''Elapsoidea sundevallii'', also known commonly as Sundevall's garter snake or African garter snake, is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is native to Southern Africa. There are five recognised

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

Etymology

The

specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

, ''sundevalli'', honours Swedish zoologist Carl Jakob Sundevall (1801–1875). Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Elapsoidea sundevallii decosteri'', p. 67; ''Elapsoidea sundevallii fitzsimonsi'', p. 91; "''Elapsoidea sundevalli'' ic, p. 258). The subspecific name, ''decosteri'', is in honour of Belgian consul Juste De Coster, who collected natural history specimens at Delagoa Bay, Mozambique. The subspecific name, ''fitzsimonsi'', is in honour of South African herpetologist

Vivian Frederick Maynard FitzSimons Vivian Frederick Maynard FitzSimons, born in Pietermaritzburg, was a notable herpetologist in South Africa. Also, he contributed to the collection of spermatophyte samples for the National Herbarium which has become part of the South African Nati ...

Geographic range

''E. sundevallii'' is found in Botswana,

Eswatini Eswatini ( ; ss, eSwatini ), officially the Kingdom of Eswatini and formerly named Swaziland ( ; officially renamed in 2018), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by Mozambique to its northeast and South Africa to its no ...

, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.

Habitat

The preferred natural habitats of ''E. sundevallii'' are grassland,

shrubland Shrubland, scrubland, scrub, brush, or bush is a plant community characterized by vegetation dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, herbs, and geophytes. Shrubland may either occur naturally or be the result of human activity. It m ...

, savanna, and forest, at altitudes from sea level to .

Description

Adults of ''E. sundevallii'' are slate-grey to black or dark brown on the upper body, with whitish to pinkish bellies. Juveniles are banded. Males grow to be longer than females. The maximum recorded snout-to-vent length (SVL) for a male is . The maximum recorded SVL for a female is only . Branch, Bill (2004). ''Field Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of Southern Africa''. Third Revised edition, Second impression. Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis Books. 399 pp. . ("''Elapsoidea sunderwallii'' ic, p. 106 + Plates 21, 32, 37).

Diet

''E. sundevallii''

preys Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill th ...

upon frogs,

lizard Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The group is paraphyletic since it excludes the snakes and Amphisbaenia alt ...

s and their eggs, snakes, moles, and rodents.

Venom

Although ''E. sundevallii'' is venomous and can inflict a serious bite, few bites have been recorded, and none has resulted in a human fatality. Symptoms may include pain and swelling, nausea and vomiting, blurred vision, and loss of consciousness.

Reproduction

The species ''E. sundevallii'' is

oviparous Oviparous animals are animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive method of most fish, amphibians, most reptiles, and all pterosaurs, dinosaurs (including birds), and ...

. A sexually mature female may lay a

clutch A clutch is a mechanical device that engages and disengages power transmission, especially from a drive shaft to a driven shaft. In the simplest application, clutches connect and disconnect two rotating shafts (drive shafts or line shafts). ...

of as many as 10 eggs.

Subspecies

The following five subspecies, including the

nominotypical subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

, are recognised as being valid. *''Elapsoidea sundevallii decosteri'' *''Elapsoidea sundevallii fitzsimonsi'' *''Elapsoidea sundevallii longicauda'' *''Elapsoidea sundevallii media'' *''Elapsoidea sundevallii sundevallii'' '' Nota bene'': A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than ''Elapsoidea''.

References

* Boulenger GA (1888). "On new or little-known South-African Reptiles". ''Annals and Magazine of Natural History, Sixth Series'' 2: 136–141. (''Elapsoidea decosteri'', new species, p. 141). *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. (''Elapechis sundevallii'', new combination, pp. 360–361). * Broadley DG (1971). "A revision of the African snake genus ''Elapsoidea'' Bocage (Elapidae)". ''Occasional Papers of the National Museum of Southern Rhodesia'' 32: 577–626. (''Elapsoidea sundevallii longicauda'', new subspecies; ''Elapsoidea sundevallii media'', new subspecies). * Loveridge A (1944). "Further revisions of African Snake Genera". ''Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoölogy at Harvard College'' 95 (2): 121–247. (''Elapsoidea sundevalli fitzsimonsi'', new subspecies, pp. 229–231). *

Smith A Smith may refer to: People * Metalsmith, or simply smith, a craftsman fashioning tools or works of art out of various metals * Smith (given name) * Smith (surname), a family name originating in England, Scotland and Ireland ** List of people wit ...

(1848). ''Illustrations of the Zoology of South Africa; Consisting Chiefly of Descriptions and Figures of the Objects of Natural History Collected during an Expedition into the Interior of South Africa, in the Years 1834, 1835, and 1836; Fitted out by "The Cape of Good Hope Association for the Exploring Central Africa:" Together with a Summary of African Zoology, and an Inquiry into the Geographical Ranges of Species in that Quarter of the Globe. olume III. Reptilia.' London: Lords Commissioners of Her Majesty's Treasury. (Smith, Elder and Co., printers). Plates + unnumbered pages of text. (''Elaps sunderwallii'', new species, Plate 56). (in English and Latin). {{Taxonbar, from= Q3016942 sundevallii Snakes of Africa Reptiles of Botswana Reptiles of Eswatini Reptiles of Mozambique Reptiles of Namibia Reptiles of South Africa Reptiles of Zimbabwe Taxa named by Andrew Smith (zoologist) Reptiles described in 1848