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Suta spectabilis bushi (Storr, 1988)

Bush's hooded snake

 

 

Taxonomy & Nomenclature

Synonym/s: Rhinoplocephalus spectabilis bushi Storr, 1988 (original combination); Parasuta bushi (Storr, 1988) [used by (Bush, undated)]

 

Now considered a synonym of Suta gouldii (Chapple et al., 2019).

 

Conservation Status

Invalid (synonym)

Last record: 6 October 1986 or later

 

Known only from 4 or 5 museum specimens collected in 1986 from Scaddan (50km N of Esperance) in the state's south-east. Clearing of its wheatbelt habitat has made it very rare, and possibly extinct (Bush, undated).

However, there is a claim that this species is possibly still extant within 1 or 2 km of where I live (Two Rocks, 60km N of Perth), according to the president of my local environment group (the Two Rocks Yanchep Region Environmental Group: TRYREG). This is very unlikely, however, given the sheer distance between the two localities, and the record most probably refers to specimens of another subspecies of Suta spectabilis, or even another species altogether.

Now considered a synonym of Suta gouldii (Chapple et al., 2019).

 

Distribution

Scaddan, Western Australia, Australia

 

Biology & Ecology

 

 

Hypodigm

Holotype: WAM R96223

The preserved holotype can be seen here.

 

Paratypes:

WAM R83986
WAM R93558
WAM R96224

 

On his website Brian Bush mentions 5 specimens of S. s. bushi being known. So either an additional specimen has come to light since (Storr, 1988), Brian Bush is mistaken in recording 5 specimens, or (Storr, 1988) ommitted mention of the fifth specimen in his original description.

 

Media

 

 

References

Original scientific description:

Storr, G. M. (1988). A new Rhinoplocephalus (Serpentes: Elapidae) from Western Australia. Rec. West. Aust. Mus. 14(1): 137-138.

 

Other references:

Aplin, K. P. and Smith, L. A. (2001). Checklist of the frogs and reptiles of Westem Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum Supplement No. 63: 51-74.

Bush, Brian. (undated). "Bush's Hooded Snake (Parasuta bushi) holotype from Scaddan, Western Australia". Available at http://members.iinet.net.au/~bush/bushi.html [accessed 2 October 2012]

Chapple, D., Tingley, R., Mitchell, N., Macdonald, S., Keogh, J. S., Shea, G. M., ... Woinarski, J. C. Z. (2019). The Action Plan for Australian Lizards and Snakes 2017. Australia: CSIRO Publishing.

Uetz, P. et. al., The Reptile Database, http://www.reptile-database.org , accessed December 11, 2010.

http://extinctanimals.proboards.com/thread/15489/spectabilis-bushi-bushs-hooded-snake

 

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