Eastern bandy bandy

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Eastern bandy bandy
Natural history of Victoria (Pl. 52) (5998816804) .jpg

Eastern bandy bandy ( Vermicella annulata )

Systematics
Subordination : Snakes (serpentes)
Superfamily : Adder-like and viper-like (Colubroidea)
Family : Poison Snakes (Elapidae)
Subfamily : Hydrophiinae
Genre : Vermicella
Type : Eastern bandy bandy
Scientific name
Vermicella annulata
( Gray , 1841)

The Eastern Bandy-Bandy ( Vermicella annulata ), also known as Bandy-Bandy for short , is a type of poisonous snake (Elapidae). The first description was carried out in 1841 by the British zoologist John Edward Gray . The generic name "Vermicella" means loosely translated "small worm", the specific epithet "annulata" is derived from the Latin "annulus" and means "ringed".

description

The Eastern Bandy-Bandy reaches a maximum length between 60 and 100 cm. Females grow taller than males with an average height of 54 cm. Young snakes measure an average of 17 cm when hatching. This makes it one of the smallest poisonous snakes in Australia. The body is slim and cylindrical. The oval head has small, black eyes and hardly stands out from the rest of the body. The basic color is black. There are strong white transverse bands along the entire body. The underside is also striped white on black.

As a poisonous snake, the Eastern Bandy-Bandy has two small, fixed and furrowed poisonous teeth (proteroglyphic tooth position) in the front upper jaw. Nothing more is known about the toxin mixture of the species. Bite accidents have been reported, but the species is not considered dangerous.

Pholidosis

If you look at the scaling of Vermicella annulata , a large, rounded rostral shield (nasal shield), narrow back of the head scales, two back shields ( postocularia ), a large front eye shield (praeocularia) and two nasal scales each with a centrally located, small nostril appear on the head six upper lip shields ( supralabials ), of which the third and fourth touch the lower edge of the eye. The back of the scales is usually rounded. There are 15 rows of smooth body scales over the body. The anal shield ( anal ) and the lower abdominal scales ( subcaudale ) are divided into two parts.

Way of life

The species leads a very hidden way of life as a burrowing, underground (fossorial) snake. Therefore, little is known about their biology and way of life in general. The Eastern Bandy-Bandy is occasionally seen at night and after heavy rain on the surface of the earth. It probably feeds exclusively on blind snakes (Typhlopidae), possibly also on slender skinks (Scincidae). When threatened, he exhibits a defensive position in which the body is bent upwards in several successive loops. Vermicella annulata reproduces through oviparity (laying eggs), the clutch comprises 2 to 13 eggs.

Occurrence and endangerment

Vermicella annulata is distributed in Australia in the states of New South Wales , Northern Territory , Queensland and South Australia . The species is widespread, but the populations are scattered and often isolated. It can be assumed that the Eastern Bandy Bandy is now classified as threatened. Mainly it suffers from the loss of its habitat to agriculture, especially the plowing of the soil threatens it. In the south the distribution area extended to northern Victoria , where it could not be proven for over a hundred years. Different habitats are inhabited, such as desert and arid areas, heathland, humid coastal forests and rainforests.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Vermicella annulata in The Reptile Database ; Retrieved January 6, 2011.
  2. ↑ a b ReptilesDownUnder.com: Vermicella annulata ( Memento of October 8, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
  3. ^ Albert Günther: Catalog of colubrine snakes in the collection of the British Museum . Printed by order of the Trustees, London 1858, p. 236 ( online ).

literature

Web links

Commons : Vermicella annulata  - collection of images, videos and audio files