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The white-lipped snake (''Drysdalia coronoides'') is a small
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 ...
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 g ...
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. Ideal ...
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 Emydocep ...
. The species is
endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...
to south-eastern mainland
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country b ...
and
Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...
.


Description

It is the smallest of three species of snake found in
Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...
and is Australia's most cold-tolerant snake, even inhabiting areas on
Mount Kosciuszko Mount Kosciuszko ( ; Ngarigo language, Ngarigo: , ), previously spelled Mount Kosciusko, is mainland Australia (continent), Australia's tallest mountain, at 2,228 metres (7,310 ft) above sea level. It is located on the Main Range (Snowy M ...
above the snow line. Growing to only about in total length (including tail), this snake feeds almost exclusively on
skink Skinks are lizards belonging to the family Scincidae, a family in the infraorder Scincomorpha. With more than 1,500 described species across 100 different taxonomic genera, the family Scincidae is one of the most diverse families of lizards. S ...
s. It belongs to the genus '' Drysdalia'', and is often referred to as the whip snake in Tasmania (true whip snakes from Australia are from the genus '' Demansia'' and are only found on the mainland). This species gets its
common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often contrast ...
from a thin, white line bordered above by a narrow black line that runs along the upper lip. ''D. coronoides'' 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 m ...
.


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 coronoides'', new combination, pp. 336–337). * Cogger HG (2014). ''Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia, Seventh Edition''. Clayton, Victoria, Australia: CSIRO Publishing. xxx + 1,033 pp. . * Günther A (1858). ''Catalogue of the Colubrine Snakes in the Collection of the British Museum''. London: Trustees of the British Museum. (Taylor and Francis, printers). xvi + 281 pp. (''Hoplocephalus coronoides'', new species, pp. 215–216). *Wilson, Steve; Swan, Gerry (2013). ''A Complete Guide to Reptiles of Australia, Fourth Edition''. Sydney: New Holland Publishers. 522 pp. .


External links

*''Drysdalia coronoides''. The Encyclopedia of Life
EOL.org
coronoides Reptiles described in 1858 Taxa named by Albert Günther Snakes of Australia {{Elapidae-stub