''Boiruna sertaneja'', also known
commonly as a mussurana (along with several other snakes), is a
species
A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...
of
snake
Snakes are elongated limbless reptiles of the suborder Serpentes (). Cladistically squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales much like other members of the group. Many species of snakes have s ...
in the
subfamily
In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end botanical subfamily names with "-oideae", and zo ...
Dipsadinae
Dipsadinae is a large subfamily of colubroid snakes, sometimes referred to as a family (Dipsadidae). Species of the subfamily Dipsadinae are found in most of the Americas, including the West Indies, and are most diverse in South America. There a ...
of the
family
Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...
Colubridae
Colubridae (, commonly known as colubrids , from , 'snake') is a family of snakes. With 249 genera, it is the largest snake family. The earliest fossil species of the family date back to the Late Eocene epoch, with earlier origins suspected. C ...
. The species is
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found only 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 foun ...
to
Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
.
[
]
Description
A medium to large snake, ''B. sertaneja'' may attain a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of .
Habitat
The preferred natural habitat
In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, 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 manifestation of its ...
s of ''B. sertaneja'' are savanna
A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) biome and ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach th ...
and shrubland
Shrubland, scrubland, scrub, brush, or bush is a plant community characterized by vegetation dominance (ecology), dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, herbaceous plant, herbs, and geophytes. Shrubland may either occur naturally o ...
.
Diet
''B. sertaneja'' preys predominately upon snakes, but may also eat lizards.
Reproduction
''B. sertaneja'' is oviparous
Oviparous animals are animals that reproduce by depositing fertilized zygotes outside the body (i.e., by laying or spawning) in metabolically independent incubation organs known as eggs, which nurture the embryo into moving offsprings kno ...
.[ Females reach sexual maturity at a total length (including tail) of about .]Clutch
A clutch is a mechanical device that allows an output shaft to be disconnected from a rotating input shaft. The clutch's input shaft is typically attached to a motor, while the clutch's output shaft is connected to the mechanism that does th ...
size is 4–14 eggs.
References
Further reading
*Brito, Polyanne Souto de; Gonçalves Silva, Ubiratan (2012). "Squamata, Dipsadidae, ''Boiruna sertaneja'' Zaher, 1996: New records and geographic distribution map". ''Check List'' 8 (5): 968–969.
*Sales, Raul F.D.; Lima, Maxilândio L.S.; França, Bruno R.A. (2019). "Dead but delicious: an unusual feeding event by the Sertão Muçurana snake (''Boiruna sertaneja'') on a bird carcass". ''Herpetology Notes'' 12: 941–943.
* Guedes, Thaís; Guedes, Abimael (2020). "Notes on court and copula, fertility, nest, eggs and hatchlings of the Caatinga's black snake ''Boiruna sertaneja'' Zaher, 1996 (Serpentes: Dipsadidae) from Northeastern Brazil". ''Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências'' 9 (suppl. 2): 1–11.
* Zaher H (1996). "A new genus and species of Pseudoboine Snake, with a revision of the genus ''Clelia'' (Serpentes, Xenodontinae)". ''Bollettino del Museo Regionale di Scienze Naturali di Torino'' 14 (2): 289–337. (''Boiruna sertaneja'', new species, pp. 297–299).
Mussuranas
Boiruna
Endemic reptiles of Brazil
Snakes of Brazil
Reptiles described in 1996
{{Dipsadinae-stub