Hydrops martii
Taxonomy
The type species, Elaps martii, named after German botanist Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius (1794-1868), was first described by Johann Georg Wagler in 1824.{{Cite book |last1=Spix |first1=Johann Baptist von |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/4269 |title=Serpentum Brasiliensium species novae = ou, Histoire naturelle des espèces nouvelles de serpens : recueillies et observées pendant le voyage dans l'intérieur du Brésil dans les années 1817, 1818, 1819, 1820 |last2=Spix |first2=Johann Baptist von |last3=Wagler |first3=Johann Georg |date=1824 |publisher=Typis F.S. H©bschmanni |location=Monachii [Munich] |doi=10.5962/bhl.title.4269}}{{cite web |title=Hydrops martii (WAGLER, 1824) |url=https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Hydrops&species=martii&search_param=%28%28search%3D%27Hydrops%27%29%29 |accessdate=23 January 2019 |publisher=Reptile Database}} The type genus was changed to Hydrops by Wagler in 1930.{{Cite book |last1=Wagler |first1=Johann Georg |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/108661 |title=Natürliches System der Amphibien mit vorangehender Classification der Säugethiere und Vögel : ein Beitrag zur vergleichenden Zoologie |last2=Wagler |first2=Johann Georg |last3=London |first3=King's College |date=1830 |publisher=In der J. G. Cotta'schen Buchhandlung |location=München |doi=10.5962/bhl.title.108661}}
Range and habitat
Hydrops martii is found in Peru, Colombia, Brazil, Ecuador, and Venezuela. In Brazil, this species has been found in the Amazonas,{{Cite journal |last=Roze |first=JA |date=1957 |title=Resumen de una revisión del género Hydrops Wagler |journal=Acta Biológica Venezuélica |volume=2 |pages=51–95}}{{Cite journal |last=Albuquerque |first=NR de |date=2000 |title=The status of Hydrops martii (Wagler, 1824) (Serpentes: Colubridae) |journal=Boletim Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Serie Zoologia |volume=16 |pages=153–162}} Amapá,{{Cite journal |last1=Entiauspe-Neto |first1=Omar |last2=Abegg |first2=Arthur Diesel |last3=Pinheiro |first3=Rodrigo Tavares |last4=Borges |first4=Leandro Malta |last5=Loebmann |first5=Daniel |date=2017-10-20 |title=Hydrops martii (Wagler, 1824) (Serpentes, Dipsadidae): first record in Amapá; state, northern Brazil |url=https://checklist.pensoft.net/articles.php?id=21675 |journal=Check List |volume=13 |issue=5 |pages=659–661 |doi=10.15560/13.5.659 |doi-access=free |issn=1809-127X}} Maranhāo, Pará, and Roraima states. H. martii has also been recorded in the Loreto and Ucayali departments of Peru and has only been documented in the Guainía department of Colombia.
This species spends the majority of its time in small streams, but it is believed that they may come onto land for foraging.{{Cite journal |last1=Santos-Costa |first1=Maria Cristina dos |last2=Maschio |first2=Gleomar Fabiano |last3=Prudente |first3=Ana Lúcia da Costa |date=2015-04-10 |title=Natural history of snakes from Floresta Nacional de Caxiuanã, eastern Amazonia, Brazil |url=https://www.biotaxa.org/hn/article/view/11431 |journal=Herpetology Notes |language=en |volume=8 |pages=69–98 |issn=2071-5773}}
Biology
Males of this species are reported to be smaller than females.{{Cite journal |last1=Silva |first1=Fernanda Magalhães |last2=Prudente |first2=Ana Lúcia da Costa |last3=Machado |first3=Fabio Andrade |last4=Santos |first4=Marina Meireles |last5=Zaher |first5=Hussam |last6=Hingst-Zaher |first6=Erika |date=2018 |title=Aquatic adaptations in a Neotropical coral snake: A study of morphological convergence |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jzs.12202 |journal=Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research |language=en |volume=56 |issue=3 |pages=382–394 |doi=10.1111/jzs.12202 |hdl=11336/49469 |issn=1439-0469|hdl-access=free }} They are oviparous and clutch size ranges from 7 to 23 eggs. The breeding season of this species is not well known, but pregnant females have been found by researchers in March, July, September, and October.
