Leopard Keelback

distribution

A deceased juvenile individual (Fig. 14) was photographed at Villarrica (25 ° 44 ’ 56 ’’ S 56 ° 26 ’ 05 ’’ W), Guairá department on 25 November 2022 by Victor Duarte, representing the first departmental record. It is easily recognizable based on the distinctive head shape and eyecatching ventral colouration (Cacciali 2024). This is an abundant snake in wetlands of the Paraguay River Basin and this latest record approximately corresponds to the eastern limits of its known distribution in Paraguay. The species has been previously reported from Alto Paraguay, Amambay, Caaguazú, Central, Concepción, Cordillera, Itapúa, Misiones, Ñeembucú, Paraguarí, Presidente Hayes and San Pedro departments in Paraguay (Cabral and Weiler, 2014; Cacciali et al., 2016 b; Smith et al., 2024). It is considered to be “ Least Concern ” in Paraguay (Martínez et al., 2020 c).

Twenty-eight new and significant departmental reptile records for Paraguay

distribution

Distribution. Widespread in South America, occurring in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, and Suriname (Plt. 283 A). In Brazil, widespread in Amazonia, Cerrado, Pantanal, and Caatinga, with marginal records in the northern portion of the Atlantic Forest (Plt. 283 A), mostly at low elevations (Plt. 283 B). Observed in the field in rivers, flooded grasslands, and gallery forest, as well as disturbed areas (Strüssmann and Sazima, 1993; Yanosky et al., 1996; Carvalho and Nogueira, 1998; Giraudo and Scrocchi, 2002).

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

Helicops leopardinus (Schlegel 1837) Schlegel 1837

Helicops leopardinus (Schlegel, 1837) “Cobra-d’água, Jararaca-d’água” (Figs. 15.6 and 28.3) Recorded in all portions of the Caatinga, except in Rio Grande do Norte, probably due to limited sampling. Recorded up to 750 m elevation, but most records are in areas below 500 m of elevation. It is widely distributed in the Amazon Forest, Pantanal, and Cerrado regions (Cunha & Nascimento 1978; Martins & Oliveira 1998; Marques et al. 2005; Nogueira et al. 2010). Inside the Cerrado It was found in water bodies surrounded by riparian forests (Recoder et al. 2011). Inside Caatinga, as an aquatic snake, its distribution is determined by the presence of water bodies and dependent of drainage system (see Rodrigues 2005). It is diurnal and nocturnal, and feeds on frogs and fishes (Scartozzoni 2009).

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