Kapuas mud snake
The Kapuas mud snake (Enhydris gyii ) is a species of snake in the family Homalopsidae. The species, which is native to Borneo, can change its epidermal colour spontaneously.[2]
| Kapuas mud snake | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Homalopsidae |
| Genus: | Enhydris |
| Species: | E. gyii |
| Binomial name | |
| Enhydris gyii Murphy, Voris & Auliya, 2005 | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
Etymology
The common name, Kapuas mud snake, refers to the Kapuas River. The specific name, gyii, is in honor of Burmese herpetologist Ko Ko Gyi.[3]
Colour change
The Kapuas mud snake's chameleon-like behaviour was discovered accidentally in 2005 when a specimen was put in a dark bucket. The snake's skin turned pale white 20 minutes later.[4] Scientists determined the snake to be a new species belonging to the genus Enhydris.
Description
E gyii may attain a total length (including tail) of 150 cm (59 in).
Venom
Like all members of the subfamily Homalopsinae, E. gyii is rear-fanged and mildly venomous.
Reproduction
E. gyii is viviparous.[1]
References
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Wikinews has related news: |
- "Homalophis gyii ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
- Murphy, John C.; Harold K. Voris; Mark Auliya (31 Dec 2005). "A new species of Enhydris (Serpentes: Colubridae: Homalopsinae) from the Kapuas river system, West Kalimantan, Indonesia" (PDF). The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology. 53 (2): 271–275. (Enhydris gyii, new species). Retrieved 2006-06-27.
- Beolens, Bo; Michael Watkins; Michael Grayson (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Enhydris gyii, p. 112).
- "Snake displays changing colours". BBC News. 26 June 2006. Retrieved 2007-01-09.
External links
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Wikispecies has information related to Enhydris gyii. |
Further reading
- Murphy, John C.; Harold K. Voris (2014). "A Checklist and Key to the Homalopsid Snakes (Reptilia, Squamata, Serpentes), with the Description of New Genera". Fieldiana: Life and Earth Sciences (8): 1-43. (Homalophis gyii, new combination, p. 23).