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DOI10.47051/IJPD8457 Published May 5, 2021. Open access.

Gallery ❯

Green Whipsnake (Chironius exoletus)

Reptiles of Ecuador | Serpentes | Colubridae | Chironius | Chironius exoletus

English common names: Green Whipsnake, Linnaeus’ Sipo, Green Sipo, Green Keelback.

Spanish common name: Serpiente látigo verde, juetiadora, lora.

Recognition: ♂♂ 153.1 cmMaximum distance from the snout to the tip of the tail. Snout–vent length=97.3 cm. ♀♀ 154.5 cmMaximum distance from the snout to the tip of the tail. Snout–vent length=100 cm..¹ In its area of distribution, the Green Whipsnake (Chironius exoletus) can be differentiated from most other snakes by presenting a combination of 12 rows of dorsal scales at mid-body and a uniform bright green to olive dorsal coloration.^1,2 Juveniles of C. exoletus differ from those of C. flavopictus by having a yellowish cream coloration on the lower flanks, instead of bright orange or yellow. The highland species C. monticola also has a bright green dorsum but it has contrasting black stripes on the tail.¹ In the Amazon basin, C. exoletus is often confused with C. multiventris, but this other snake is darker, has more ventral scales (161–196 versus 123–162),¹ and a proportionally longer tail.³ Due to its coloration, the Green Whipsnake can also be confused with snakes of the genera Erythrolamprus, Dendrophidion, Drymoluber, and Leptophis, from which C. exoletus differs by having a lower number of dorsal scales rows.^4,5

Figure 1: Individuals of Chironius exoletus from Maycu Reserve, Zamora Chinchipe province (), and Mindo, Pichincha province (), Ecuador. ad=adult, j=juvenile.

Natural history: FrequentRecorded weekly in densities below five individuals per locality.. Chironius exoletus is a diurnal, semi-arboreal snake most active during sunny weather. The species inhabits evergreen lowland and foothill forests as well as pastures with scattered trees, crops, and houses⁶ adjacent to these forests.⁵ In Brazil, the species also occurs in flooded plains and dry forest.^7,8 At night, individuals sleep coiled on branches of bushes and trees 0.3–8 m above the ground, usually along bodies of water or at the edge of open areas such as roads and pastures.^1,3,5 On sunny days, Green Whipsnakes forage actively on the ground or on low vegetation.¹ Their diet is composed primarily of frogs (including Boana appendiculata,⁹ B. calcarata,¹⁰ B. lanciformis,¹ B. punctata,¹ Dendropsophus bifurcus,¹ D. marmoratus,¹ Osteocephalus taurinus,¹¹ Phyllomedusa tomopterna,¹² Scinax garbei,¹ S. ruber,¹ Smilisca phaeota,¹³ Lithobates palmipes)¹ but also includes salamanders (Bolitoglossa altamazonica),¹ tadpoles,⁸ lizards (such as Hemidactylus mabouia, Thecadactylus rapicauda, and anoles),¹² and birds.¹ In Brazil, a specimen was seen feeding on a toxic frog of the genus Trachycephalus.¹⁴ There are records of snakes (Clelia equatoriana) preying upon individuals of C. exoletus.⁵ The main defense mechanism of Green Whipsnakes is to flee quickly, although they can also inflate the neck and open the mouth aggressively to appear bigger and intimidating; if this does not work, they can also strike.^1,5 However, this snake has no venom glands and is harmless to humans.⁵ Courtship and mating in C. exoletus consists of tactile alignment, meddling, and copulation that can last 27 minutes.¹⁵ Females lay clutches of 4–12 eggs.²

Conservation: Least Concern Believed to be safe from extinction given current circumstances..^16–18 Chironius exoletus is included in this category because the species is widely distributed, occurs in over a hundred protected areas, and persists in human-modified habitats.^16,19 Although there is no current information on the population trend of C. exoletus, the decline in the number of anuran prey due to pollution and emerging diseases could have a negative localized impact on the species.²⁰ Minor, but ongoing threats to C. exoletus include mortality from vehicular traffic and illegal trafficking.

