yellow-bellied hissing snake or Amazon puffing snake, is a species of venomous snake in the family Colubridae. It is widely distributed throughout South America, as well as the Caribbean island of Trinidad. ^{[3] [4]}

Taxonomy

Originally placed in the genus Pseustes , it is now considered in the genus Spilotes.

Subspecies

Two subspecies are recognized as being valid, including the nominotypical subspecies. ^[2]

• S. s. sulphureus(Wagler, 1824)
• S. s. dieperinkii(Schlegel, 1837)

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

Description

S. sulphureus is a large snake, which can grow up to 3 metres (9.8 ft) in total length (including tail). ^[3] Its venom is bimodal and can directly affect both mammal and reptile prey. ^[5]

Diet

Adults of S. sulphureus feed on small mammals, birds and other snakes (both venomous and non-venomous), while juveniles feed on lizards, mice and rats. ^[3]

References

1. Gutiérrez-Cárdenas, Paul D.A.; Rivas, Gilson A.; Caicedo-Portilla, José R.; Gagliardi-Urrutia, Giuseppe; Gonzales A., Lucindo; Nogueira, Cristiano de Campos; Murphy, John C. "Spilotes sulphureus (Yellow-bellied Hissing Snake)". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species e.T15183770A15183779. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T15183770A15183779.en . Retrieved 7 April 2024.
2. " "Spilotes sulphureus (WAGLER, 1824)". The Reptile Database. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
3. Boos, Hans E.A. (2001). The Snakes of Trinidad and Tobago (PDF). College Station, Texas: Texas A&M University Press. ISBN   1-58544-116-3.
4. "Spilotes sulphureus (Yellow-bellied Puffing Snake)" (PDF). The Online Guide to the Animals of Trinidad and Tobago. UWI.
5. Modahl, Cassandra M.; Mrinalini, null; Frietze, Seth; Mackessy, Stephen P. (2018). "Adaptive evolution of distinct prey-specific toxin genes in rear-fanged snake venom". Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 285 (1884) 20181003. doi:10.1098/rspb.2018.1003. PMC   6111164 . PMID   30068680.

Further reading

• Boulenger GA (1894). Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume II., Containing the Conclusion of the Colubridæ Aglyphæ. London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xi + 382 pp. + Plates I-XX. (Phrynonax sulphureus, p. 19).
• Freiberg M (1982). Snakes of South America. Hong Kong: T.F.H. Publications. 189 pp. ISBN   0-87666-912-7. (Pseustes sulphureus, p. 108 + color photo, p. 151).
• Jadin, Robert C.; Burbrink, Frank T,; Rivas, Gilson A.; Vitt, Laurie J; Barrio-Amorós, César L.; Guralnick, Robert P. (2013). "Finding arboreal snakes in an evolutionary tree: phylogenetic placement and systematic revision of the Neotropical birdsnakes". Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research52 (3); 257–264. (Spilotes sulphureus, new combination).
• Wagler J (1824). In Spix J (1824). Serpentum Brasiliensum species novae ou histoire naturelle des espèces nouvelles de serpens, recueillies et observées pendant le voyage dans l'intérieur du Brésil dans les années 1817, 1818, 1819, 1820, exécuté par ordre de sa Majesté le Roi de Baviére. Munich: F.S. Hübschmann. viii + 75 pp. + Plates I-XXVI. (Natrix sulphurea, new species, pp. 26–27 + Plate IX). (in Latin and French).