Hoge's Ground Snake

distribution

Distribution. Known from Brazil and Paraguay, at the central portion of the South American open diagonal (Plt. 395 A). In Brazil, recorded in Cerrado and marginally in Caatinga (Plt. 395 A), mostly at intermediate to high elevations (Plt. 395 B). Previous map and taxonomy in Dixon (1989). Observed in the field in savanna or grasslands on sandy soils (Recoder and Nogueira, 2007; Recoder et al., 2011; Rodrigues and Prudente, 2011).

Atlas of Brazilian Snakes: Verified Point-Locality Maps to Mitigate the Wallacean Shortfall in a Megadiverse Snake Fauna

materials_examined

Type locality. Village of Mato Verde, near Ilha do Bananal. Currently Luciara, state of Mato Grosso, Brazil.

Atlas of Brazilian Snakes: Verified Point-Locality Maps to Mitigate the Wallacean Shortfall in a Megadiverse Snake Fauna

Lygophis paucidens (Hoge 1853) Hoge 1853

Lygophis paucidens (Hoge, 1853) “Cobra-de-cadarço” (Figs. 16.4 and 29.1) First record in the Caatinga. Recorded only in three localities, in the states of Piauí and Bahia, in altitudes up to 500 m elevation. It is found mostly in open savannas and grasslands on sandy soils, and is considered a Cerrado endemic snake (Nogueira et al. 2010, 2011). It probably occurs in areas with relictual cerrado enclaves, including those in uplands of the Chapada Diamantina complex. It has terrestrial habits, is diurnal, and feeds on frogs and lizards (Dixon 1989).

Diversity, natural history, and geographic distribution of snakes in the Caatinga, Northeastern Brazil