You are here » home › advanced search › search results › Hydrodynastes gigas

Hydrodynastes gigas (DUMÉRIL, BIBRON & DUMÉRIL, 1854)

iNaturalist logo

Can you confirm these amateur observations of Hydrodynastes gigas?

Add your own observation of
Hydrodynastes gigas »

Find more photos by Google images search: Google images

Higher TaxaColubridae (Dipsadinae), Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: False Water Cobra
G: Brasilianische Glattnatter
Portuguese: Boipevaçu, Cobra-D'água, Jararacuçu-Piau, Pepeva, Sucuri, Sucurirana, Surucucu-do-Brejo, Surucucu-do-Pantanal, Surucucurana, Surucutinga-do-Pantanal 
SynonymXenodon gigas DUMÉRIL, BIBRON & DUMÉRIL 1854: 761
Lejosophis gigas – JAN 1863
Cyclagras gigas — COPE 1885: 185
Hydrodynastes gigas — HOGE 1966
Cyclagras gigas — PETERS & OREJAS-MIRANDA 1970: 78
Cyclagras gigas — HOOGMOED 1982: 240
Cyclagras gigas — MEHRTENS 1987: 217
Hydrodynastes gigas — CEI 1993
Cyclagigas gigas — FRANK & RAMUS 1995: 215 (in error)
Hydrodynastes gigas — LEYNAUD & BUCHER 1999: 18
Hydrodynastes gigas — BRANDÃO & PERES 2001
Hydrodynastes gigas — PUORTO & BARBARINI 2004
Hydrodynastes melanogigas FRANCO, FERNANDES & BENTIM 2007
Hydrodynastes gigas — MELANI 2007
Hydrodynastes gigas — WALLACH et al. 2014: 339
Hydrodynastes melanogigas — WALLACH et al. 2014: 339
Hydrodynastes melanogigas — NOGUEIRA et al. 2019
Hydrodynastes gigas — NOGUEIRA et al. 2019 
DistributionFrench Guiana (along the coast), Suriname, S Brazil (Amazonas, Para, Amapa, Marajo Island, Rio Grande do Sul, Rio Grande do Norte, Paraná [HR 27: 216], Rondonia [HR 30: 54], Goias, Distrito Federal, Maranhão, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Paraíba [HR 37: 497], Piauí, São Paulo, Tocantins, Minas Gerais),
E Bolivia, Paraguay, N Argentina (Misiones, Corrientes, Entre Rios, Santa Fe, Chaco, Formosa), Venezuela (VertNET TCWC 83027), Colombia (VertNET UF Herp 20576),
Guyana (VertNET RBINS 528471), Peru ?

Type locality: Corrientes, Argentina

melanogigas: Brazil (Tocantins); Type locality: Municipality of Palmas (10° 12’ 46’’S, 48° 21’37’’ W, 230 m elevation), State of Tocantins, Brazil.  
Reproductionoviparous 
TypesSyntype: MNHN-RA 3623, largest specimen 2270 mm (A. d'Orbigny)
Holotype: IBSP 65796 adult male, collected between 21–30 January 2002 by Marisa M.T. da Rocha, Myriam E.V. Calleffo, and Silvia R. Travaglia-Cardoso [melanogigas] 
DiagnosisDiagnosis (melanogigas): the new species is distinguished from H. gigas and the two subspecies of H. bicinctus by having a general melanistic color pattern, with head and dorsum of the body mostly dark-brown to black; absence of postocular stripe; venter grayish-brown, with dark rounded blotches outlining two lateral stripes which become gradually paler towards the posterior region of the belly, disappearing after midbody. It is further distinguished from the two subspecies of H. bicinctus by having two apical pits, and 16–17 prediastemal teeth. 
CommentSynonymy: partly fide Dunn 1944. Carvalho et al. 2020 synonymized H. melanogigas with H. gigas.

Distribution: not known from Ecuador (iNaturalist 2601314 was incorrectly ID'd) nor from Uruguay (Carreira et al. 2012). See map in Nogueira et al. 2019.

