Gould's hooded snake
Gould's hooded snake (Suta gouldii), also known commonly as the black-headed snake and Gould's black-headed snake, is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is endemic to Western Australia.[1]
| Gould's hooded snake | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Elapidae |
| Genus: | Suta |
| Species: | S. gouldii |
| Binomial name | |
| Suta gouldii (Gray, 1841) | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
Etymology
The specific name, gouldii, is in honor of English ornithologist John Gould.[3]
Description
Adults of S. gouldii have an average snout-to-vent length (SVL) of 30 cm (12 in), and the length of the tail is on average 13.3% SVL. The maximum recorded SVL is 47 cm (19 in).[4]
Habitat
The preferred natural habitats of S. gouldii are forest, shrubland, grassland, and rocky areas.[1]
Reproduction
S. gouldii is ovoviviparous.[2]
Venom
Although S. gouldii is venomous, its bite is considered to be of lesser medical significance. A life-threatening envenomation is unlikely, but a debilitating injury is possible.[5]
References
- Craig M, Gaikhorst G, Valentine L, Sanderson C (2017). "Parasuta gouldii ". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017: e.T102718242A102719161. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T102718242A102719161.en. Downloaded on 23 January 2020
- Species Suta gouldii at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
- 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. (Suta gouldii, p. 104).
- Storr GM (1981). "The Denisonia gouldii species-group (Serpentes, Elapidae) in Western Australia". Records of the Western Australian Museum 8 (4): 501–515. (Denisonia gouldii, pp. 508–512, Figure 4).
- Bush, Brian; Maryan, Brad (2006). Snakes and Snake-like Reptiles of Southern Western Australia: A guide to their identification and medical significance for outdoor workers: An important resource for every regional medical professional. Stoneville, Perth, Western Australia: Snakes Harmful & Harmless. 40 pp. ("Gould's Hooded Snake", p. 23, Figure 40).
Further reading
- Cogger HG (2014). Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia, Seventh Edition. Clayton, Victoria, Australia: CSIRO Publishing. xxx + 1,033 pp. ISBN 978-0643100350.
- Gray JE (1841). "Description of some new Species and four new Genera of Reptiles from Western Australia, discovered by John Gould, Esq." Annals and Magazine of Natural History, [First Series ] 7: 86–91. (Elaps gouldii, new species, p. 91).
- Maryan B, Brennan IG, Hutchinson MR, Geidans LS (2020). "What's under the hood? Phylogeny and taxonomy of the snake genera Parasuta Worrell and Suta Worrell (Squamata:Elapidae), with a description of a new species from the Pilbara, Western Australia". Zootaxa 4778 (1): 1–47.
- Wilson S, Swan G (2013). A Complete Guide to Reptiles of Australia, Fourth Edition. Sydney: New Holland Publishers. 522 pp. ISBN 978-1921517280.