Spectacled hooded snake

The spectacled hooded snake (Suta spectabilis), also known commonly as the Port Lincoln snake, is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is native to central-southern Australia.^[1] There are three recognized subspecies.

Spectacled hooded snake
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Elapidae
Genus:	Suta
Species:	S. spectabilis
Binomial name
Suta spectabilis (Krefft, 1869)
Synonyms[2][3]
Hoplocephalus spectabilis Kreft, 1869 Denisonia spectabilis — Storr, 1981 Unechis spectabilis — Cogger, 1983 Rhinoplocephalus spectabilis — Storr, 1984 Suta spectabilis — Hutchinson, 1990 Parasuta spectabilis — Greer, 2006

Geographic range

S. spectabilis is found in the Australian states of New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia.^[1][2]

Habitat

The preferred natural habitats of S. spectabilis are grassland and shrubland.^[1]

Description

Adults of S. spectabilis have an average snout-to-vent length (SVL) of 26.5 cm (10.4 in), and the length of the tail is on average 12.5% SVL. The maximum recorded SVL is 35.6 centimetres (14.0 in).^[3]

Reproduction

S. spectabilis is viviparous.^[2]

Subspecies

Including the nominotypical subspecies, three subspecies are recognized as being valid.^[2]

• Suta spectabilis bushi (Storr, 1988)
• Suta spectabilis nullarbor (Storr, 1981)
• Suta spectabilis spectabilis (Krefft, 1869)

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

Etymology

The subspecific name, bushi, is in honor of Australian herpetologist Brian Gordon Bush (born 1947).^[4]