Venomous! 
EtymologyNamed after the giant “Gigas” in Greek mythology, the child of Uranus and Gaea. The name is applied to taxa that are giants oftheir kind. 
References
  • Bellini, Gisela Paola; Vanesa Arzamendia and Alejandro Raúl Giraudo 2019. Reproductive life history of snakes in temperate regions: what are the differences between oviparous and viviparous species? Amphibia-Reptilia 40 (3): 291–303 - get paper here
  • Bels, V. 1987. Observations on the Courtship and Mating Behaviour in the Snake Hydrodynastes gigas Journal of Herpetology 21 (4): 350-352. - get paper here
  • BERNARDE, P.S., ALBUQUERQUE, S., BARROS, T.O. & TURCI, L.C.B. 2012. Serpentes do Estado de Rondônia, Brasil. Biota Neotropica 12 (3): 1-29 - get paper here
  • Bernarde, Paulo Sérgio;Moura-Leite, Julio Cesar de 1999. Geographic distribution. Hydrodynastes gigas. Herpetological Review 30 (1): 54 - get paper here
  • Brandão, R. A. & Peres Jr., A. K. 2001. Levantamento da Herpetofauna na área de influência do aproveitamento hidroelétrico Luís Eduardo Magalhães, Palmas, TO. Humanitas, 3: 35–50.
  • Cacciali, Pier; Norman J. Scott, Aida Luz Aquino Ortíz, Lee A. Fitzgerald, and Paul Smith 2016. The Reptiles of Paraguay: Literature, Distribution, and an Annotated Taxonomic Checklist. SPECIAL PUBLICATION OF THE MUSEUM OF SOUTHWESTERN BIOLOGY, NUMBER 11: 1–373 - get paper here
  • Cano, Paula Daniela; Héctor Alejandro Ball, Matías Federico Carpinetto, Germán Darío Peña 2015. Reptile checklist of Río Pilcomayo National Park, Formosa, Argentina. Check List 11 (3): 1658 - get paper here
  • Carvalho PS, Zaher H, da Silva Jr NJ, Santana DJ. 2020. A morphological and molecular study of Hydrodynastes gigas (Serpentes, Dipsadidae), a widespread species from South America. PeerJ 8:e10073 - get paper here
  • Cei, J. M. 1993. Reptiles del noroeste, nordeste y este de la Argentina. Museo Regionale Sci. Naturale Torino, Monografie 14: 1-949
  • Claessen, H. 2003. De slangen van de Guyanas Deel VI. Lacerta 61 (5): 177-187 - get paper here
  • Cope, E.D. 1885. Twelfth contribution to the herpetology of tropical America. Proc. Amer. Philos. Soc. 22: 167-194 [1884] - get paper here
  • Dirksen, L. 2003. Marajó - heiss-feuchtes Amazonas-Paradies. Reptilia (Münster) 8 (40): 75-81 - get paper here
  • Duméril, A.M.C., G. BIBRON & A.H.A. DUMÉRIL 1854. Erpétologie générale ou Histoire Naturelle complète des Reptiles. Vol. 7 (partie 1). Paris, xvi + 780 S. - get paper here
  • Dunn, E.R. 1944. Dugandia, a new snake genus for Coluber bicinctus Herrmann. Caldasia 3 (11): 69- - get paper here
  • Faoro,G. & Trutnau, L. 1988. Einige Bemerkungen ur Lebensgeschichte, Pflege und Nachzucht der Riesenglanznatter Hydrodynastes gigas (DUMÉRIL, BIBRON & DUMÉRIL 1854). Herpetofauna 10 (56): 13-16 - get paper here
  • Franca, F.G.R.; Mesquita, Daniel Oliveira and Guarino Rinaldi Colli 2006. A CHECKLIST OF SNAKES FROM AMAZONIAN SAVANNAS IN BRAZIL, HOUSED IN THE COLEÇÃO HERPETOLÓGICA DA UNIVERSIDADE DE BRASÍLIA, WITH NEW DISTRIBUTION RECORDS. Occ. Pap. Oklahoma Mus. Nat. Hist., Univ. Oklahoma 17: 1-13
