Eunectes deschauenseei, commonly known as the dark-spotted anaconda[1][4] or De Schauensee's anaconda,[5] is a species of snake in the subfamily Boinae of the family Boidae. The species is native to northeastern South America. Like all boas, it is a nonvenomous constrictor. No subspecies are currently recognized.[4]
| Eunectes deschauenseei | |
|---|---|
| |
| Dark-spotted anaconda in Beni, Bolivia | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Boidae |
| Genus: | Eunectes |
| Species: | E. deschauenseei
|
| Binomial name | |
| Eunectes deschauenseei | |
| |
| Natural range of E. deschauenseei | |
Taxonomy
editThe specific name, deschauenseei, is in honor of American ornithologist Rodolphe Meyer de Schauensee,[6] who donated a specimen to the Philadelphia Zoo in 1924.[4] The type locality given is "probably collected on the island of Marajo at the mouth of the Amazon".[3]
Distribution and habitat
editEunectes deschauenseei is found in South America, in northern Brazil (the Pará and Amapá states) and French Guiana.[1][4] E. deschauenseei is a semi-aquatic species usually found in swampy, seasonally flooded freshwater areas at elevations below 300 m (980 ft).[1]
Description
editAdult males of E. deschauenseei measure 130–211 cm (51–83 in) and adult females 120–231 cm (47–91 in) in snout-to-vent length (SVL).[7]
Reproduction
editVitellogenesis in E. deschauenseei probably occurs from autumn to spring (May to December). Gestation may last as long as nine months. Litter size among five gravid females ranged from 3 to 27 (mean 10.6). Newborns measure 29–53 cm (11–21 in) in snout–vent length.[7]
Conservation
editThe savanna habitat of E. deschauenseei is highly threatened by agricultural expansion, but the threat posed on this species is not known.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e Dirksen, L.; Oubotar [sic], P. (2021). "Eunectes deschauenseei ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2021: e.T176262A18978500. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-2.RLTS.T176262A18978500.en. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
- ^ "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
- ^ a b McDiarmid, R.W.; Campbell, J.A.; Toure, T.A. (1999). Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, Vol. 1. Washington, District of Columbia: Herpetologists' League. ISBN 1893777014.
- ^ a b c d Eunectes deschauenseei at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 10 September 2018.
- ^ Smith, Hugo (director), "Amazon Anaconda", Mark O'Shea Official Website, retrieved 1 December 2008
- ^ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 70. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5.
- ^ a b Pizzatto, Lígia; Marques, Otávio A. V. (2007). "Reproductive ecology of Boinae snakes with emphasis on Brazilian species and a comparison to pythons". South American Journal of Herpetology. 2 (2): 107–122. doi:10.2994/1808-9798(2007)2[107:reobsw]2.0.co;2. S2CID 86033920.
Further reading
edit
- Dirksen, Lutz; Henderson, Robert W. (2002). Eunectes deschauenseei. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles. pp. 755.1–755.2. doi:10.15781/T2707WS99. hdl:2152/44652.
- Dirksen, Lutz (2002). Anakondas. Monographische Revision der Gattung Eunectes (Wagler, 1830) (in German). Münster: Natur und Tier-Verlag. ISBN 3-931587-43-6.
- Dirksen, Lutz (2002). "Zur Kenntnis der Anakonda-Arten (Serpentes: Boidae: Eunectes ). I. Eunectes deschauenseei Dunn & Conant, 1936 ". Herpetofauna (in German). 21 (122). Weinstadt: 12–21.
- Dunn, Emmett R.; Conant, Roger (1936). "Notes on Anacondas, with Descriptions of Two New Species". Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. 88: 503–506. JSTOR 4064198. (Eunectes deschauenseei, new species).