Chironius bicarinatus (Wied, 1820)

enezes, Frederico de Alcantara, Abegg, Arthur Diesel, Silva, Bruno Rocha da, ranco, Francisco Luis & Feio, Renato Neves, 2018, Composition and natural history of the snakes from the Parque Estadual da Serra do Papagaio, southern Minas Gerais, Serra da Mantiqueira, Brazil, ZooKeys 797, pp. 117-160 : 117

Chironius bicarinatus (Wied, 1820)

Natural history notes.

Medium-sized snake (n = 1), diurnal and semi-arboreal ( Marques et al. 2001). An individual was observed on the ground during the day (12:00 h) in March, next to a small fragment of disturbed forest. Upon detecting the observer’s approach, the snake fled into the forest. Sazima and Haddad (1992) also mention the presence of C. bicarinatus in fragments of disturbed forests. The diet is specialized in anurans, composed mainly of hylids and leptodactylids ( Dixon et al. 1993). Reproduction is seasonal, with copulation in early autumn and between 4 - 14 eggs laid at the end of winter (Marques et al. 2009, Pontes and Rocha 2008).

Altitudinal variation.

From sea level, from the northern coast of Rio Grande do Sul to Bahia, to a maximum altitude of 1610 m in Campos do Jordão, SP ( Bérnils 2009). In this study, the maximum altitudinal record was 1730 m, in Baependi, MG. Dixon et al. (1993) cited the species in "Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, Marombe [sic], Itatiaia ," at 1850 m a.s.l.. The Maromba region encompasses altitudes from 500 to 2000 m. Despite several records of this species in elevated areas (above 800 m a.s.l.) ( Bérnils 2009), Chironius bicarinatus is thought to occupy predominantly plains ( Dixon et al. 1993, Carreira et al. 2005).

Distribution and habitat.

Northeast, central-west, southeast and south of Brazil (Bahia, Goiás, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Paraná, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul), Argentina, and Uruguay ( Bérnils 2009, Wallach et al. 2014). This species inhabits all forest formations and open areas such as pampas, cerrado, restingas ( Sazima and Haddad 1992, Dixon et al. 1993, Carreira et al. 2005) and rocky fields.