Philodryas olfersii

Philodryas olfersii
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Colubridae
Subfamily: Xenodontinae
Genus: Philodryas
Species: P. olfersii
Binomial name
Philodryas olfersii
(Lichtenstein, 1823)
Synonyms

Philodryas olfersii is a species of colubrid snake, endemic to South America, known by the common names Lichtenstein's green racer,[2][3] South American green racer,[4] and eastern green whiptail,[5][6] and in Brazil, cobra-cipó, cobra de São João,[7] cobra-facão, cobra-verde, and mboi-obi.[8]

Etymology

The specific name, olfersii, is in honor of German naturalist Ignaz von Olfers.[9]

Geographic range

It is native to southern South America, including Bolivia, northwestern Paraguay, northern Argentina.[2]

Description

P. olfersii reaches 1 to 1.5 meters (about 40 to 60 inches) in maximum total length.[3]

Dorsally, it is green in color;[10] ventrally, it is yellowish.[1]

The dorsal scales are smooth, without apical pits, and are arranged in 19 rows at midbody.[1]

Habitat

It can be found in many habitat types, including the Cerrado, Caatinga, forests, forest transition,[7] and restinga.[11]

Behavior

This species is often arboreal,[6] but it also forages on the ground.[5] It is diurnal,[6] though it has been observed mating late in the evening.[12]

Diet

Prey items include rodents, lizards, amphibians, and birds,[6] especially nestlings.[5] They will also eat other snakes, including ones almost as large as themselves.[8]

Reproduction

The egg of the snake measures about 5 centimeters (about 2 inches).[6] The clutch size is 4 to 11 eggs, with larger females producing more eggs than smaller ones.[13]

Venom

Snake species in the genus Philodryas are not considered venomous.[14][15] However, P. olfersii is a venomous snake and there have been reports of serious bites causing local and systemic effects requiring medical treatment.[14] The most common symptoms are pain, swelling, erythema, and ecchymosis.[16] There may be a pulsing sensation or numbness at the bite site. Some pus can develop and nearby lymph nodes may enlarge. Bruising or other discoloration can appear quite a distance from the wound site, sometimes occurring far up the arm after a hand wound,[14] even progressing to the neck, chest,[7] and abdomen.[4] Stiffness may affect the entire limb.[10] Patients complaining of snakebite may be given an antivenom for Bothrops snake venom, which is inappropriate for the treatment of Philodryas bites.[14][15] Philodryas does not cause the coagulopathy that Bothrops does.[7] The bite of this snake is almost never lethal; only one fatality has been reported, and that in a child.[3]

The secretion that causes injury to bite victims is produced in the snake's Duvernoy's gland and channeled into its prey via a grooved tooth. It is myotoxic, causing muscle damage; muscle tissue hemorrhages and becomes necrotic.[15] The secretion contains toxins such as serine proteases, metalloproteases, C-type lectins, cysteine-rich secretory proteins, and a C-type natriuretic peptide.[17]

Parasites

This snake is host to a newly described species of parasitic protozoan, Caryospora olfersii. It has also been recorded carrying C. braziliensis.[11]

Subspecies

Some sources do not recognize any subspecies.[8][18] However, other sources recognize the following three subspecies, including the nominotypical subspecies:[10][19][20]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Boulenger, G.A. 1896. Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume III., Containing the Colubridæ (Opisthoglyphæ and Proteroglyphæ),... Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, Printers.) London. xiv + 727 pp. + Plates I.- XXV. (Philodryas olfersii, pp. 129-130.)
  2. 1 2 Philodryas olfersii. The Reptile Database.
  3. 1 2 3 O'Shea, M. Venomous Snakes of the World. New Holland Publishers. 2008. pg. 53.
  4. 1 2 Weinstein, S.A., et al. "Venomous" Bites from Non-Venomous Snakes: A Critical Analysis of Risk and Management of "Colubrid" Snake Bites. Elsevier. 2011. pg. 104.
  5. 1 2 3 Sazima, I., and O.A.V. Marques. (2007). A reliable customer: Hunting site fidelity by an actively foraging neotropical colubrid snake. Herpetological Bulletin (99): 36-38.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Barbo, F.E., et al. (2011). Diversity, natural history, and distribution of snakes in the municipality of São Paulo. South American Journal of Herpetology 6 (3): 135-160.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Correia, J.M., et al. (2010). Poisoning due to Philodryas olfersii (Lichtenstein, 1823) attended at Restauração Hospital in Recife, State of Pernambuco, Brazil: Case report. Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical 43 (3): 336-338.
  8. 1 2 3 Freiberg, M. 1982. Snakes of South America. T.F.H. Publications. Hong Kong. 189 pp. ISBN 0-87666-912-7. (Philodryas olfersii, pp. 106, 137 + photographs on pp. 21, 146.)
  9. ↑ Beolens, Bo; Michael Watkins; Michael Grayson. 2011. The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Johns Hopkins University Press. Baltimore. xiii + 312 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Philodryas olfersii, p. 157.)
  10. 1 2 3 Kuch, U. (1999). Notes on two cases of human envenomation by the South American colubrid snakes Philodryas olfersii latirostris Cope, 1862 and Philodryas chamissonis (Wiegmann, 1834) (Squamata: Serpentes: Colubridae). Herpetozoa 12 (1/2): 11-16.
  11. 1 2 Viana, L.A., et al. (2013). A new species of Caryospora Léger, 1904 (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) from the snake Philodryas olfersii Lichtenstein (Colubridae) from a coastal habitat in Brazil. Syst. Parasitol. 85 (2): 195-199.
  12. ↑ Dourado de Mesquita, P.C.M., et al. (2012). Philodryas olfersii (Squamata, Serpentes, Dipsadidae): Nocturnal mating behavior. Herpetologia Brasileira 1 (1): 41.
  13. ↑ Dourado de Mesquita, P.C.M., et al. (2013). Reproductive biology of Philodryas olfersii (Serpentes, Dipsadidae) in a subtropical region of Brazil. The Herpetological Journal 23 (1): 39-44.
  14. 1 2 3 4 Araújo, M.E., and A.C. Santos. (1997). Cases of human envenoming caused by Philodryas olfersii and Philodryas patagoniensis (Serpentes: Colubridae). Rev. Soc. Bras. Med. Trop. 30 (6): 517-519.
  15. 1 2 3 Acosta de Perez, O., et al. (2003). Edematogenic and myotoxic activities of the Duvernoy's gland secretion of Philodryas olfersii from the north-east region of Argentina. Biocell 27 (3): 363-370.
  16. ↑ Ribeiro, L.A., et al. (1999). Bites by the colubrid snake Philodryas olfersii: A clinical and epidemiological study of 43 cases. Toxicon 37 (6): 943-948.
  17. ↑ Ching, A.T.C., et al. (2006). Some aspects of the venom proteome of the Colubridae snake Philodryas olfersii revealed from a Duvernoy’s (venom) gland transcriptome. FEBS Letters 580 (18): 4417-4422.
  18. ↑ ITIS (Integrated Taxonomic Information System). www.itis.gov.
  19. ↑ The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org
  20. ↑ Dahms Tierleben. www.dahmstierleben.de/systematik/Reptilien/Squamata/Serpentes/colubroidea/colubridae/dipsadinae#section-58.

Further reading

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