Ingram's brown snake

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Ingram's brown snake
Systematics
Subordination : Snakes (serpentes)
Superfamily : Adder-like and viper-like (Colubroidea)
Family : Poison Snakes (Elapidae)
Subfamily : Hydrophiinae
Genre : Brown snakes ( pseudonaja )
Type : Ingram's brown snake
Scientific name
Pseudonaja ingrami
( Boulenger , 1908)

Ingram's brown snake ( Pseudonaja ingrami ) is a species of snake from the family of poisonous snakes (Elapidae) and belongs to the genus of brown snakes ( Pseudonaja ). There are no known subspecies . The specific epithet honors the Australian herpetologist Glen Joseph Ingram.

features

Pseudonaja ingrami reaches a total length between 100 and 180 cm. The body is slim. The head is relatively short and hardly separates from the neck. The eyes have a round pupil and dark iris. The body is variable in color, the top of the body ranges from brownish-light yellow to black-brown. The head is dark brown or blackish in color. The scales are often darkly edged. The ventral side is yellowish to orange in color and has parallel, orange spots. As is typical for venomous snakes, the venom apparatus consists of venom glands located on the side of the skull (specialized salivary glands ) and immobile fangs located in the anterior upper jaw (proteroglyphic tooth position). The inside of the mouth is black.

Pholidosis

The pholidosis (scaling) shows the following characteristics:

The scales are smooth.

distribution

The distribution area includes areas within Australia in Northern Territory , Queensland and Western Australia . Finds from the vicinity of Kununurra, Western Australia, could not be confirmed. Museum preparations from the region have turned out to be Pseudonaja nuchalis in some cases . The populated habitats include low-lying and seasonally flooded biotopes, which are characterized by black earth and tussock populations . The deep floors offer cracks as hiding places.

IUCN Red List lists the species as 'least concern' (not endangered). The current population development is unknown.

Way of life

Pseudonaja ingrami leads a largely soil-dwelling way of life. The prey spectrum of Pseudonaja ingrami primarily includes small mammals, sometimes also frogs. Reproduction takes place through oviparia , i.e. laying eggs. The clutch can contain around 15 eggs. The species is considered to be hardly aggressive in captivity.

Snake venom

composition

The toxin mixture contains high proportions of prothrombinases ( serine proteases ) and α- neurotoxins . In contrast, contrary to expectations, PLA 2 neurotoxins (presynaptic, textile toxin) could not be detected. Particularly characteristic of Pseudonaja ingrami is a high content of C-type lectins , the content of which can make up 15.5% of the proteome (poisonous secretion).

toxicology

The poisonous secretion of Pseudonaja ingrami is highly effective and its pharmacology is comparable to that of other brown snakes , such as Pseudonaja textilis . Symptoms such as neurotoxic effects (e.g. headache) and nausea are quickly developed after a poison bite. The intoxication is characterized by paralysis and consumption coagulopathy , the latter is mainly due to the activation of prothrombin . It can hemorrhage with hemoptysis and hematuria occur. Cardiovascular effects are presumably secondary in nature, but toxins with direct cardiovascular effects cannot be ruled out. Mild thrombocytopenia is also known from a case report ; myolysis is considered unlikely. After a bite accident, intensive medical monitoring is necessary as soon as possible. The therapy is carried out by sometimes multiple application of a suitable antivenin , moreover symptomatically .

Systematics

The first description was made by the British-Belgian zoologist George Albert Boulenger under the name Diemenia ingrami (Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. (8) 1: 333–334). Alexandria (Northern Territory) is given as Terra typica . Cogger introduced the species in 1983 as Pseudonaja ingrami .

Other synonyms are:

  • Demansia ingrami Kinghorn 1964
  • Euprepiosoma ingrami Wells 2002

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Fotolulu: All Reptiles in the World: The Complete Checklist of All Species and Subspecies , Fotolulu, 2018. ISBN 9783752822625 .
  2. ↑ Goruma: Western brown snake (accessed October 5, 2019)
  3. ↑ a b c d e The Reptile Database: Pseudonaja ingrami (accessed October 5, 2019)
  4. ↑ a b c d Australian Reptile Online Database: Pseudonaja ingrami (accessed October 5, 2019)
  5. ↑ a b IUCN Red List: Pseudonaja ingrami (accessed October 5, 2019)
  6. ↑ a b Skejic et al .: Venoms of related mammal-eating species of taipans ( Oxyuranus ) and brown snakes ( Pseudonaja ) differ in composition of toxins involved in mammal poisoning , bioRxiv : 10.1101 / 378141v1 ( preprint full text).
  7. ↑ a b c Brimacombe et al. (1995), Cairns Base Hospital: Envenomation by Ingram's Brown Snake ( Pseudonaja ingrami ) in: Anaesth. Intens. Care 1995; Page 231–233. ( PDF )

literature

  • Swan , The Australian Museum: A Photographic Guide to Snakes & other Reptiles of Australia , New Holland Publishers, 1995.
  • Boulenger, GA (1908): Description of a new elapine snake from Australia in: The Annals & Magazine of Natural History , (8) pages 333-334.

Web links