The highland copperhead (''Austrelaps ramsayi''), also known as Ramsay's copperhead,
is a
species of
venomous snake in the
family Elapidae endemic to
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
.
Taxonomy
Gerard Krefft
Johann Ludwig (Louis) Gerard Krefft (17 February 1830 – 19 February 1881), a talented artist and draughtsman, and the Curator of the Australian Museum for 13 years (1861-1874), was one of Australia's first and most influential zoologists and ...
described the highland copperhead in 1864 as ''Hoplocephalus ramsayi'' from a specimen collected in Braidwood, New South Wales.
[ (''Hoplocephalus ramsayi'', new species, pp. 180-181).] The
specific name Specific name may refer to:
* in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database
In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules:
* Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...
, ''ramsayi'', is in honour of
Edward Pierson Ramsay, who was an Australian
ornithologist
Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the "methodological study and consequent knowledge of birds with all that relates to them." Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and th ...
and
herpetologist,
[Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Austrelaps ramsayi'', p. 216).] and who collected the
holotype specimen.
[
]
Description
''A. ramsayi'' has an average total length (including tail) of 113 cm (44 inches). It can vary in upper (dorsal) colour from mid to very dark brown, with a creamy yellow belly tinged with red between the differing colours.
Distribution and habitat
The highlands copperhead inhabits the Alpine regions of eastern Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
, and is common in the Southern Highlands of NSW, including Mittagong, Bowral and Moss Vale.
''A. ramsayi'' is found in montane heath, woodland, sclerophyll forests, along water bodies, and in swampy areas with thick clumps of tussock grass.
Reproduction
''Austrelaps ramsayi'' is ovoviviparous, with between 9 and 31 young per brood.
References
Further reading
* Boulenger GA (1896). ''Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume III. Containing the Colubridæ (Opisthoglyphæ and Proteroglyphæ) ...'' London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiv + 727 pp. + Plates I-XXV. (''Denisonia ramsayi'', new combination, p. 338).
* Cogger HG (2014). ''Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia, Seventh Edition''. Clayton, Victoria, Australia: CSIRO Publishing. xxx + 1,033 pp. .
*Rawlinson, Peter Alan (1991). "Taxonomy and distribution of the Australian tiger snakes (''Notechis'') and copperheads (''Austrelaps'') (Serpentes, Elapidae)". ''Proc. Royal Soc. Victoria'' 103 (2): 125–135. (''Austrelaps ramsayi'', new combination).
*Wilson, Steve; Swan, Gerry (2013). ''A Complete Guide to Reptiles of Australia, Fourth Edition''. Sydney: New Holland Publishers. 522 pp. .
Austrelaps
Snakes of Australia
Reptiles of New South Wales
Reptiles of Victoria (Australia)
Endemic fauna of Australia
Taxa named by Gerard Krefft
Reptiles described in 1864
{{Elapidae-stub