Death Feigning Behavior in Three Colubrid Species of Tropical Asia

Gernot Vogel, Kam Han-Yuen

Abstract


Death feigning was reported for the first time for the species Coleognathus radiatus and Macrocalamus chanardi. In Xenochrophis piscator this behavior is reported for the second time since 1947. These are the first reports on death feigning in snakes for the Indochinese and Malayan subregions.

Keywords


death feigning; Coelognathus radiatus; Macrocalamus chanardi; Xenochrophis piscator; Oriental region

Full Text:

PDF

References


Dickinson W. H. (1948), «Observations on Naja haje feigning death», Herpetologica, 4, 147.

Doody J. S., Brauman R. J., Young J. E., and Fiorillo R. A. (1996), «Death feigning in the mud snake Farancia abacura in captivity», Herpetol. Rev., 27(2), 82 – 83.

Ebermann E. (1991), «Thanatosis or feigning death in mites of the family Scutacaridae», in: R. Schuster and P. W. Murphy (eds.), The Acari. Reproduction, development and life- history strategies, Chapman and Hall, London, pp. 399 – 401.

Fabre J. H. (1900), Souvenirs Entomologiques. 7eme Ser., Delgrave, France.

Francq E. N. (1969), «Behavioral aspects of feigned death in the opossum Didelphis marsupialis», Am. Midl. Nat., 81, 556 – 567.

Gehlbach F. R. (1970), «Death-feigning and erratic behavior in leptotyphlopid, colubrid, and elapid snakes», Herpetologica, 26, 24 – 34.

Greene H. W. (1988), «Antipredator mechanisms in reptiles», in: C. Gans and R. Huey (eds.), Biology of the Reptilia. Vol. 16, Alan Liss Inc., New York, pp. 1 – 152.

Howe J. C. (1991), «Field observations of death feigning in the convict tang, Acanthurus triostegus (Linnaeus), with comments on the nocturnal color pattern in juvenile specimens», J. Aquaricult. Aquat. Sci., 4, 13 – 15.

Ionides E. J. P. (1952), «Cobra feigning death (Naja n. nigrocollis)», Br. J. Herpetol., 1, 114 – 115.

Jordan R. (1970), «Death-feigning in a captive red-bellied snake, Storeria occipitomaculata (Storer)», Herpetologica, 26, 466 – 468.

Lynch W. (1978), «Death-feigning in the Eastern yellow-bellied racer», Blue Jay, 36(2), 92 – 93.

MacDonald A. St. J. (1947), «Shamming death», J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc., 47, 173.

McCallum M. L. (1999), «Acris crepitans (northern cricket frog). Death feigning», Herpetol. Rev., 30, 90.

McDonald H. S. (1974), «Bradycardia during death-feigning of Heterodon platyrhinos Latreille (Serpentes)», J. Herpetol., 8(2), 157 – 164.

McFarland D. (1981), The Oxford Companion to Animal Behavior, Oxford Univ. Press, Oxford.

Miyatake T., Okada K., and Harano T. (2008), «Negative relationship between ambient temperature and death-feigning intensity in adult Callosobruchus maculatus and Callosobruchus chinensis», Physiol. Entomol., 33, 83 – 88.

Mori A. and Burghardt G. M. (2008), «Comparative experimental tests of Natricine antipredator displays, with special reference to the apparently unique displays in the Asian genus, Rhabdophis», J. Ethol., 26(1), 61 – 68.

Mutoh A. (1983), «Death-feigning behavior of the Japanese colubrid snake Rhabdophis tigrinus», Herpetologica, 39(1), 78 – 80.

Pflanz D. J. and Powell R. (1990), «Death feigning by a coachwhip from Missouri», Missouri Herpetol. Newslett., No. 3, 12.

Sargent A. B. and Eberhardt L. E. (1975), «Death feigning by ducks in response to predation by red foxes, Vulpes fulva», Am. Midl. Nat., 94, 108 – 109.

Sazima I. (1974), «Experimental predation of the leaf frog, Phyllomedusa rohdei by the water snake, Liophis miliaris», J. Herpetol., 8, 376 – 378.

Shaw C. E. and Campbell S. (1974), Snakes of the American West, A. A. Knopf, New York.

Smith D. D. (1975), «Death feigning by the western coachwhip snake», Herpetol. Rev., 6, 126.

Thomas R. A. and Hendricks F. S. (1976), «Letisimulation in Virginia striatula (Linnaeus)», The Southwestern Naturalist, 21(1), 123 – 124.

Tryon B. W. and Guese R. K. (1984), «Death-feigning in the gray-banded kingsnake Lampropeltis alterna», Herpetol. Rev., 15(4), 108 – 109.

Tucker M. (1989), «Life history (behavior): Masticophis flagellum», Herpetol. Rev., 20, 72.

Ushakov M. V. (2007), «On the defensive behavior of the grass snake Natrix natrix (Linnaeus, 1758)», Russ. J. Ecol., 38(2), 137 – 140.

Visser J. (1966), «Colour change in Leptotyphlops scutifrons (Peters) and notes on its defensive behavior», Zool. Afr., 2, 123 – 125.

Vogel G. and David P. (2006), «On the taxonomy of the Xenochrophis piscator complex», in: M. Vences, J. Köhler, T. Ziegler, and W. Böhme (eds.), Herpetologia Bonnensis II. Proc. of the 13th Congr. of the Soc. Eur. Herpetol., SEH, Bonn, pp. 241 – 246.




DOI: https://doi.org/10.30906/1026-2296-2010-17-1-15-21

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


You can subscribe to the print or electronic version of the journal on the site of EastView Company. If you have any questions, please write to the email sales@ivis.ru