  • FRANCO, FRANCISCO L.; DANIEL S. FERNANDES & BRUNO M. BENTIM 2007. A new species of Hydrodynastes Fitzinger, 1843 from central Brazil (Serpentes: Colubridae: Xenodontinae). Zootaxa 1613: 57–65 - get paper here
  • Freiberg, M.A. 1982. Snakes of South America. T.F.H. Publications, Neptune City, NJ, 189 pp. - get paper here
  • Frota, J.G. da; Pedroso dos Santos-Jr, Alfredo; Menezes-Chalkidis, H. de & Guimarães Guedes, A. 2005. AS SERPENTES DA REGIÃO DO BAIXO RIO AMAZONAS, OESTE DO ESTADO DO PARÁ, BRASIL (SQUAMATA). Biociências 13 (2): 211-220 - get paper here
  • Gonzalez R. C. et al. 2020. Lista dos Nomes Populares dos Répteis no Brasil – Primeira Versão. Herpetologia Brasileira 9 (2): 121 – 214 - get paper here
  • Graca Salomão, M. da et al. 2003. Colubrid snakebite: a public health problem in Brazil. Herpetological Review 34 (4): 307-312 - get paper here
  • Hnizdo, J. 1999. Hydrodynastes gigas - Haltung und Nachzucht einer interessanten Glattnatter. Elaphe 7 (1): 9-12
  • Honegger, René E. 1984. Beiträge zur Biologie von Hydrodynastes gigas im Terrarium (Serpentes, Colubridae). Acta Zoologica et Pathologica Antverpiensia (78): 237-244
  • Hoogmoed, M.S. 1982. Snakes of the Guianan Region. Mem. Inst. Butantan 46: 219-254. - get paper here
  • Klaczko, J; Sherratt E, Setz EZF 2016. Are Diet Preferences Associated to Skulls Shape Diversification in Xenodontine Snakes? PLoS One 11 (2): e0148375. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0148375 - get paper here
  • Leynaud, Gerardo C. and Enrique H. Bucher 1999. La fauna de serpientes del Chaco Sudamericano: diversidad, distribución geografica y estado de conservación. Academia Nacional de Ciencias Miscelanea (98):1-46
  • López, M. S. and A. R. Giraudo 2004. Diet of the large water snake Hydrodynastes gigas (Colubridae) from northeast Argentina. Amphibia-Reptilia 25 (2): 178-184 - get paper here
  • Marques, Otavio A. V.; Karina R. S. Banci, and Christine Strüssmann 2013. Death-feigning behaviour in water snakes of the genus Hydrodynastes (Dipsadidae) from South America. Herpetology Notes 6: 95-96
  • Marshall BM, Strine CT. 2019. Exploring snake occurrence records: Spatial biases and marginal gains from accessible social media. PeerJ 7:e8059 - get paper here
  • Mehrtens, J.M. 1987. Living snakes of the world in color. Sterling Publ. Co., hic., New York, NY: 480 pp.
  • Meierkord, R. 2008. Hydrodynastes gigas - von der Aufzucht bis zur Nachzucht der Falschen Wasserkobra. Reptilia (Münster) 13 (70): 65-69 - get paper here
  • Melani, E. 2007. Hydrodynastes gigas - Keeping and breeding the Brazilian False Water cobra. Reptilia (GB) (50): 74-78 - get paper here
  • Morato, S.A.A.; Calixto, P.O.; Mendes, L.R.; Gomes, R.; Galatti, U.; Trein, F.L.; Oliveira, F.S.; Ferreira, G.N. 2014. Guia fotográfico de identificação da herpetofauna da Floresta Nacional de Saracá-Taquera, Estado do Pará. Curitiba: STCP Engenharia de Projetos Ltda.; Porto Trombetas: MRN – Mineração Rio do Norte S.A.; 213 p. - get paper here
