Drysdalia mastersii
Drysdalia mastersii, also known as Masters's snake, is a species of venomous snake endemic to southern Australia. The specific epithet mastersii honours Australian zoologist George Masters who collected specimens for Krefft.[2]
| Drysdalia mastersii | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Elapidae |
| Genus: | Drysdalia |
| Species: | D. mastersii |
| Binomial name | |
| Drysdalia mastersii (Krefft, 1866) | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Description
The snake grows to an average of about 40 cm in length. The upper body is light brown to dark grey, with a pale band over the nape and a white stripe extending from the upper lip to the neck.[2]
Behaviour
The species is viviparous, with an average litter size of three. Its diet consists mainly of lizards.[2]
Distribution and habitat
The species’ distribution extends eastwards from near Esperance in Western Australia into coastal and subcoastal South Australia, as well as in south-eastern South Australia and western Victoria. It inhabits heathland, grassland and mallee habitats on sandy and limestone soils.[2] The type locality is the Flinders Ranges of South Australia.[3]
References
- Cogger, H.; Ellis, R.; Shea, G. (2017). "Drysdalia mastersii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T177527A83453128. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T177527A83453128.en. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
- "Masters' snake". Australian Reptile Online Database. Stewart Macdonald. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
- "Drysdalia mastersii (KREFFT, 1866)". Reptile Database. Peter Uetz and Jakob Hallermann. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
External Links
- "Drysdalia mastersii (Krefft, 1866) — Masters' Snake". Atlas of Living Australia.