= Diet =
Hydrops martii has only been reported to eat fish and is therefore is thought to be a fish specialist.{{Cite book |last1=Bartlett |first1=Richard D. |title=Reptiles and amphibians of the Amazon: an ecotourist's guide |last2=Bartlett |first2=Patricia |date=2003 |publisher=Univ. Press of Florida |isbn=978-0-8130-2623-7 |location=Gainesville, Fla. Tallahassee, Fla. Tampa, Fla.}}{{Cite journal |last1=Cunha |first1=Osvaldo Rodrigues |last2=Nascimento |first2=Francisco Paiva do |date=July 1993 |title=Ofídios da Amazônia. As cobras da região Leste do Pará |url=https://repositorio.museu-goeldi.br/handle/mgoeldi/1779 |journal=Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi |volume=9 |issue=1 |pages=1–191}} Stomach contents of H. martii most commonly contained fish belonging to the orders Gymnotiformes, Synbranchiformes, and Siluriformes.{{Cite journal |last1=Albuquerque |first1=Nelson |last2=Camargo |first2=Mauricio |date=2004 |title=HÁBITOS ALIMENTARES E COMENTÁRIOS SOBRE A PREDAÇÃO E REPRODUÇÃO DAS ESPÉCIES DO GÊNERO Hydrops WAGLER, 1830 (SERPENTES: COLUBRIDAE) |url= |journal=Comun. Mus. Ciênc. Tecnol. |volume=17 |issue=1 |pages=21–32}} Confirmed fish species include Callichthys callichthys (cascarudo), Pimelodella cristata (commonly referred to as a bagre in Brazil),{{Cite web |title=Pimelodella cristata summary page |url=https://fishbase.mnhn.fr/summary/Pimelodella-cristata |access-date=2025-04-15 |website=FishBase |language=en}} Hoplias malabaricus (wolf fish), and Erythrinus erythrinus (red wolf fish). The family Synbranchidae, consisting of swamp eels, has also been found in their diet.
Foraging is normally done during the evening and night, following the activity of their prey.{{Cite book |last=Dixon |first=James R. |title=The reptiles of the upper Amazon basin, Iquitos region, Peru. II. Crocodilians, turtles and snakes. |date=1977 |publisher=Milwaukee Public Museum Press |pages=1–71}}{{Cite book |title=The encyclopedia of snakes |date=1995 |publisher=Blandford |isbn=978-0-7137-2380-9 |editor-last=Mattison |editor-first=Christopher |series=A Blandford book |location=London}}
= Predation =
H. martii has been found in the stomach of Serrasalmus rhombeus (redeye piranha){{Cite journal |last1=Tavares-Pinheiro |first1=Rodrigo |last2=Hugo Esteves-Silva |first2=Pedro |last3=Sidney Brito Oliveira |first3=Marcos |last4=A. M. B. de Figueiredo |first4=Vinícius |last5=Tavares-Dias |first5=Marcos |last6=Eduardo Costa-Campos |first6=Carlos |date=2020 |title=Predation on the Amazon water snake Hydrops martii (Squamata: Dipsadidae) by the redeye piranha Serrasalmus rhombeus (Serrasalmidae) |journal=Herpetology Notes |volume=13 |pages=553–554}} and has also been reported to be eaten by Micrurus lemniscatus (South American coral snake),{{Cite journal |last1=Cunha |first1=Osvaldo Rodrigues da |last2=Nascimento |first2=Francisco Paiva do |date=1978 |title=Ofídios da Amazônia X - As cobras da região leste do Pará |url=https://repositorio.museu-goeldi.br/handle/mgoeldi/904 |journal=Série zoologia |language=pt-BR |issn=0077-2240}} caiman,{{Cite journal |last1=Da Silveira |first1=Ronis |last2=Magnusson |first2=William E. |date=1999 |title=Diets of Spectacled and Black Caiman in the Anavilhanas Archipelago, Central Amazonia, Brazil |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/1565713 |journal=Journal of Herpetology |volume=33 |issue=2 |pages=181–192 |doi=10.2307/1565713 |jstor=1565713 |issn=0022-1511|url-access=subscription }} and aquatic fishes and snakes. Defensive behavior has not yet been reported in this species.
References
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Category:Reptiles of Venezuela
Category:Reptiles described in 1824
Category:Taxa named by Johann Georg Wagler
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