he jou nal o
biodi e si y da a
NOTES ON GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION
925
Academic edi o : Raúl Maney o
Recei ed: 24 June 2025
Accep ed: 30 Sep embe 2025
Published: 10 Oc obe 2025
Copy igh © The au ho s. This is an open‑access
a icle dis ibu ed unde e ms o he C ea i e
Commons A ibu ion License (A ibu ion 4.0
In e na ional – CC BY 4.0)
Abs ac . Oxybelis ulgidus (Daudin, 1803), G een Vine Snake, is a colub id wi h a b oad dis ibu ion om
sou he n Mexico h ough Cen al Ame ica o no he n Sou h Ame ica, including Amazonia and he Ce ado.
We epo he i s eco d o occu ence o O. ulgidus om he s a e o Goiás, B azil. We also p o ide an
upda ed dis ibu ion map o he species.
Key wo ds. Cen al B azil, Ce ado, G een Vine Snake, ep ile, species dis ibu ion
Sil a RR, Oli ei a RM, Anjos SF, Cos a NQ, Be nades CS, De-Ca alho CB (2025) Fi s eco ds o Oxybelis
ulgidus (Daudin, 1803) (Se pen es, Colub idae) om he s a e o Goiás, B azil. Check Lis 21 (5): 925–929.
h ps://doi.o g/10.15560/21.5.925
INTRODUCTION
The colub id genus Oxybelis Wagle , 1830 (Se pen es, Colub idae) comp ise 11 species (To es‑Ca ajal e al.
2021) and is widely dis ibu ed, occu ing om he ex eme sou hwes e n Uni ed S a es (sou he n A izona)
h ough Cen al Ame ica (including some islands) in Sou h Ame ica, including sou heas e n B azil and he
wes e n Andean egion (Noguei a e al. 2019; Jadin e al. 2020; To es‑Ca ajal e al. 2021). Oxybelis species a e
di ided in o wo main e olu iona y g oups: one composed o Oxybelis ulgidus (Daudin, 1803) and Oxybelis
wilsoni Villa & McC anie, 1995, while he o he is o med by Oxybelis b e i os is (Cope, 1961) oge he wi h he
Oxybelis aeneus (Wagle , 1824) species complex. Species o he genus Oxybelis a e associa ed mainly wi h
he open o ma ions o he Ame icas, including Ce ado sensu s ic o (sa annah woodland), Campo (g ass‑
lands), Ce adão (dense sa annah woodland), and galle y o es (Jadin e al. 2020; To es‑Ca ajal e al. 2021).
Oxybelis species exhibi cha ac e is ics ypically ela ed o an a bo eal habi s, such as a la e ally com‑
p essed and slende body (Hende son and Binde 1980). Howe e , unlike wha is commonly ound in a bo‑
eal snake species, Oxybelis species a e p edominan ly diu nal (Hende son 1974; Hende son and Binde 1980;
San os‑Cos a e al. 2015; Ha ing on e al. 2018). Thei eeding habi s use s a egies app op ia e o cap u ing
a bo eal p ey, consis ing mainly o small liza ds and bi ds, as well as occasional insec s, amphibians, and
small mammals (Augus e e al. 2021; Cos a e al. 2022; Oli ei a e al. 2023).
In B azil, wo Oxybelis species ha e been eco ded: O. aeneus, which occu s in open and o es o ma‑
ions and has he la ges geog aphic ange, wi h eco ds in he Amazon, Ce ado, Caa inga, and Pan anal
eco egions (Noguei a e al. 2019; Guedes e al. 2023), and O. ulgidus, which has a mo e es ic ed dis ibu ion
in B azil, wi h eco ds concen a ed in he Amazon egion bu wi h ecen epo s om open ege a ion
o ma ions o cen al B azil, pa icula ly wi hin he Ce ado domain (Noguei a e al. 2019; Sena e al. 2022).
METHODS
We epo se en eco ds o Oxybelis ulgidus ob ained du ing ege a ion clea ance in a galle y o es ca ied
ou in 2021 and 2022 in a mine si e wi hin he Ce ado biome. As he species is eadily iden i iable in he ield,
only he specimen ha sus ained inju ies as a esul o he clea ing ac i i ies was collec ed and eu hanized.
