''Drysdalia rhodogaster'', also known as the mustard-bellied snake or Blue Mountains crowned snake, is a species of venomous snake

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 ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. The

specific epithet In Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin gramm ...

''rhodogaster'' (“red-bellied”) refers to body colouration.

Description

The snake grows to an average of about 40 cm in length. The upper body is brown to grey, with a darker head and a yellow to orange band over the nape.

Behaviour

The species is

viviparous In animals, viviparity is development of the embryo inside the body of the mother, with the maternal circulation providing for the metabolic needs of the embryo's development, until the mother gives birth to a fully or partially developed juve ...

, with an average litter size of five. Its diet consists mainly of lizards.

Distribution and habitat

The species’ distribution is limited to south-eastern

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

References

rhodogaster Snakes of Australia Reptiles of New South Wales Taxa named by Giorgio Jan Reptiles described in 1873 {{Elapidae-stub