  • Morato, Sérgio Augusto Abrahão; Guilherme Nunes Ferreira; Michela Rossane Cavilha Scupino (eds.) 2018. Herpetofauna da Amazônia Central: Estudos na FLONA de Saracá-Taquera. Curitiba, Pr: STCP Engenharia de Projetos Ltda.; Porto Trombetas, Pa: MRN – Mineração Rio do Norte S.A., 2018. 210p. - get paper here
  • MOURA, MARIO R.; HENRIQUE C. COSTA, ARTHUR D. ABEGG, ESMERALDA ALAMINOS, TEDDY ANGARITA‐SIERRA, WEVERTON S. AZEVEDO, HUGO CABRAL, PRISCILA CARVALHO, SONIA CECHIN, NATHALIE CITELI, ÂNGELO C.M. DOURADO, ANDRÉ F.V. DUARTE, FREDERICO G.R. FRANÇA, ELIZA M 2022. Unwrapping broken tails: Biological and environmental correlates of predation pressure in limbless reptiles. Journal of Animal Ecology 2022: 1–14. - get paper here
  • Neves MO, Yves A, Pereira EA, Alves L, Vasques JB, Coelho JFT, Silva PS 2019. Herpetofauna in a highly endangered area: the Triângulo Mineiro region, in Minas Gerais State, Brazil. Herpetozoa 32: 113-123 - get paper here
  • Nogueira, Cristiano C.; Antonio J.S. Argôlo, Vanesa Arzamendia, Josué A. Azevedo, Fausto E. Barbo, Renato S. Bérnils, Bruna E. Bolochio, Marcio Borges-Martins, Marcela Brasil-Godinho, Henrique Braz, Marcus A. Buononato, Diego F. Cisneros-Heredia, 2019. Atlas of Brazilian snakes: verified point-locality maps to mitigate the Wallacean shortfall in a megadiverse snake fauna. South American J. Herp. 14 (Special Issue 1):1-274 - get paper here
  • O’Shea, M. 2018. The Book of Snakes. Ivy Press / Quarto Publishing, London, - get paper here
  • PEIXOTO COUTO, RODNEY MURILLO; MAIARA CABRERA MIGUEL, CLAUDIA LUDOVINA QUIROGA & VANDA LÚCIA FERREIRA. 2022. Mating mode observation for Hydrodynastes gigas (Squamata, Dipsadidae) in Argentina. Herpetology Notes 15: 101–104. - get paper here
  • PEREIRA-FILHO, Gentil Alves ; MONTIGELLI, Giovanna. Gondim 2006. Geographic Distribution: Hydrodynastes gigas. Herpetological Review 37 (4): 497 - get paper here
  • Puorto, G. & Barbarini, C. C. 2004. Coleção Herpetológica do Museu de Zoologia do Centro Universitário Luterano de Palmas – MZCEULP. Humanitas, 4/6: 31–38
  • Ramalho, Werther Pereira; Vinícius Guerra Batista; Luciano Roberto Passos Lozi 2014. Anfíbios e répteis do médio rio Aporé, estados de Mato Grosso do Sul e Goiás, Brasil. Neotropical Biology and Conservation 9 (3): 147-160; doi: 10.4013/nbc.2014.93.04 - get paper here
  • Rodrigues-França, Frederico Gustavo & Nathocley Mendes-Venâncio 2010. Reptiles and amphibians of a poorly known region in southwest Amazonia Biotemas, 23 (3): 71-84 - get paper here
  • Sampaio ILR, Santos CP, França RC, Pedrosa IMMC, Solé M, França FGR 2018. Ecological diversity of a snake assemblage from the Atlantic Forest at the south coast of Paraíba, northeast Brazil. ZooKeys 787: 107-125 - get paper here
  • Santos-Costa, Maria Cristina dos; Gleomar Fabiano Maschio, Ana Lúcia da Costa Prudente 2015. Natural history of snakes from Floresta Nacional de Caxiuanã, eastern Amazonia, Brazil. Herpetology Notes 8: 69-98 - get paper here
