Homalopsis

Homalopsis is a genus of snakes of the family Homalopsidae.[1][2][3] The genus is restricted to South East Asia and includes five currently recognized species.[1][4] Like all members of the family Homalopsidae, Homalopsis are rear-fanged and mildly venomous, though considered harmless to humans.[5]

Homalopsis
Homalopsis buccata
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Clade: Colubroides
Family: Homalopsidae
Genus: Homalopsis
Kuhl & Hasselt, 1822
Species

5 species (see text)

Habitat

Homalopsis are a freshwater aquatic species that are found in a wide range of habitats including ponds, rivers, flowing streams, swamps, marshes and other wetlands. Human disturbance and activity does not seem to hinder this species as much as others and can be actively found in disturbed habitat such as man-made drainage ditches and irrigated agriculture fields.[6]

Behavior

This species is nocturnal and can be found in muddy bank holes or burrows during the day. It feeds primarily on fish but may also eat anurans and possibly crustaceans.[6]

Reproduction

Homalopsis are viviparous giving birth to live young.[3][7]

Species

There are five species:[1]

  • Homalopsis buccata (Linnaeus, 1758)
  • Homalopsis hardwickii Gray, 1842
  • Homalopsis mereljcoxi Murphy, Voris, Murthy, Traub & Cumberbatch, 2012
  • Homalopsis nigroventralis Deuve, 1970
  • Homalopsis semizonata Blyth, 1855

References
  1. Homalopsis at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 15 September 2018.
  2. Murphy, John C. & Voris, Harold K. (2014). "A checklist and key to the homalopsid snakes (Reptilia, Squamata, Serpentes), with the description of new genera". Fieldiana Life and Earth Sciences. 8: 1–43. doi:10.3158/2158-5520-14.8.1. S2CID 84404949.
  3. Vitt, Laurie J. & Caldwell, Janalee P. (2014). Herpetology: An Introductory Biology of Amphibians and Reptiles (4th ed.). Academic Press. p. 617.
  4. Murphy, John C.; Voris, Harold K.; Murthy, B. H. C. K.; Traub, Joshua & Cumberbatch, Christina (2012). "The masked water snakes of the genus Homalopsis Kuhl & van Hasselt, 1822 (Squamata, Serpentes, Homalopsidae), with the description of a new species". Zootaxa. 3208 (1): 1–26. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3208.1.1.
  5. "Aquatic snakes southeast Asia". Field Museum. 11 January 2011.
  6. Murphy, John C. 2007. Homalopsid Snakes: Evolution in the Mud. Krieger Publishing, Malabar, Florida, 249 pp.
  7. Karns, D. R.; Voris, H. K. & Goodwin, T. G. (2002). "Ecology of Oriental-Australian rear-fanged water snakes (Colubridae: Homalopsinae) in the Pasir Ris Park Mangrove Forest, Singapore" (PDF). Raffles Bulletin of Zoology. 50 (2): 487–498. S2CID 41170436.
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