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Elapsoidea sundevallii
Species of African snake From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Elapsoidea sundevallii, also known commonly as Sundevall's garter snake or the African garter snake, is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is native to Southern Africa.[1][2] There are five recognised subspecies.[2]
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Etymology
The specific epithet, sundevalli, honours Swedish zoologist Carl Jakob Sundevall (1801–1875).[2][3]
The subspecific name, decosteri, is in honour of Belgian consul Juste De Coster, who collected natural history specimens at Delagoa Bay, Mozambique.[3]
The subspecific name, fitzsimonsi, is in honour of South African herpetologist Vivian Frederick Maynard FitzSimons.[3]
Geographic range
E. sundevallii is found in Botswana, Eswatini, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.[1][2]
Habitat
The preferred natural habitats of E. sundevallii are grassland, shrubland, savanna, and forest, at altitudes from sea level to 1,800 m (5,900 ft).[1]
Description
Adults of E. sundevallii are slate-grey to black or dark brown on the upper body, with whitish to pinkish bellies. Juveniles are banded.[2]
Males grow to be longer than females. The maximum recorded snout-to-vent length (SVL) for a male is 93 cm (37 in). The maximum recorded SVL for a female is only 65 cm (26 in).[4]
Diet
E. sundevallii preys upon frogs, lizards and their eggs, snakes, moles, and rodents.[4]
Venom
Although E. sundevallii is venomous and can inflict a serious bite, few bites have been recorded, and none has resulted in a human fatality. Symptoms may include pain and swelling, nausea and vomiting, blurred vision, and loss of consciousness.[4]
Reproduction
The species E. sundevallii is oviparous.[2] A sexually mature female may lay a clutch of as many as 10 eggs.[4]
Subspecies
The following five subspecies, including the nominotypical subspecies, are recognised as being valid.[2]
- Elapsoidea sundevallii decosteri Boulenger, 1888
- Elapsoidea sundevallii fitzsimonsi Loveridge, 1944
- Elapsoidea sundevallii longicauda Broadley, 1971
- Elapsoidea sundevallii media Broadley, 1971
- Elapsoidea sundevallii sundevallii (A. Smith, 1848)
Nota bene: A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Elapsoidea.
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References
Further reading
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