Mussurana montana (Franco, Marques & Puorto, 1997)

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

Mussurana montana (Franco, Marques & Puorto, 1997)

Natural history notes.

A large species (n = 1), terrestrial ( Marques et al. 2001, Gaiarsa et al. 2013). There is no information on the time of activity for this species ( Gaiarsa et al. 2013). In October, an adult was seen resting at 11:20 h, coiled in the middle of plant litter, in a forested area. The record occurred in an adjacent conservation area: RPP Alto Montana , Itamonte-MG. Literature data indicate its diet is composed of snakes and lizards ( Franco et al. 1997). Regarding the reproduction, Franco et al. (1997) recorded two females: one with seven and the other with 11 eggs. No defensive behavior was observed for this species.

Altitudinal variation.

This species was found at a minimum of 750 m a.s.l. in Guaratinguetá, SP and maximum of 1610 m a.s.l. in Campos do Jordão, SP ( Bérnils 2009). The maximum altitudinal record of the species was 1740 m a.s.l., at RPPN Alto Montana , Itamonte, MG. Bérnils (2009) stated all toponyms found to occur in areas above 750 m a.s.l..

Distribution and habitat.

Southeast Brazil (Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, and São Paulo) ( Wallach et al. 2014). This species occurs in fields, close to ombrophilous and seasonal forests ( Bérnils 2009).