Hemiaspis damelii

Hemiaspis damelii
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Elapidae
Genus:	Hemiaspis
Species:	H. damelii
Binomial name
	Hemiaspis damelii; (Günther, 1876) [1]
Synonyms[2][3]
	Hoplocephalus damelii ; Günther, 1876; Denisonia dæmelii ; — Boulenger, 1896; Drepanodontis daemelii ; — Worrell, 1961; Hemiaspis damelii ; — Cogger, 1983;

Hemiaspis damelii is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. It is a relatively small species of elapid with a mean snout-vent length (SVL) of 42.6 cm to 60 cm.[4] The species is endemic to eastern Australia and are most commonly found across central inland New South Wales through to the interior of south-eastern Queensland.[4][5][6] Common names for this species include grey snake and Dämel's Snake. The specific name, damelii, is in honor of German entomologist Edward Dämel, who collected Australian specimens for Museum Godeffroy.[7]

Description

H. damelii is a relatively small snake with an average length of 50 centimetres, however has been recorded reaching up to 70 centimetres.[5] Minor size differences occur between sexes, with the males averaging a slightly larger size than females.[8] It is olive to grey dorsally, and white to yellowish white ventrally, often flecked with dark grey.[8][4][6] In some grey snakes, each scale may be tipped with black anteriorly, particularly on the flanks.[6]

They have smooth scales which are in 17 rows at mid-body, and between 140-170 scales ventrally and 35-50 single subcaudals.[6] This species also has a paired anal scale (anal divided).[6] Juvenile grey snakes have a distinctive black head which fades or sometimes completely disappears as the snake matures, occurring from the top of the head to the second scale row behind the parietals.[6]

Distribution and Habitat

The distribution and ecology of H. damelii is poorly known.[4] Existing records of the grey snake are most commonly found in south-eastern Queensland and north-central New South Wales, however small populations have also been found to occur in north-eastern South Australia and south-western New South Wales.[4] They tend to favour dry sclerophyll forests and woodlandson clay soils where water bodies or gullies are present. They find shelter under rocks, logs and other debris, as well as cracks in soil.[9]

Reproduction and Life Cycle

The breeding period for H. damelii occurs from January to March. During Spring (September-October) adult females ovarian follicles increase in size following ovulation in preparation of the breeding season.[8] H. damelii have a relatively high fecundity, partly due to their large maternal snout-vent length (SVL), which have been found to significantly correlate with litter size.[9] Litter size can range from 4-16 live young which are born fully formed[9] (viviparous). They take an average of 12 months to mature after birth.[9]

Diet

The diet of H. damelii consists predominately of terrestrial anurans.[8] They have also been found to consume some scincid lizards, however this is quite rare.[8]

Behaviour

H. damelii are active during the night, beginning to move around sunset and remaining active for 1-2 hours after, using this time to hunt and feed.[8]

Venom and Symptoms

The venom of H. damelii is fairly mild and is unlikely to cause fatalities in humans, however a bite from a larger specimen may be very painful.[6] The venom contains procoagulants and causes local pain and swelling.[10]

Conservation Status and Threatening Processes

In Queensland, H. damelii is listed as an endangered species under the Nature Conservation Act, 1992.[4] It is also listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species due to population decline.[4] The key processes threatening H. damelii includes the impacts of feral animals such as cats and foxes via predation, cane toads through ingestion and feral pigs through habitat destruction and competition for food resources.[9] increasing pasture improvement and cultivation are also destroying habitat through the disruption of soil structure in cracking clay soils.[9] Changes to waterways and the hydrological cycle are also impacting grey snakes which rely on these floodplains and water sources.[9]

References

Atlas of Living Australia - Hemiaspis damelii (Günther, 1876) - Grey Snake"."Hemiaspis damelii (Günther, 1876) - Grey Snake". Atlas of Living Australia. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
Boulenger GA (1896). Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume III., Containing the Colubridæ (Opisthoglyphæ and Proteroglyphæ) ... London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiv + 727 pp. + Plates I-XXV. (Denisonia dæmelii, p. 339 + Plate XVIII, figure 3).
"Hemiaspis damelii ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
Michael, Damian R., Bourke, Gaye., Paris, Wassens, Paris, Dena., Wassens, Skye (2020). "A range extension for the endangered Grey Snake Hemiaspis damelii (Günther 1876) in the Murrumbidgee catchment, southern NSW". Australian Zoologist. 40: 652–655 – via Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
Australian Reptile Online Database (2019). "Grey snake Hemiaspis damelii". Australian Reptile Online Database (AROD). Retrieved 25 October 2020.
Cogger, Harold (March 2014). Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia (7 ed.). Collingwood, Victoria: CSIRO. pp. 1385–1386. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Hemiaspis damelii, p. 64).
Shine, Richard (March 1987). "Food habits and reproductive biology of Australian snakes of the genus Hemiaspis (Elapidae)". Journal of Herpetology. 21 (1): 71–74. doi:10.2307/1564381. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
"Grey snake". Queensland Government Department of Environment and Science. 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
"Hemiaspis damelii ". Clinical Toxinology Resources. The University of Adelaide. www.toxinology.com.