A worldwide community photographing and learning about wildlife
Project Noah Nature School
Clelia clelia
Esta es una serpiente grande que alcanza una longitud de hasta 2.471 mm. Presenta 12 a 15 dientes maxilares, desiguales, los últimos dos acanalados y separados del resto por una diastema, y situados en la línea vertical del borde posterior del ojo. Los dientes mandibulares son aproximadamente del mismo tamaño; los anteriores no son más grandes que los posteriores. El hemipene es normal y ligeramente bifurcado, con varias espinas basales que gradualmente pasan a una zona distal con cálices, sin la formación de estructura capitada. El sulcus spermaticus es bifurcado. La cabeza se distingue algo del cuello; el ojo es moderado con Ia pupila verticalmente elíptica. El cuerpo es cilíndrico con la cola medianamente larga. La escamación cefálica comprende una rostral, dos internasales, dos prefrontales, una frontal, dos parietales, una loreal, una nasal, una preocular y dos postoculares; presenta 2-2 6 2-3 temporales; 8 ó 9 supralabiales y 8 infralabiales; presenta dos pares de geneiales. Tiene 19 hileras de escamas dorsales (la diferencia más importante con su congénere C. scytalina), con reducción, lisas y con fosetas apicales; las ventrales son redondeadas; Ia placa anal se presenta entera y las subcaudales están divididas. La coloración es uniforme con o sin banda transversal cefálica (nucal). Los juveniles tienen una coloración completamente diferente, que consiste en un color de fondo rojo en todo el cuerpo, una banda nucal amarilla o clara y la cabeza negra.
Es una especie terrestre que habita el bosque primario, secundario, los bordes de bosque y ocasionalmente las áreas abiertas de muchos tipos de zonas de vida desde el tropical seco hasta el tropical muy húmedo.
This longstanding spotting ID has been contested for sometime and now again recently.There are now 5 votes for Ninia sebae as well as supporting comments. The current ID has just 1 suggestion vote. In addition, the reference link on this spotting is now non-functional. The species ID needs to be re-evaluated on this spotting. Cheers
Brendan is right, as per his links below. It is a Red Coffee Snake, Ninia sebae. We have a lot of Clelia clelia in our area and they never have that pattern of neck bands. While we don't have the Ninia Sebae in our area, we have the Ninia hudsoni. Body shape is very similar.
Here are other examples of the correct ID.
http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/126...
http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/802...
I say it is Ninia sebae. There is a yellow band behind the second black band and Clelia clelia doesn't have that yellow part.
You can look on EOL: http://eol.org/pages/791350/overview
These snakes sometimes have dark bands dorsally or are missing completely or very faint. The individual above has faint black bands from what I can see but the picture is a little far away. The posterior yellow band bordering the red body is a dead giveaway on these.
This is a Ninia sebae. C. clelia never have a yellow band posterior to the black nuchal collar. N. sebae have a black head, yellow collar, black saddle and between the black saddle collar and the red of the body is always marked with a yellow band.
We call them mussurana. It feeds on other snakes, specially venomous ones.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mussurana
Well in addition to bearing a resemblance to Phalotris mertense as depicted in the link in my comment above, it also looks somewhat like a couple of species from the genus Apostolepis. Trouble is, all of these appea to be South American snakes. I am stumped on this :-(
well i see this one,in the north atlantic area in costa rica,near to the arenal volcano
Spotted on Nov 21, 2010
Submitted on Oct 17, 2011
+2