  • Santos-Junior DL, Sales RFD, Jorge JS, Freire EMX 2020. New record of Hydrodynastes gigas (Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854) (Serpentes, Dipsadinae) in northeastern Brazil. Check List 16(2): 457-460 - get paper here
  • Scott, Norman J.;Lovett, Jonny Wayne 1975. A collection of reptiles and amphibians from the Chaco of Paraguay. The University of Connecticut Occasional Papers, Biological Series 2 (16): 257-266
  • Scrocchi, G.J.; Moreta, J.C. & Kretzschmar, S. 2006. Serpientes del Noroeste Argento [Jujuy, Salta, Tucumán, Catamarca, La Rioja, Santiago del Estero]. Fundación Miguel Lillo, Tucumán, 178 pp.
  • Silva Jr., N.J.; B. Hamdan; I. Tonial; H.L.R. Silva; C.E.D. Cintra 2012. Hydrodynastes melanogigas Franco, Fernandes and Bentim, 2007 (Squamata: Serpentes: Colubridae): Range extension and new state record. Check List 8(4):813-814 - get paper here
  • Starace, Fausto 1998. Guide des Serpents et Amphisbènes de Guyane. IBIS Rouge Editions, Guadeloupe, Guyane, 450 pp.
  • Starace, Fausto 2013. Guide des Serpents et Amphisbènes de Guyane. Ibis Rouge Editions, Matoury, Guyane, ISBN 978-2-84450-407-4 - get paper here
  • Vaz-Silva, W. et al. 2007. Herpetofauna, Espora Hydroelectric Power Plant, state of Goiás, Brazil. Check List 3 (4): 338-345 - get paper here
  • Vaz-Silva, W.; RM Oliveira, AFN Gonzaga, KC Pinto, FC Poli, TM Bilce, M Penhacek, L Wronski, JX Martins, TG Junqueira, LCC, Cesca VY, Guimarães RD. Pinheiro 2015. Contributions to the knowledge of amphibians and reptiles from Volta Grande do Xingu, northern Brazil Braz. J. Biol., 75 (3) (suppl.): S205-S218 - get paper here
  • Viana, P F; Neto, G Z & Rocha, A M; 2019. Hydrodynastes gigas (False Water Cobra) Feeding behavior. Herpetological Review 50 (2): 394 - 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.
  • Weinstein, Scott A. 2017. Non-Front-Fanged Colubroid Snakes. In: J. Brent et al. (eds.), Critical Care Toxicology. Springer Verlag, pp. 2453-2492 - get paper here
  • Williams,J.D. & Francini,F. 1991. A checklist of the Argentine snakes. Boll. Mus. Reg. Sci. Nat. Torino 9 (1): 55-90
  • Winchell, S. 2010. Die Reptilien Argentiniens. Reptilia (Münster) 15 (83): 20-27 - get paper here
  • Zaher, Hussam; Fausto Erritto BarboI; Paola Sanchez Martínez; Cristiano Nogueira; Miguel Trefaut Rodrigues; Ricardo Jannini Sawaya 2011. Répteis do Estado de São Paulo: conhecimento atual e perspectivas. Biota Neotropica, 11 (1): 1–15. - get paper here
  • Zaracho, Víctor Hugo; Ingaramo, María del Rosario; Semhan, Romina Valeria; Etchepare, Eduardo; Acosta, José Luis; Falcione, Ana Camila; Álvarez, Blanca 2014. Herpetofauna de la Reserva Natural Provincial Isla Apipé Grande (Corrientes, Argentina). Cuad. herpetol. 28 (2): 153-160 - get paper here
 
External links  
Is it interesting? Share with others:

As link to this species use URL address:

https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Hydrodynastes&species=gigas

without field 'search_param'. Field 'search_param' is used for browsing search result.



Please submit feedback about this entry to the curator