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Brachyurophis semifasciatus GÜNTHER, 1863

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Higher TaxaElapidae (Hydrophiinae), Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Southern Shovel-nosed Snake, Half-girdled Snake 
SynonymBrachyurophis semifasciatus GÜNTHER 1863: 21
Pseudoelaps rhinostomus JAN & SORDELLI 1873
Vermicella semifasciata STORR 1968 (?)
Simoselaps semifasciatus — COGGER 1983: 236
Simoselaps semifasciatus — HUTCHINSON 1990
Simoselaps semifasciatus — WELCH 1994: 109
Simoselaps semifasciatus — COGGER 2000: 687
Brachyurophis semifasciatus — GREER 2006 (online)
Brachyurophis semifasciata — BUSH & MARYAN 2006
Brachyurophis semifasciatus — SANDERS et al. 2008
Brachyurophis semifasciatus — WILSON & SWAN 2010: 460
Brachyurophis semifasciatus — WALLACH et al. 2014: 125
Brachyurophis semifasciatus — COGGER 2014: 869
Brachyurophis semifasciatus — EIPPER & EIPPER 2024: 103 
DistributionAustralia (S Western Australia, South Australia)

Type locality: Baranquilla, New Granada (in error); corrected to ‘West Australia (?), apparently by Boulenger 1896, fide Cogger 1983.”  
Reproductionoviparous 
TypesLectotype: BMNH 1946.1.19, from Baranquilla, New Granada (in error); corrected to 'West Australia (?)", see Boulenger (1896). Lectotype designation by Wells & Wellington (1985).
Holotype: originally in RMNH, not found, from "Southwestern Australia" [rhinostomus]. 
DiagnosisDiagnosis: The species V. semifasciata is distinguished from other 17-scaled Vermicella by nasal contacting preocular, and from other 15-scaled species by prolonged, upturned snout with cutting edge. Present race distinguished from other banded races by 5 upper labials, entire nasal, frequent fusion of primary with secondary temporal, and bands a little narrower to moderately wider than interspaces. (Storr 1968)


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CommentSynonymy partly after COGGER 1983. Simoselaps semifasciatus woodjonesii is not listed by COGGER 2000.

Subspecies: Simoselaps semifasciatus roperi and campbelli are listed as valid species by COGGER 2000, 2014.

Venomous!

Habitat: burrowing

Type species: Brachyurophis semifasciatus GÜNTHER 1863: 21 is the type species of the genus Brachyurophis GÜNTHER 1863.

Reference images: see Uetz et al. 2024 for high-resolution reference images for this species. 
EtymologyPresumably named after the Latin semi (half) plus fasciatus (banded) - the bands on this species occur on the dorsal and lateral sides, but do not continue across the venter. (G. Shea, pers. comm., 9 Feb 2024)

The genus Brachyurophis was apparently named after the Greek brachys (short), oura (tail) and ophis (snake). Günther's description mentions the short tail of the type species. Derivation not stated by Günther (1863). 
References
  • Bush, B. 1981. Reptiles of the Kalgoorlie-Esperance Region. B. Bush, Perth, 46 pp - get paper here
  • Bush, B. & Maryan, B. 2006. Snakes and Snake-like Reptiles of Southern Western Australia. Snakes Harmful & Harmless, Stoneville, Perth, Western Australia, 40 pp. - get paper here
  • Cogger, H. G. 2014. Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia, 7th ed. CSIRO Publishing, xxx + 1033 pp. - get paper here
  • Cogger, H.G. 2000. Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia, 6th ed. Ralph Curtis Publishing, Sanibel Island, 808 pp.
  • Dittmer, D. E., Chapman, T. L. & Bidwell, J. R. 2020. In the shadow of an iconic inselberg: Uluru’s shadow influences climates and reptile assemblage structure at its base. J. Arid Environ. 181, 104179 (2020) - get paper here
  • Eipper T & Eipper S 2024. SNAKES OF AUSTRALIA. Princeton University Press, Princeton and Oxford, 368 pp. - get paper here
  • Günther,A. 1863. On new species of snakes in the collection of the British Museum. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. (3) 11: 20-25 - get paper here
  • Hallermann, J. 2020. An annotated list of reptiles and amphibians from the 1905 Hamburg expedition to southwest Australia deposited in the Zoological Museum Hamburg. Evolutionary Systematics 4: 61 - get paper here
  • Jan, G. & Sordelli, F. 1873. Iconographie Générale des Ophidiens. Atlas 1860-1881. Milan: Jan & Sordelli, 50 livr. - get paper here
  • Jolly, C., Schembri, B., & Macdonald, S. 2023. Field Guide to the Reptiles of the Northern Territory. CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne - get paper here
  • Kinghorn, J.R. 1929. Two new snakes from Australia. Rec. Austral. Mus. 17 (4): 190 - 191 - get paper here
  • Maryan, B., Gaikhorst, G., & Parkhurst, B. 2024. The terrestrial herpetofauna of the Zuytdorp coast and hinterland of Western Australia: Exceptional richness in a global biodiversity hotspot. Western Australian Naturalist, 33, 3
  • O’Shea, M. 2018. The Book of Snakes. Ivy Press / Quarto Publishing, London, - get paper here
  • Sanders, K.L. et al. 2008. Molecular phylogeny and divergence dates for Australasian elapids and sea snakes (Hydrophiinae): evidence from seven genes for rapid evolutionary radiations. J. Evol. Biol. 21: 682 – 695 - get paper here
  • Thomson, D. F. 1934. A new snake from north Queensland. Proc. Zool. Soc. London 1934: 529-531
  • Uetz, P.H.; Patel, M.; Gbadamosi, Z.; Nguyen, A.; Shoope, S. 2024. A Reference Database of Reptile Images. Taxonomy 4: 723–732 - get paper here
  • Wallach, Van; Kenneth L. Williams , Jeff Boundy 2014. Snakes of the World: A Catalogue of Living and Extinct Species. [type catalogue] Taylor and Francis, CRC Press, 1237 pp.
  • Wilson, S. & Swan, G. 2010. A complete guide to reptiles of Australia, 3rd ed. Chatswood: New Holland, 558 pp.
 
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