Distribution: Chironius exoletus is widely distributed throughout the lowlands and adjacent mountain foothills of Central America and South America, from western Costa Rica to northeastern Argentina. The species has an estimated total range size of 2,983,076 km² that encompasses eastern Mesoamerica, the Chocó rainforest, Magdalena valley, the entire Amazon basin, the Cerrado, and the Atlantic Forest. In Ecuador, this species occurs at elevations between 29 and 1732 m (Fig. 2).

Figure 2: Distribution of Chironius exoletus in Ecuador. See Appendix 1 for a complete list of the presence localities included in the map.

Etymology: The generic name Chironius was coined by Leopold Fitzinger in 1826, but likely originated in 1790 with Blasius Merrem, who used the common name “Chiron’s Natter” for Linnaeus’ Coluber carinatus.²¹ In Greek mythology, Chiron was a centaur reputed for his healing abilities. Likewise, in ancient Greek civilization, sick people hoping for a cure flocked to temples where sacred snakes were carefully tended and presented to the sufferers. Therefore, the word Chironius was likely used as a reference to the healing power of snakes, a belief that lies at the foundation of medicine and crosses many cultures worldwide. The specific epithet exoletus is a Latin word meaning “fully grown” or “mature.”²² It probably refers to the holotype, a large adult specimen.¹

See it in the wild: Green Whipsnakes can be seen with ~5–10% certainty in forested areas throughout their area of distribution in Ecuador. The area having the greatest number of observations is Mindo, a valley and town in Pichincha province. The snakes can be spotted sleeping on vegetation along rivers at night, or moving on pastures during sunny days.

Acknowledgments: Special thanks to Eric Osterman for finding two of the specimens of Chironius exoletus pictured in this account.

Authors: Jose Vieira^aAffiliation: Tropical Herping (TH), Quito, Ecuador.^,bAffiliation: ExSitu, Quito, Ecuador. and Alejandro Arteaga^aAffiliation: Khamai Foundation, Quito, Ecuador.

Photographers: Jose Vieira^aAffiliation: Tropical Herping (TH), Quito, Ecuador.^,bAffiliation: ExSitu, Quito, Ecuador. and Frank Pichardo^aAffiliation: Tropical Herping (TH), Quito, Ecuador.

How to cite? Vieira J, Quezada A, Arteaga A (2021) Green Whipsnake (Chironius exoletus). In: Arteaga A, Bustamante L, Vieira J, Guayasamin JM (Eds) Reptiles of Ecuador: Life in the middle of the world. Available from: www.reptilesofecuador.com. DOI: 10.47051/IJPD8457

Literature cited:

