Clelia clelia

Clelia clelia, commonly known as the mussurana, black mussurana or windward cribo, is a species of snake in the subfamily Dipsadinae of the family Colubridae. The species is native to the New World.

Clelia clelia
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
CITES Appendix II (CITES)[2]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Colubridae
Genus:	Clelia
Species:	C. clelia
Binomial name
Clelia clelia (Daudin, 1803)
Synonyms[3]
Coluber clelia Daudin, 1803 Clelia daudinii Fitzinger, 1826 Brachyruton cloelia — A.M.C. Duméril, Bibron & A.H.A. Duméril, 1854 Oxyrhopus clelia — Cope, 1878 Clelia cloelia — Stejneger, 1913 Pseudoboa cloelia — Serié, 1921 Clelia clelia — Dunn, 1944

Etymology

The subspecific name, groomei, is in honor of Grenadian zoologist John R. Groome.^[4]

Common names

Clelia clelia is called doi or duma in the Kwaza language of Rondônia, Brazil.^[5]

Geographic range

Clelia clelia is found in Central America, South America, and the Lesser Antilles (including the island of Trinidad).^[3]

Habitat

The preferred natural habitat of Clelia clelia is forest at altitudes from sea level to 1,500 m (4,900 ft).^[1]

Description

Clelia clelia is a large snake. Adults may attain a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of 2.1 m (6.9 ft). Dorsally, adults are uniform black, gray, or olive-gray. Ventrally, adults are yellowish white. Juveniles are pale brown or red, with a black head and a yellow collar.^[6]

Behavior

Clelia clelia is terrestrial. It is primarily nocturnal, but it is also sometimes diurnal.^[1]

Eating a brown-banded water snake

Diet

Clelia clelia preys almost exclusively on snakes, especially venomous snakes of the genera Bothriechis, Bothrops, Crotalus, Lachesis, Micrurus, and Porthidium.^[7][8]

Despite being primarily ophiophagous, Clelia clelia also includes the following prey items in its diet: lizards, snake eggs, opossums, rodents, birds, small mammals, and snails.^[8]

Reproduction

Clelia clelia is oviparous.^[1][3][7]

Subspecies

Clelia clelia has two subspecies, including the nominotypical subspecies, which are recognized as being valid.^[3]

• Clelia clelia clelia (Daudin, 1803)
• Clelia clelia groomei Greer, 1965

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