Designed by Paul Smith 2006. This website is copyrighted by law.
Material contained herewith may not be used without the prior written permission of FAUNA Paraguay.
Photographs on this page were taken by Loraine Grant and Para La Tierra and are used with permission.
BRAZILIAN BIRD SNAKE Rhachidelus brazili
As rare as rare can be, this little known snake occurs only in the cerrado of Brazil and Paraguay, and two specimens from northern Argentina. There are only two records from Paraguay, one from the 1950s and this second record of an individual in a state of decay found on a road by fieldworkers from Para La Tierra. Almost nothing is known of the biology of this enigmatic species. Note that the generic name is frequently spelt incorrectly in the literature as Rachidelus. The species was documented for Paraguay in the following publication which can be downloaded by clicking the link
Smith P, Scott N, Cacciali P, Atkinson K 2013. Rhachidelus brazili Boulenger, 1908: First records from Paraguay and a clarification of the correct spelling of the generic name. Salamandra 49: p56-58.
Click on the images to enlarge them.
FIGURE 1 - (FPREP490PH) Adult dorsal view, Laguna Blanca, Departamento San Pedro (Loraine Grant November 2010 - Para La Tierra).
FIGURE 2 - (FPREP491PH) Same individual head detail (Loraine Grant November 2010 - Para La Tierra).
FIGURE 3 - (FPREP492PH) Same individual head dorsal (Loraine Grant November 2010 - Para La Tierra).
FIGURE 4 - (FPREP493PH) Same individual dorsal scale pattern (Loraine Grant November 2010 - Para La Tierra).
FIGURE 5 - (FPREP494PH) Same individual ventral (Loraine Grant November 2010 - Para La Tierra).
FIGURE 6 - (FPREP495PH) Same individual head ventral (Loraine Grant November 2010 - Para La Tierra).
FIGURE 7 - (FPREP496PH) Same individual ventral scale pattern (Loraine Grant November 2010 - Para La Tierra).
This is the second record of this species in Paraguay.
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FIGURE 1
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FIGURE 2
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FIGURE 3
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FIGURE 4
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FIGURE 5
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FIGURE 6
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FIGURE 7
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