Drysdalia is a genus of , commonly known as crowned snakes, belonging to the family Elapidae. The three species in this genus are , but not considered deadly.
Geographic range
Species of the
genus Drysdalia are
Endemism to parts of southern and eastern
Australia.
Species
Three species are recognized as being valid.
[. www.reptile-database.org.]
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Drysdalia coronoides – white-lipped snake
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Drysdalia mastersii – George Masters snake
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Drysdalia rhodogaster – mustard-bellied snake
Etymology
The
Genus,
Drysdalia, is in honour of Australian artist George Russell Drysdale.
[Worrell (1961).]
The specific name, mastersii, is in honour English-born Australian Zoology George Masters.[Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . ( Drysdalia mastersii, p. 171).]
Taxonomy
The species formerly known as
Drysdalia coronata , commonly known as the crowned snake, was assigned to the genus
Elapognathus , by Keogh et al. in 2000. Its current correct scientific name is
Elapognathus coronatus .
Description
Crowned snakes are small snakes, averaging about 50 cm (20 inches) in total length (including tail) but can be as small as 18 cm (7 inches). They are normally brown in colour.
Habitat
Crowned snakes inhabit woodlands, swamps, and heathland.
Diet
Drysdalia feed on
and
.
External links
Further reading
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Harold Cogger (2014). Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia, Seventh Edition. Clayton, Victoria, Australia: CSIRO Publishing. xxx + 1,033 pp. .
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Keogh JS, Scott IA, Scanlon JD (2000). "Molecullar phylogeny of viviparous Australian elapid snakes: affinities of Echiopus atriceps (Storr, 1980) and Drysdalia coronata (Schlegel, 1837) with description of a new genus". Journal of Zoology 252: 317–326. (" Elapognathus coronata sic,", new combination).
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Swan, Gerry (1995). A Photographic Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of Australia. Sydney: New Holland. 144 pp.
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Wilson, Steve; Swan, Gerry (2013). A Compete Guide to Reptiles of Australia, Fourth Edition. Sydney: New Holland Publishers. 522 pp. .
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Eric Worrell (1961). "Herpetological Name Changes". West Australian Naturalist 8: 18–27. ( Drysdalia, new genus).
