Helicops gomesi

Helicops gomesi, also known commonly as the São Paulo keelback and cobra d'água in Brazilian Portuguese, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to Brazil.

Helicops gomesi
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Colubridae
Genus:	Helicops
Species:	H. gomesi
Binomial name
Helicops gomesi Amaral, 1922

Etymology

The specific name, gomesi, is in honor of Brazilian herpetologist João Florêncio Gomes.^[2]

Geographic range

H. gomesi is found in the Brazilian states of Goiás, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, Paraná, and São Paulo.^[1][3]

Habitat

The preferred natural habitats of H. gomesi are forest and savanna.^[1]

Description

H. gomesi may attain a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of 76 cm (30 in).^[1] Both dorsally and ventrally, it is brown, with some darker markings. Its dorsal scales are arranged in 19 rows throughout the length of its body.^[3]

Diet

H. gomesi preys upon fishes and amphibians.^[1]

Reproduction

H. gomes is oviparous. Clutch size is 7–22 eggs.^[1]