Boiruna sertaneja Zaher, 1996

De Alencar, Arília Aiarsa Laura R. V. & Martins, Marcio, 2013, Natural History Of Pseudoboine Snakes, Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia 53 (19), pp. 261-283 : 263

Boiruna sertaneja Zaher, 1996

Distribution: Boiruna sertaneja is found throughout northeastern Brazil ( Cordeiro & Hoge, 1973; Vitt & Vangilder, 1983; Zaher, 1996; Guedes, 2006; Lira-da-Silva et al., 2009; Loebmann & Haddad, 2010) and it appears to be a locally rare species ( Loebmann & Haddad, 2010).

Habitat and time of activity: Boiruna sertaneja is a large pseudoboine (maximum SVL = 1940 mm, female; Zaher, 1996) and the few available records suggests that it inhabits open xeric vegetation in the Caatinga domain in northeastern Brazil ( Vitt & Vangilder, 1983; Zaher, 1996; Guedes, 2006). The only available microhabitat data ( Guedes, 2006), as well as its stout body, indicate that B. sertaneja is terrestrial. There is no data concerning its time of activity.

Feeding: Boiruna sertaneja is a snake specialist (N = 10; two Oxyrhopus cf. trigeminus ; three Phylodrias sp., and five unidentified) but lizards can also be taken (N = 4; one Tropidurus torquatus , two Ameiva ameiva , one Diploglossus lessonae ) ( Vitt & Vangilder, 1983; this study).

Reproduction: Clutch size varies from four to 14 eggs (mean = 9.25 eggs, N = 8; Vitt & Vangilder, 1983; this study). The smallest mature female was 1147 mm SVL (this study) and the smallest mature male was 1074 mm SVL (this study) .