''Spilotes sulphureus'', commonly known as the yellow-bellied hissing snake or Amazon puffing snake, is a
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
of snake in the
family
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
Colubridae. The species is found in
South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sout ...
, as well as the
Caribbean island of
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...
.
Taxonomy
Originally placed in the genus ''
Pseustes'', it is now considered in the genus ''Spilotes''.
Subspecies
Two
subspecies are recognized as being valid, 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 ...
.
* ''S. s. sulphureus''
*''S. s. dieperinkii''
''
Nota bene
(, or ; plural form ) is a Latin phrase meaning "note well".
It is often abbreviated as NB, n.b., or with the ligature
and first appeared in English writing . In Modern English, it is used, particularly in legal papers, to draw the atten ...
'': A
trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was original described in a genus other than ''Spilotes''.
Description
''S. sulphureus'' is a large snake, which can grow up to in total length (including tail).
Its venom is bimodal and can directly affect both mammal and reptile prey.
Diet
Adults of ''S. sulphureus'' feed on small
mammals,
bird
Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweig ...
s and other snakes (both venomous and
non-venomous), while juveniles feed on
lizards,
mice and
rats.
[https://sta.uwi.edu/fst/lifesciences/sites/default/files/lifesciences/documents/ogatt/Spilotes_sulphureus%20-%20Yellow-bellied%20Puffing%20Snake.pdf]
References
Further reading
*
Boulenger GA (1894). ''Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume II., Containing the Conclusion of the Colubridæ Aglyphæ''. London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xi + 382 pp. + Plates I-XX. (''Phrynonax sulphureus'', p. 19).
*
Freiberg M (1982). ''Snakes of South America''. Hong Kong: T.F.H. Publications. 189 pp. . (''Pseustes sulphureus'', p. 108 + color photo, p. 151).
*Jadin, Robert C.; Burbrink, Frank T,; Rivas, Gilson A.; Vitt, Laurie J; Barrio-Amorós, César L.; Guralnick, Robert P. (2013). "Finding arboreal snakes in an evolutionary tree: phylogenetic placement and systematic revision of the Neotropical birdsnakes". ''Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research'' 52 (3); 257-264. (''Spilotes sulphureus'', new combination).
*
Wagler J (1824). ''In''
Spix J (1824). ''Serpentum Brasiliensum species novae ou histoire naturelle des espèces nouvelles de serpens, recueillies et observées pendant le voyage dans l'intérieur du Brésil dans les années 1817, 1818, 1819, 1820, exécuté par ordre de sa Majesté le Roi de Baviére''. Munich: F.S. Hübschmann. viii + 75 pp. + Plates I-XXVI. (''Natrix sulphurea'', new species, pp. 26–27 + Plate IX). (in Latin and French).
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3005342
Spilotes
Reptiles of Trinidad and Tobago
Reptiles of Guyana
Snakes of South America
Reptiles described in 1824
Taxa named by Johann Georg Wagler