These new eco ds and he collec ed specimen a e he esul o a auna‑ escue p og am conduc ed in he
cou se o ege a ion emo al (license numbe #19640973 p o ided by Sec e a ia de Es ado de Meio Am‑
bien e e Desen ol imen o Sus en á el). The specimen was cap u ed and eu hanized, hen ixed in a 10%
o maldehyde solu ion and p ese ed in 70% e hanol be o e being deposi ed in he Zoological Collec ion o
21 (5) · h ps://doi.o g/10.15560/21.5.925
21 (5): 925–929
Fi s eco ds o Oxybelis ulgidus (Daudin, 1803) (Se pen es,
Colub idae) om he s a e o Goiás, B azil
Régis Rod igues Sil a1, Renan Manoel de Oli ei a1, 2, Samuel Fe ei a dos Anjos1, Na hane de Quei oz Cos a1,
Cy o de Sousa Be na des1, C izan o B i o De-Ca alho1
1 DBO Engenha ia Ambien al, Goiânia, Goiás, B azil
2 Ins i u o de Ciências da Saúde, Uni e sidade Paulis a, Goiânia, Goiás, B azil
Co esponding au ho : Régis Rod igues Sil a (bio. egi[email p o ec ed]om)
Check Lis 21 (5) · h ps://doi.o g/10.15560/21.5.925
Sil a e al. · Fi s eco ds o Oxybelis ulgidus in Goiás 926
he Fede al Uni e si y o Goiás (ZUFG). We e iewed he li e a u e o occu ence da a o O. ulgidus in B azil
(Noguei a e al. 2019; Sena e al. 2022) and c ea ed an upda ed dis ibu ion map o he species using QGIS
. 3.16.9 (QGIS De elopmen Team 2021) (Figu e 2).
Da a esou ces. The occu ence da a epo ed in his pape a e deposi ed a GBIF, he Global Biodi e si y
In o ma ion Facili y, and a e a ailable a h ps://doi.o g/10.15468/k2 hhm.
RESULTS
Oxybelis ulgidus (Daudin, 1803)
Figu es 1, 2
New eco d.BRAZIL — Goiás• Minaçu; 13°28′47″S, 048°30′38″W; ele . 939 m a.s.l.; 19.V.2022; Cunha G. leg.;
adul sex inde ., ZUFG1701.
We ound ano he six indi iduals in he s udy a ea: h ee in 2021 and h ee in 2022. These seix specimens
we e iden i ied in he ield and no collec ed (Table 1).
Iden i ica ion. Indi iduals we e iden i ied acco ding o he mo phological ai s desc ibed by Pe e s and
Figu e 1. Oxybelis ulgidus (ZUFG1701) om
Minaçu, Goiás, B azil.
Figu e 2. Geog aphic dis ibu ion o
Oxybelis ulgidus in B azil based on
Noguei a e al. (2019) and Sena e al. (2022)
and including he new eco d om he
municipali y o Minaçu, Goiás, B azil.
Check Lis 21 (5) · h ps://doi.o g/10.15560/21.5.925
Sil a e al. · Fi s eco ds o Oxybelis ulgidus in Goiás 927
O ejas‑Mi anda (1970) and Ri as e al. (2024). These include an elonga e, slende head, poin ed snou , and a
uni o m g een do sal body su ace. Females end o ha e a longe snou – en leng h (SVL) and a e hea ie
han males acco ding o Hende son (1982) and Sca ozzoni e al. (2009). The collec ed specimen had an
SVL o 1290 mm, a ail leng h o 600 mm, and a o al leng h o 1890 mm leng h. Scale coun s a e as ollows:
do sal scales 17‑17‑13; en al scales 206; and subcaudal scales 144. The specimen weighed 384 g.
The only o he Oxybelis species in B azil is O. aeneus, bu i can be easily dis inguished om O. ulgidus by
he ela i ely uni o m ligh ‑b own body (bo h do sally and en ally) wi h sca e ed, small, black do s; his is
in con as o he uni o m g een colo o O. ulgidus (Hende son and Binde 1980; To es‑Ca ajal e al. 2021).
DISCUSSION
The geog aphical dis ibu ion o Oxybelis ulgidus was belie ed o be es ic ed o he Amazon egions
and ansi ion zones be ween Ce ado and Amazon, wi h eco ds o occu ence in he s a es o Rondônia,
Amapá, Ac e, Ro aima, Amazonas, Pa á, Tocan ins, Ma o G osso, Ma anhão and Piauí (Noguei a e al. 2019;
Sena e al. 2022; Guedes e al. 2023). The Ou new eco ds om he municipali y o Minaçu, Goiás, expand
he dis ibu ion o he species by app oxima ely 352 km sou h o Palmas, Tocan ins, he nea es p e iously
known locali y, and by abou 455 km no h o No a Xa an ina, Ma o G osso (Hende son and Binde , 1980;
To es‑Ca ajal e al. 2021) (Figu e 2). The e o e, he new eco d o O. ulgidus is he i s om Goiás and he
i s con i med occu ence o his species in cen al B azil; i signi ican ly expands he known geog aphic
dis ibu ion o he species.
Al hough O. ulgidus is a common snake in opical o es s, i s p esence in he Ce ado, especially in ag‑
men s o galle y o es s, ein o ces he impo ance o hese ecosys ems o he main enance o local biodi‑
e si y. By ha bo ing species sha ed wi h neighbo ing o es biomes, galle y o es s con ibu e o egional
biodi e si y. Thus, galle y o es s p o ide sui able habia o o es species o expand hei dis ibu ion o
p edominan ly non‑ o es biomes (B andão and A aujo 2001).
