''Rhadinaea decorata'', the adorned graceful brown snake, is a species of snake in the family

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 ...

. It is found in Central and

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

Etymology

The name ''Rhadinaea'' comes from the greek word for slender. The species name ''decorata'' was given to the snake for the white markings on its head means “decorated or adorned”.

Description

Snakes of this species are generally brown in color, with dark lines down the sides of their bodies and oftentimes another similar marking down the spine. These two dark streaks are often separated by another stripe that is tan in color. A white marking behind the eyes serve as the species' namesake. In species that are more southern in distribution, this marking is longer and continuous along the rest of the body. Notable features of ''Rhadinaea decorata'' include a long tail, taking up a maximum of 47% of its body. They are also known to have a smaller number of

ventral scales In snakes, the ventral scales or gastrosteges are the enlarged and transversely elongated scales that extend down the underside of the body from the neck to the anal scale. When counting them, the first is the anteriormost ventral scale that cont ...

to other species, with scientists counting between 110 and 134 scales on collected specimens. ''Rhadinaea decorata'' can get as long as 470 mm long, however lengths exceeding 400 mm are atypical. R. decorata typically has about 20 maxillary teeth, then followed by two larger posterior teeth.

Distribution and habitat

Geographic range

''R. decorata'' has been found from central Mexico to as far south as

Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...

. It is one of the most widely distributed species of its genus. It is mostly found in the Atlantic

watershed Watershed may refer to: Hydrology * Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins * Drainage basin, an area of land where surface water converges (North American usage) Music * Watershed Music Festival, an annual country ...

, with a few specimens from the Pacific side in Costa Rica. ''Rhadinaea decorata'' is the only species of its group not endemic to Mexico.García-Vázquez UO, Pavón-Vázquez CJ, Blancas-Hernández JC, Blancas-Calva E, Centenero-Alcalá E (2018) A new rare species of the ''Rhadinaea decorata'' group from the Sierra Madre del Sur of Guerrero, Mexico (Squamata, Colubridae). ZooKeys 780: 137-154. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.780.25593

Behavior and ecology

Diet

''Rhadinaea decorata'' has been observed preying on small amphibians and their eggs, such as the salamander '' Bolitoglossa rufescens'' and the treefrog '' Agalychis moreletii''. They have also been seen eating

earthworms An earthworm is a soil-dwelling terrestrial animal, terrestrial invertebrate that belongs to the phylum Annelida. The term is the common name for the largest members of the class (biology), class (or subclass (biology), subclass, depending on ...

. There are also multiple records of the snakes preying on strawberry poison-dart frogs (''Oophaga pumilio''), despite their potent toxicity.

Reproduction

Through various studies, evidence has been found to suggest that ''R. decorata'' breed throughout most of the year. They do not appear, however, to lay more than one small

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 ...

of eggs annually.

Defensive behavior

There have been at least two observations of death feigning in ''R. decorata''. One event included the snake discharging a foul-smelling substance from its

cloaca A cloaca ( ), : cloacae ( or ), or vent, is the rear orifice that serves as the only opening for the digestive (rectum), reproductive, and urinary tracts (if present) of many vertebrate animals. All amphibians, reptiles, birds, cartilagin ...

, known as

musk Musk is a class of aromatic substances commonly used as base notes in perfumery. They include glandular secretions from animals such as the musk deer, numerous plants emitting similar fragrances, and artificial substances with similar odors. ' ...

. They have also been found to exhibit tail autonomy. Not only has this behavior been observed, but snakes have also been found portions of their tails missing.

References

* Reptiles described in 1858 Taxa named by Albert Günther Rhadinaea Snakes of South America {{Dipsadinae-stub