Mastigodryas

Mastigodryas
Mastigodryas boddaerti
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Colubridae
Subfamily: Colubrinae
Genus: Mastigodryas
Amaral, 1934
Species

see text

Mastigodryas is a genus of colubrid snakes. Like some other colubrids, they are commonly called racers. It is a Neotropical genus, with members distributed from Mexico to Argentina and several islands in the Caribbean. Some authorities use the older generic name, Dryadophis, for these species.[1]

Description

These snakes are cylindrical or somewhat laterally compressed in shape. The head is distinct from the rest of the body, as in many other colubrids. They have large eyes. They have Duvernoy's glands.[1] The morphology of the hemipenis in various species has been helpful in elucidating their relationships, as little is known about the evolutionary origins of the genus.[2]

Behavior

These snakes are diurnal.[1]

Diet

The diet is varied. For example, Mastigodryas bifossatus is euryphagic, consuming a wide variety of prey items. A large part of its diet is made up of frogs, and it will also take various mammals, birds, lizards, and other snakes.[3]

Species

There are about 11[1] or 12[4] species. There may be as many as 18 if certain subspecies are elevated to species status, as has been suggested.[5]

Species include:[2][6]

Nota bene: A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Mastigodryas.

The species, Mastigodryas reticulatus (W. Peters, 1863), has been returned to its original name, Herpetodryas reticulata W. Peters, 1863.[8]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Savage, J.M. (2002). The Amphibians and Reptiles of Costa Rica: A Herpetofauna Between Two Continents, Between Two Seas. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. p. 673.
  2. 1 2 Jadin, R.C., and R.V. Parkhill. (2011). Hemipenis descriptions of Mastigodryas (Serpentes: Colubrinae) from northern Middle America, with comments on the use of hemipenial data in phylogenetics. Herpetology Notes 4: 207-210.
  3. ↑ Marques, O.A.V., and A.P. Muriel. (2007). Reproductive biology and food habits of the swamp racer Mastigodryas bifossatus from southeastern South America.The Herpetological Journal 17 (2): 104-109.
  4. ↑ Mendoza, R.J.S., and S.N. Rodríguez. (2010). Observations on some aspects of the predatory behavior of the diurnal snake Mastigodryas pleei (Duméril, Bibron and Duméril 1854) held in natural and captive conditions. Rev. Colombiana Cienc. Anim. 2 (2): 253-263.
  5. ↑ Montingelli, G.G. (2009). Revisão taxonômica do gênero Mastigodryas Amaral, 1934 (Serpentes: Colubridae). Thesis. Instituto de Biociências São Paulo.
  6. ↑ Mastigodryas Amaral, 1934. The Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2010.
  7. ↑ Montingelli, G.G., and H. Zaher. (2011). New species of Mastigodryas Amaral, 1934 from Brazilian Amazonia and Guyana (Serpentes: Colubridae). Journal of Herpetology 45 (1): 111-119.
  8. ↑ Montingelli, G.G., et al. (2011). Revalidation of Herpetodryas reticulata (Peters, 1863) (Serpentes: Colubridae) from Ecuador. South American Journal of Herpetology 6 (3): 189-197.

Further reading

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