Xenodon dorbignyi

Xenodon dorbignyi, the South American hognose snake, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is native to southern South America. There are four recognized subspecies.

Xenodon dorbignyi
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Colubridae
Genus:	Xenodon
Species:	X. dorbignyi
Binomial name
Xenodon dorbignyi (Bibron, 1854)
Synonyms[2]
Heterodon dorbignyi Bibron, 1854 Lystrophis dorbignyi — Cope, 1885 Xenodon dorbignyi — Zaher et al., 2009

Etymology

The specific name, dorbignyi, is in honor of French naturalist Alcide d'Orbigny.^[3]

Geographic range

X. dorbignyi is found in Argentina, southern Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay.^[1][2]

Habitat

The preferred natural habitats of X. dorbignyi are forest and grassland, both with sandy soil.^[1]

Description

X. dorbignyi may attain a total length of 56 cm (22 in), including a tail 8 cm (3.1 in) long.^[4] It resembles the sympatric venomous snake Bothrops alternatus.^[2]

Diet

X. dorbignyi preys upon insects, amphibians, and lizards.^[1]

Reproduction

X. dorbignyi is oviparous.^[2]

Subspecies

Four subspecies are recognized as being valid, including the nominotypical subspecies.^[2]

• Xenodon dorbignyi chacoensis (Lema, 1994)
• Xenodon dorbignyi dorbignyi (Bibron, 1854)
• Xenodon dorbignyi orientalis (Lema), 1994)
• Xenodon dorbignyi uruguayensis (Lema, 1994

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