The spectacled hooded snake (''Suta spectabilis''), also known commonly as the Port Lincoln snake, is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), 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 ...

venomous snake Venomous snakes are species of the suborder Serpentes that are capable of producing venom, which they use for killing prey, for defense, and to assist with digestion of their prey. The venom is typically delivered by injection using hollow or ...

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 ...

Elapidae Elapidae (, commonly known as elapids ; grc, ἔλλοψ ''éllops'' "sea-fish") is a family of snakes characterized by their permanently erect fangs at the front of the mouth. Most elapids are venomous, with the exception of the genus Emydoce ...

. The species is native to central-southern Australia. There are three recognized subspecies.

Geographic range

''S. spectabilis'' is found in the Australian states of

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

and

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to ...

. www.reptile-database.org.

Habitat

The preferred natural

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

s of ''S. spectabilis'' are

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush ( Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes, like clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur natur ...

and

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 ...

Description

Adults of ''S. spectabilis'' have an average snout-to-vent length (SVL) of , and the length of the tail is on average 12.5% SVL. The maximum recorded SVL is .

Reproduction

''S. spectabilis'' is

viviparous Among animals, viviparity is development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. This is opposed to oviparity which is a reproductive mode in which females lay developing eggs that complete their development and hatch externally from the ...

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 specie ...

, three subspecies are recognized as being valid. *''

Suta spectabilis bushi Suta, Sūta, Šuta or Şuţa may refer to: People * Šuta, Egyptian commissioner * Jocelino Suta, French rugby union player * Khassaraporn Suta, Thai weightlifter * Miroslav Šuta, Czech environmental expert and writer Places * Şuta, a villa ...

'' *''

Suta spectabilis nullarbor Suta, Sūta, Šuta or Şuţa may refer to: People * Šuta, Egyptian commissioner * Jocelino Suta, French rugby union player * Khassaraporn Suta, Thai weightlifter * Miroslav Šuta, Czech environmental expert and writer Places * Şuta, a villa ...

'' *''

Suta spectabilis spectabilis Suta, Sūta, Šuta or Şuţa may refer to: People * Šuta, Egyptian commissioner * Jocelino Suta, French rugby union player * Khassaraporn Suta, Thai weightlifter * Miroslav Šuta, Czech environmental expert and writer Places * Şuta, a villa ...

'' ''

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 atte ...

'': A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

other than ''Parasuta''.

Etymology

The

subspecific name In zoological nomenclature, a subspecific name is the third part of a trinomen. In zoology there is only one rank below that of species, namely " subspecies". In botanical nomenclature, there are several levels of subspecific names, such as ''v ...

, ''bushi'', is in honor of Australian herpetologist Brian Gordon Bush (born 1947).Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore, Maryland: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Suta spectabilis bushi'', p. 44).