Gould's hooded snake

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Gould's hooded snake (Suta gouldii), also known commonly as the black-headed snake and Gould's black-headed snake, is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is endemic to Western Australia.[1]

Gould's hooded snake
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Elapidae
Genus: Suta
Species:
S. gouldii
Binomial name
Suta gouldii
(Gray, 1841)
Synonyms[2]
  • Elaps gouldii
    Gray, 1841
  • Denisonia gouldii
    Boulenger, 1896
  • Parasuta gouldii
    Worrell, 1961
  • Suta gouldii
    McDowell, 1970
  • Unechis gouldii
    Cogger, 1975
  • Rhinoplocephalus gouldii
    Storr, 1984
  • Parasuta gouldii
    Greer, 2006
  • Suta gouldii
    Maryan et al., 2020

Etymology

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The specific name, gouldii, is in honor of English ornithologist John Gould.[3]

Description

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Adults of S. gouldii have an average snout-to-vent length (SVL) of 30 cm (12 in), and the length of the tail is on average 13.3% SVL. The maximum recorded SVL is 47 cm (19 in).[4]

Habitat

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The preferred natural habitats of S. gouldii are forest, shrubland, grassland, and rocky areas.[1]

Reproduction

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S. gouldii is ovoviviparous.[2]

Venom

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Although S. gouldii is venomous, its bite is considered to be of lesser medical significance. A life-threatening envenomation is unlikely, but a debilitating injury is possible.[5]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Craig M, Gaikhorst G, Valentine L, Sanderson C (2017). "Parasuta gouldii ". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017: e.T102718242A102719161. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T102718242A102719161.en. Downloaded on 23 January 2020
  2. ^ a b Species Suta gouldii at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
  3. ^ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Suta gouldii, p. 104).
  4. ^ Storr GM (1981). "The Denisonia gouldii species-group (Serpentes, Elapidae) in Western Australia". Records of the Western Australian Museum 8 (4): 501–515. (Denisonia gouldii, pp. 508–512, Figure 4).
  5. ^ Bush, Brian; Maryan, Brad (2006). Snakes and Snake-like Reptiles of Southern Western Australia: A guide to their identification and medical significance for outdoor workers: An important resource for every regional medical professional. Stoneville, Perth, Western Australia: Snakes Harmful & Harmless. 40 pp. ("Gould's Hooded Snake", p. 23, Figure 40).

Further reading

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  • Cogger HG (2014). Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia, Seventh Edition. Clayton, Victoria, Australia: CSIRO Publishing. xxx + 1,033 pp. ISBN 978-0643100350.
  • Gray JE (1841). "Description of some new Species and four new Genera of Reptiles from Western Australia, discovered by John Gould, Esq." Annals and Magazine of Natural History, [First Series ] 7: 86–91. (Elaps gouldii, new species, p. 91).
  • Maryan B, Brennan IG, Hutchinson MR, Geidans LS (2020). "What's under the hood? Phylogeny and taxonomy of the snake genera Parasuta Worrell and Suta Worrell (Squamata:Elapidae), with a description of a new species from the Pilbara, Western Australia". Zootaxa 4778 (1): 1–47.
  • Wilson S, Swan G (2013). A Complete Guide to Reptiles of Australia, Fourth Edition. Sydney: New Holland Publishers. 522 pp. ISBN 978-1921517280.