Xenodon merremii

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Xenodon merremii
Xenodon merremii in Lencois Maranhenses National Park - ZooKeys-246-051-g007-G.jpeg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Colubridae
Subfamily: Dipsadinae
Genus: Xenodon
Species:
X. merremii
Binomial name
Xenodon merremii
(Wagler, 1824)
Synonyms [2]
  • Ophis merremii
    Wagler, 1824
  • Xenodon merremi
    Fitzinger, 1826
  • Xenodon irregularis
    Günther, 1863
  • Trigonocephalus flavescens
    Bacqué, 1906
  • Trigonocephalus alternatus binocularius
    Bacqué, 1906
  • Waglerophis merremii
    Romano & Hoge, 1972
  • Xenodon merremi
    Wallach et al., 2014
  • Xenodon merremii
    Costa & Bérnils, 2015

Xenodon merremii, also known commonly as Wagler's snake, is a species of snake in the subfamily Dipsadinae of the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to South America and is widespread in the eastern half of the continent.

Contents

Geographic range

Xenodon merremii occurs in Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, and northern Argentina. [2]

Habitat

The preferred natural habitat of Xenodon merremii is open areas of savanna and shrubland, at elevations from sea level to 2,000 m (6,600 ft), but it is also common in disturbed habitats. [1]

Etymology

The specific name, merremii, is in honor of German herpetologist Blasius Merrem. [3]

Description

Adults of Xenodon merremii are usually 1 m (39 in) or less in total length (tail included). [4] Its color pattern is very variable. [2] Some "red phase" specimens are a uniform reddish tan. [4] Other specimens are pale brown dorsally, with broad dark-brown crossbands, which are edged with black, and are narrower or interrupted in the middle. [5] The latter color pattern resembles that of the venomous snake Bothrops alternatus . [4]

Diet

Xenodon merremii preys on insects, frogs, toads, lizards, and sometimes snakes. Like other rear-fanged toad-eaters of the genera Heterodon and Lystrophis , X. merremii uses its enlarged posterior maxillary teeth to puncture and deflate toads which have defensively puffed themselves up, thereby making them easier to swallow. [4]

Defensive behavior

When threatened, Xenodon merremii raises the anterior part of its body, inflating and spreading its neck, similar to a cobra. [4]

Reproduction

Xenodon merremii is oviparous. [2]

References

  1. 1 2 Cacciali, P.; Carreira, S.; Montero, R.; Scott, N.; Gonzales, L.; Nogueira, C. de C.; Dewynter, M. (2019). "Xenodon merremii ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2019: e.T15183534A15183545. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Species Xenodon merremii at The Reptile Database . www.reptile-database.org.
  3. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN   978-1-4214-0135-5. (Waglerophis merremi, p. 176).
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Freiberg M (1982).
  5. Boulenger GA (1894).

Further reading