The short-nosed snake (''Elapognathus minor'') 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
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 ...
in 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 ...
Elapidae
Elapidae (, commonly known as elapids , from , variant of "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 '' Emydocephalus ...
. 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
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 ...
. Short-nosed snakes are endemic to swamplands and coastlands in the
southwest
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A '' compass rose'' is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west— ...
of
Western Australia
Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...
, where they shelter in nests of stick ants (
Iridomyrmex conifer), as well as dense rushes and reed tussocks. Short-nosed snakes are known to prey on small skinks mainly from the skink genus
hemiergis, and small species of frogs.
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. (''Elapognathus minor'', new combination, pp. 356–357 + Plate XIX, figure 2).
*
Günther A. 1863. "Third Account of new Species of Snakes in the Collection of the British Museum". ''Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., Third Series'' 12: 348–365. (''Hoplocephalus minor'', new species, pp. 362–363).
External links
Keogh JS, Scott IA, Scanlon JD. 2000. "Molecular phylogeny of viviparous Australian elapid snakes: affinities of ''Echiopsis atriceps'' (Storr, 1980) and ''Drysdalia coronata'' (Schlegel, 1837), with description of a new genus". ''J. Zool.'' 252: 317-326.
Elapognathus
Reptiles of Western Australia
Reptiles described in 1863
Taxa named by Albert Günther
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot
{{Elapidae-stub