Mastigodryas boddaerti explained

Mastigodryas boddaerti, commonly known as Boddaert's tropical racer, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is native to tropical South America including Trinidad and Tobago.^[1]

Distribution

M. boddaerti occurs in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela.^[2]

Habitat

The preferred natural habitat of M. boddaerti is forest, at altitudes of 24–.

Description

M. boddaerti changes coloration ontogenetically. Juveniles from Guyana have a brown dorsum with grayish tan bands, with white spots ventrolaterally on anterior ends of the tan bands. The chin and throat are white, with dark brown irregular spots. The venter is tan-colored. Adults are nearly uniform brown dorsally, with traces of bands anteriorly. There is a lateral light tan stripe on the anterior half of the body. The venter is light gray with darker gray smudges on the throat.^[2] Individuals from Brazilian Amazonas measured up to 109cm (43inches) in snout–vent length.^[3]

Behavior

M. boddaerti is diurnal and mainly terrestrial, but it will occasionally climb low vegetation.

Diet

M. boddaerti feeds on young birds, frogs, lizards, and mice.^{[1] [4]} Specimens from Brazilian Amazonas fed mostly on lizards, followed by mammals and frogs.^[3]

Reproduction

M. boddaerti is oviparous.

Subspecies

Three subspecies are recognized, including the nominotypical subspecies.

• Mastigodryas boddaerti boddaerti
• Mastigodryas boddaerti dunni
• Mastigodryas boddaerti ruthveni

Etymology

The specific name, boddaerti, is in honor of Dutch naturalist Pieter Boddaert.^[5] The subspecific names, dunni and ruthveni, are in honor of American herpetologists Emmett Reid Dunn and Alexander G. Ruthven, respectively.

Further reading

• Freiberg M (1982). Snakes of South America. Hong Kong: T.F.H. Publications. 189 pp. . (Mastigodryas boddaerti, p. 104).
• Oliveira EA, Hernández-Ruz EJ, Carvalho JC, Ferreira Santana MD, Silva LW, Araújo KR (2013). "Mastigodryas boddaerti (Boddaert's tropical racer). Reproduction". Herpetological Review 44 (2): 332.
• Sentzen UJ (1796). "Ophiologische Fragmente ". Zoologische Archiv [part 2]. Leipzig: F.A.A. Meyer. (Coluber boddaertii, new species, pp. 59, 66). (in German).
• Stuart LC (1933). "Studies on Neotropical Colubrinae: II. Some New Species and Subspecies of Eudryas Fitzinger, with an Annotated List of the Forms of Eudryas boddaertii (Sentzen)". Occasional Papers of the Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan (254): 1-10.

External links

• https://serpientesdevenezuela.org/mastigodryas-boddaerti/ (in Spanish).

Notes and References

1. Book: Boos, Hans E.A.. The Snakes of Trinidad and Tobago. College Station, Texas: Texas A&M University Press. 2001. 1-58544-116-3.
2. 10.2988/0006-324X-125.4.317. Amphibians and reptiles of Guyana, South America: Illustrated keys, annotated species accounts, and a biogeographic synopsis. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. 125. 4. 317–578. 2013. Cole CJ, Townsend CR, Reynolds RP, MacCulloch RD, Lathrop A. 86665287 .
3. Siqueira. Débora M.. Nascimento. Loana P.. Santos-Costa. Maria Cristina Dos. Feeding biology of Boddaert's tropical racer, Mastigodryas boddaerti (Serpentes, Colubridae) from the Brazilian Amazon. South American Journal of Herpetology. 7. 3. 2012. 226–232. 10.2994/057.007.0304. 85848081 .
4. https://sta.uwi.edu/fst/lifesciences/sites/default/files/lifesciences/documents/ogatt/Mastigodryas_boddaerti%20-%20Neotropical%20Racer.pdf
5. [Richard Allen "Bo" Crombet-Beolens|Beolens B]