Drysdalia mastersii

Drysdalia mastersii, also known as Masters' snake, is a species of venomous snake endemic to southern Australia. The specific epithet mastersii honours Australian zoologist George Masters who collected specimens for Krefft.[1]

Drysdalia mastersii
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Elapidae
Genus: Drysdalia
Species:
D. mastersii
Binomial name
Drysdalia mastersii
(Krefft, 1866) Worrell, 1961
Synonyms
  • Hoplocephalus mastersii Krefft, 1866
  • Denisonia coronoides Boulenger, 1896
  • Notechis mastersii Storr, 1982

Description

The snake grows to an average of about 40 cm in length. The upper body is light brown to dark grey, with a pale band over the nape and a white stripe extending from the upper lip to the neck.[1]

Behaviour

The species is viviparous, with an average litter size of three. Its diet consists mainly of lizards.[1]

Distribution and habitat

The species’ distribution extends eastwards from near Esperance in Western Australia into coastal and subcoastal South Australia, as well as in south-eastern South Australia and western Victoria. It inhabits heathland, grassland and mallee habitats on sandy and limestone soils.[1] The type locality is the Flinders Ranges of South Australia.[2]

References
  1. "Masters' snake". Australian Reptile Online Database. Stewart Macdonald. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
  2. "Drysdalia mastersii (KREFFT, 1866)". Reptile Database. Peter Uetz and Jakob Hallermann. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
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