The eco d o O. ulgidus om he Ce ado has impo ance o u u e conse a ion s a egies o his
species, and new da a, such as hose p esen ed he e, a e essen ial in ad ancing ou unde s anding o he
Ce ado’s c i ically unde documen ed he pe ological di e si y. P o iding de ails o each occu ence con‑
ibu es o a be e unde s anding o he na u al his o y o he Ce ado. While impo an in o ma ion on
ep ile species has been gene a ed in ecen yea s, pa icula ly on hei geog aphical dis ibu ion, signi i‑
can knowledge gaps pe sis (Diniz‑Filho e al. 2005; Bini e al. 2006). Goiás aces conside able challenges in
p ese ing i s biodi e si y, pa icula ly due o he in ense an h opogenic p essu es om ag icul u e, mining,
and in as uc u e de elopmen ha comp omise he in eg i y o na i e ege a ion.
In ecen yea s, ep ile da abases ha e been la gely buil upon na u al his o y no es. These da abases
a e impo an o scien i ic esea ch and hold conside able po en ial o educe pe sis en knowledge gaps in
he pe ology (Schalk and Co e 2018; G undle 2020; Ma ins 2021; Teodo o e al. 2022). Ou s udy, in p o iding
new eco ds o O. ulgidus in he Ce ado and Goiás, no only con ibu es o a be e unde s anding o he
local auna bu also b oadens cu en knowledge o he species and sugges s ha i s dis ibu ion may be
conside ably b oade han p e iously ecognized. Ou indings o e aluable insigh s o he implemen a‑
ion o conse a ion measu es in his highly h ea ened and ecologically di e se egion.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We acknowledge DBO En i onmen al Enginee ing o hei assis ance wi h biological assessmen s and lo‑
gis ical suppo du ing he ieldwo k. We a e also g a e ul o Leona do Sil a de Paula, Dysianne Pimen el,
F ancielly Reis, Ma heus Fe ei a, Gilma Cunha, Bianca Tomielo and Layane Lopes o hei assis ance du ing
ieldwo k. The au ho s also hank he e iewe s and edi o s, who p o ided subs an ial assis ance wi h his
Table 1. Geo e e enced eco ds o Oxybelis ulgidus in Minaçu, Goiás. *Vouche specimen.
Reco ds Da e Geog aphic coo dina es Municipali y Type o en i onmen
101.VI.2021 13°29’55.78”S, 048°30’49.38”W Minaçu Ce ado sensu s ic o
2 21.IX.2021 13°29’44.21”S, 048°30’53.86”W Minaçu Galle y o es
319.X.2021 13°29’53.70”S, 048°31’12.97”W Minaçu Ce ado sensu s ic o
4* 19.V.2022 13°28’47.34”S, 048°30’38.96”W Minaçu Galle y o es
520.V.2022 13°28’32.64”S, 048°30’38.64”W Minaçu Galle y o es
620.V.2022 13°28’46.15”S, 048°30’37.34”W Minaçu Galle y o es
721.V.2022 13°28’40.24”S, 048°30’34.38”W Minaçu Galle y o es
Check Lis 21 (5) · h ps://doi.o g/10.15560/21.5.925
Sil a e al. · Fi s eco ds o Oxybelis ulgidus in Goiás 928
manusc ip .
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Con lic o in e es
The au ho s decla e no con lic ing in e es s.
E hical s a emen
No e hical s a emen is epo ed.
Funding
This s udy was no inancially suppo ed by ins i u ions.
Au ho con ibu ions
Concep ualiza ion: RRS, RMO, CBD‑C and SFA. Da a cu a ion: RRS and CSB. Visualiza ion: RRS and CSB. W i ‑
ing – e iew and edi ing: RRS, RMO, CBD‑C, SFA, NQC and CSB.
Au ho ORCID iDs
Régis Rod igues Sil a h ps://o cid.o g/0009‑0003‑5415‑7898
Renan Manoel de Oli ei a h ps://o cid.o g/0000‑0002‑5423‑9020
Samuel Fe ei a dos Anjos h ps://o cid.o g/0000‑0001‑8644‑9965
Na hane de Quei oz Cos a h ps://o cid.o g/0000‑0001‑8211‑9272
Cy o de Sousa Be nades h ps://o cid.o g/0000‑0002‑1256‑9099
C izan o B i o De‑Ca alho h ps://o cid.o g/0000‑0002‑6267‑6423
Da a a ailabili y
All da a ha suppo he indings o his s udy a e a ailable in he main ex . The occu ence da a epo ed in
his pape a e also deposi ed a GBIF, he Global Biodi e si y In o ma ion Facili y, and a e a ailable a h ps://
doi.o g/10.15468/k2 hhm.
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