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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)  
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) 
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) 
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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