Xenopholis undulatus (Jensen, 1900)

Guedes, Thaís B., Nogueira, Cristiano & Marques, Otavio A. V., 2014, Diversity, natural history, and geographic distribution of snakes in the Caatinga, Northeastern Brazil, Zootaxa 3863 (1), pp. 1-93 : 54

Xenopholis undulatus (Jensen, 1900)

(Figs. 20.4 and 32.3)

It was recorded in the states of Ceará, Paraíba, and Alagoas only in highland areas above 850 m elevation (Borges- Nojosa & Lima 2009; Loebmann & Haddad 2010; Filho & Montingelli 2011), with a single record in contact areas next to the Atlantic Forest, 20 m elevation. It is a rare snake in the field and collections and is considered endemic to the Cerrado region ( Nogueira et al. 2010, 2011) where it apparently inhabits riparian forests (CN pers. obs). In the Caatinga, this snake seems to be associated to moist relictual, forested areas in isolated plateaus, and to interior dry forest (agreste) close to the Atlantic coast. It has cryptozoic habits, is diurnal and feeds on frogs (TBG pers. obs).