Boiruna maculata (Boulenger, 1896)

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

Boiruna maculata (Boulenger, 1896)

Natural history notes.

A large species (n = 1), terrestrial ( Marques et al. 2015), although there is one record of arboreal substrate ( Gallardo et al. 2006). In October, a juvenile was collected at 07:30 h. while crossing an unpaved road in a forested area. Data on daily activity are scarce. In the literature, there are two observations of activity at night, one during twilight, and one during the day ( Gallardo et al. 2006, Hartmann and Giasson 2008, Gaiarsa et al. 2013). Although the specimen was found active in the early hours of the day, it is thought that the species is predominantly nocturnal, similar to other Pseudoboine species ( Marques 1998, Sawaya et al. 2008). A recently ingested lizard ( Ophiodes sp.), swallowed head-first, was found in the digestive tract of this specimen. Previous studies indicate this species is a generalist, feeding primarily on snakes, but also birds, small mammals, anurans, and lizards ( Lema et al. 1983, Carreira 2002, Gallardo et al. 2006, Hartmann and Giasson 2008, Gaiarsa et al. 2013). This is the first record of an Ophiodes as prey for B. maculata . No reproductive data were obtained from the examined specimen. However, the species is known to lay from four to 15 eggs ( Sawaya et al. 2008). No defensive behavior was observed for this species.

Altitudinal variation.

Species records indicate a minimum of sea level in Rio Grande do Sul and maximum of 1240 m a.s.l. in Serra do Salitre, MG ( Bérnils 2009). In Brazil, the maximum altitudinal record of the species is for the study area (at 1600 m a.s.l.). Observations at toponyms below 400 m a.s.l. were recorded only on the coast, from Uruguay to Rio Grande do Sul, and in the western and southernmost parts of its distribution (Negro, Jacuí, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Paraná basins) ( Bérnils 2009). Quinteros-Muñoz (2006) collected an individual at 1880 m a.s.l. in the National Park La Yunga, Bolivia in a region that encompasses altitudes ranging from 1000 to 4000 m a.s.l.

Distribution and habitat.

North, central-west, southeast and south of Brazil (Amazonas, Distrito Federal, Goiás, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, Rio Grande do Sul, São Paulo), Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay ( Bérnils 2009, Wallach et al. 2014). Typically, this is a species of open areas (cerrados, savannas, chacos, and pampas) with records near adjacent forests ( Bérnils et al. 2007).