Ore snake
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Ore snake ( Oxybelis aeneus ) |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Oxybelis aeneus | ||||||||||||
| ( Wagler , 1824) |
The Erzspitznatter ( Oxybelis aeneus ), also Erzspitzschlange called, is a snake from the family of snakes and belongs to the genre of Spitz snakes ( Oxybelis ).
features
The ore snake has a slender, whip-like body with a long tail and reaches a total length of 150 cm, rarely up to 190 cm. The head is elongated and is more or less clearly separated from the neck. The snout is narrow and sharp-edged. The eyes are relatively large and have a round pupil when exposed to light. They stand to the side of the head and allow the snake to see areas above and below.
Oxybelis aeneus has a poisonous apparatus, which consists of poison glands (modified salivary glands), poison canals and immobile fangs located in the rear upper jaw ( opistoglyph tooth position ). In humans, the toxic effects are limited to local effects (slight pain, edema , erythema , paresthesia ).
coloring
The body is variable in color. The basic color ranges from shiny yellowish-gray to reddish-brown. On the head there is a dark temporal stripe along the sides that runs through the eye. The throat, neck, upper and lower lip shields as well as the belly side have a whitish and mostly reddish powdered color. A fine, dark stripe can run along the flanks on the edge of the abdominal shields. The ventral side may be drawn with a light center line. In addition, the back and sides of the body are monochrome or characterized by brown or black spots.
Pholidosis
The snake scaling shows the following characteristics:
- some head shields with the elongated head shape corresponding modification,
- 1 rostral shield ( Scutum rostrale ),
- 2 internasalia ( Scuta internalasia ),
- 2 prefrontalia ( Scuta praefrontalia ),
- 1 frontal shield ( scutum frontale ),
- Eye shields ( Scuta ocularia ): 2 upper eye shields (Scuta supraocularia), 1 anterior eye shield (Scutum praeoculare), 2 or 3 posterior eye shields (Scuta postocularia),
- 2 parietal shields ( Scuta parietalia ),
- 8 to 9 upper lip shields ( Scuta supralabialia ), the 4th, 5th and 6th butting to the lower edge of the eye,
- 8 to 10 lower lip shields ( Scuta sublabialia ), the 4th largest,
- no Loreale ( Scutum loreale ),
- mostly 17 rows of dorsal scales ( Scuta dorsalia ), which are either smooth or slightly keeled (without apical dimples),
- 174 to 200 abdominal shields ( Scuta ventralia ),
- 150 to 198 under- tail shields ( Scuta subcaudalia ),
- 1 undivided anal shield ( scutum anale ).
distribution
Oxybelis aeneus occurs from southern Arizona ( USA ) southwards in large parts of North, Central and South America ( Belize , Bolivia , Brazil , Costa Rica , Ecuador , El Salvador , French Guyana , Guatemala , Guyana , Honduras , Colombia , Mexico , Nicaragua , Panama , Peru , Suriname , Trinidad and Tobago including Huevos , USA, Venezuela ). The distribution area extends north-south over 9,000 km and occupies an estimated area of 15 million km 2 . Thus, the species is one of the snake species with the largest range. It can be found from sea level up to 2500 meters. The populated habitats are always characterized by trees and bushes. Specifically, the habitats that can be specified are mostly gallery forests close to the water , forest and scrubland in areas with a semi-arid and arid climate, as well as moist to tropical forests and savannas. Furthermore, Oxybelis aeneus occasionally occurs as a culture successor in the vicinity of human dwellings. The species can be found frequently.
Way of life
The ore snake leads a largely arboreal (tree-dwelling) as well as diurnal and sometimes nocturnal way of life. The main phases of activity extend over the early morning and late afternoon. When searching for food, it moves nimbly climbing in the branches, sliding quickly between different trees and bushes. The ore snake can also move quickly on the ground. In Belize it was observed that individuals of the species mostly stay at a height of about 1.5 m during the day, while at night they rise to a height of about 2.9 m. On the one hand, this is interpreted as protective behavior, on the other hand, preferred prey animals stay at the same height. The snake's range of prey primarily includes lizards and occasionally frogs and small birds such as hummingbirds. Some authors also give small mammals and insects as prey. The prey is immobilized by the poison secretion.
If disturbed, the snake often relies on its camouflage. It remains motionless, due to its slim build and color it hardly stands out from the surrounding branches. When provoked , Oxybelis aeneus lays the front body in S-shaped loops and opens the mouth wide. Still, she seldom bites. Furthermore, a foul-smelling defense secretion can be excreted from the anus glands when excited.
The reproduction of Oxybelis aeneus done by oviparity so oviparous. The mating season varies within the distribution area. It extends over the spring in Arizona. The eggs are laid in late spring or early summer. A clutch comprises between three and six eggs. The eggs measure 5.1 to 6.4 cm in length.
Systematics
Initial description
The first description of the species under the name Dryinus aeneus was made in 1824 by the German zoologist Johann Georg Wagler . A “habitat in sylvis adjacentibus fluminis Solimöens, prope Ega” is specified as a terra typica , where Ega is an original name for the city of Tefé ( Amazonas , Brazil ).
Synonyms
Due to its wide distribution, different habitats and variable coloration, the species has been described several times and independently of one another under different names. The most important synonyms are:
- Dryinus aeneu Wagler 1824
- Coluber acuminatus Wied 1824
- Dryinus auratus Bell 1825
- Oxybelis aeneus Duméril & Bibron 1854
- Dryophis vittatus Girard 1854
- Dryiophis acuminata Cope 1878
- Oxybelis acuminatus Bocourt 1897
- Oxybelis argenteus Bocourt 1897
- Oxybelis microphthalmus Barbour & Amaral 1926
- Oxybelis potosiensis Taylor 1941
Phylogenetics
In view of the large distribution area and the large number of habitats, the question of the taxonomic status of the species arises. In this context, molecular biological studies of mitochondrial genes (mtDNA: Cyt b (cytochrome b), ND4 (NADH dehydrogenase subunit 4)) and nuclear genes (nDNA: cmos (oocyte maturation factor), PRLR (prolactin receptor)) of Central American populations carried out and evaluated. It was after Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood methods. The results suggest that the genus Oxybelis evolved during the Miocene about 20.5 mya and separated from the sister genus Leptophis . In Oxybelis aeneus is probably a species complex , whose precise phylogenetic systematics is unsettled. The species complex originally originated in Central America, from where it spread north and south. An evolutionary diversification of the as yet unclear lineages probably took place during the Pliocene . ( Jadin et al., 2019)
etymology
The generic name “Oxybelis” is derived from the Greek “Oxy” for “pointed” and “belas” for “arrow”. This name is based on the elongated shape of the head. The specific epithet "aenus" comes from the Latin term for "bronze" or "copper" and refers to the body color of the holotype of the species.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b The Reptile Database: Oxybelis aeneus (accessed April 18, 2019)
literature
- Jadin et al .: Hiding in the lianas of the tree of life: Molecular phylogenetics and species delimitation reveal considerable cryptic diversity of New World Vine Snakes , Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 134 (2019), 61-65. ( PDF )
- Trutnau: snakes in the terrarium; Non-toxic snakes , Vol. 1, Part 2, Verlag Eugen Ulmer, 2002. ISBN 3-8001-3223-0 .
- Schmidt: Atlas snakes; Species, attitude, care , bede Verlag, 2006; published by Nikol-Verlag, 2009.
Web links
- Oxybelis aeneus in The Reptile Database
- University of Adelaide, Clinical Toxinology Resources: Oxybelis aeneus (accessed April 19, 2019)