1. Dixon JR, Wiest Jr JA, Cei JM (1993) Revision of the Neotropical snake genus Chironius Fitzinger (Serpentes, Colubridae). Museo Regionale di Scienze Naturali di Torino, Torino, 280 pp.
2. Savage JM (2002) The amphibians and reptiles of Costa Rica, a herpetofauna between two continents, between two seas. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 934 pp.
3. Duellman WE (1978) The biology of an equatorial herpetofauna in Amazonian Ecuador. Publications of the Museum of Natural History, University of Kansas 65: 1–352.
4. Peters JA, Donoso-Barros B (1970) Catalogue of Neotropical Squamata: part I, snakes. Bulletin of the United States National Museum, Washington, D.C., 347 pp.
5. Arteaga A, Bustamante L, Guayasamin JM (2013) The amphibians and reptiles of Mindo. Universidad Tecnológica Indoamérica, Quito, 257 pp.
6. Photo by Nereida Guerra.
7. Marques R, Tinôco MS, Couto-Ferreira D, Fazolato CP, Browne-Ribeiro HC, Travassos MLO, Dias MA, Mota JVL (2011) Reserva Imbassaí Restinga: inventory of snakes on the Northern coast of Bahia, Brazil. Journal of Threatened Taxa 3: 2184–2191. DOI: 10.11609/JoTT.o2812.2184-91
8. Marques R, Mebert K, Fonseca E, Rodder D, Sole M, Tinoco MS (2016) Composition and natural history notes of the coastal snake assemblage from Northern Bahia, Brazil. Zookeys: 93–142. DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.611.9529
9. Photo by Luciano Amaral Breves.
10. Photo by Jesus Ramos.
11. Photo by Phan Lặng Yên.
12. Roberto IJ, Ramos Souza A (2020) Review of prey items recorded for snakes of the genus Chironius (Squamata, Colubridae), including the first record of Osteocephalus as prey. Herpetology Notes 13: 1–5.
13. Photo by Juan Carlos Narváez.
14. Guimaraes M (2008) Chironius exoletus (Common Whipsnake). Prey and possible diet convergence. Herpetological Bulletin 105: 41–42.
15. Gusmão AC, Casagrande LP, Silva AM, Crispin MA, Fereira-García JR, Souza MR, Suzeck E, Bernarde PS (2011) Chironius exoletus (Vine Snake). Reproductive behavior. Herpetological Review 42: 248.
16. Acosta Chaves V, Arzamendia V, Ballesteros E, Batista A, Bolívar W, Fitzgerald L, García Rodríguez A, Giraudo A, Gutiérrez-Cárdenas P, Kacoliris F, Montero R, Pelegrin N, Saborío G, Scrocchi G, Vargas Álvarez J, Velasco J, Williams J, Nogueira CdC, Cisneros-Heredia DF, Hoogmoed MS, Schargel W, Rivas G (2019) Chironius exoletus. The IUCN red list of threatened species. Available from: www.iucnredlist.org. DOI: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T203279A2762756.en
17. Carrillo E, Aldás A, Altamirano M, Ayala F, Cisneros-Heredia DF, Endara A, Márquez C, Morales M, Nogales F, Salvador P, Torres ML, Valencia J, Villamarín F, Yánez-Muñoz M, Zárate P (2005) Lista roja de los reptiles del Ecuador. Fundación Novum Millenium, Quito, 46 pp.
18. Reyes-Puig C (2015) Un método integrativo para evaluar el estado de conservación de las especies y su aplicación a los reptiles del Ecuador. MSc thesis, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, 73 pp.
19. Avila-Pires TCS, Alves-Silva KR, Barbosa L, Correa FS, Cosenza JFA, Costa-Rodrigues APV, Cronemberger AA, Hoogmoed MS, Lima-Filho GR, Maciel AO, Missassi AFR, Nascimento LRS, Nunes ALS, Oliveira LS, Palheta GS, Pereira Jr AJS, Pinheiro L, Santos-Costa MC, Pinho SRC, Silva FM, Silva MB, Sturaro MJ (2018) Changes in amphibian and reptile diversity over time in Parque Estadual do Utinga, Pará State, Brazil, a protected area surrounded by urbanization. Herpetology Notes 11: 499–512.
20. Zipkin EF, DiRenzo GD, Ray JM, Rossman S, Lips KR (2020) Tropical snake diversity collapses after widespread amphibian loss. Science 367: 814–816.
21. Merrem B (1790) Beitrage zur Naturgeschichte. Duisburg um Lemgo, Berlin, 141 pp.
22. Brown RW (1956) Composition of scientific words. Smithsonian Books, Washington D.C., 882 pp.

Appendix 1: Locality data used to create the distribution map of Chironius exoletus in Ecuador (Fig. 2). Go to the section on symbols and abbreviations for a list of acronyms used.

Country	Province	Locality	Source
Colombia	Caquetá	Caserío Los Ángeles	SINCHI 936
Colombia	Caquetá	Florencia	Dixon et al. 1993
Colombia	Nariño	La Guayacana	Dixon et al. 1993
Colombia	Nariño	Llorente	Dixon et al. 1993
Colombia	Nariño	Ricaurte	Dixon et al. 1993
Ecuador	Azuay	Azuay–El Oro limit	Juan Carlos Sánchez, pers. comm.
Ecuador	Azuay	Chilcaplaya	MZUA.RE.0060
Ecuador	Cañar	Hidroeléctrica Ocaña	Juan Carlos Sanchez
Ecuador	Carchi	Chical–Imbabura	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Carchi	Chinambí	Photo by Andreas Kay
Ecuador	Carchi	Tobar Donoso	Samec & Samec 1988
Ecuador	Chimborazo	Bucay	Dixon et al. 1993
Ecuador	Chimborazo	Pallatanga	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Chimborazo	Valle del Chanchán	Dixon et al. 1993
Ecuador	Cotopaxi	El Jardín de los Sueños	Photo by Christophe Pellet
Ecuador	Cotopaxi	La Unión del Toachi, 7 km S of	iNaturalist
Ecuador	Cotopaxi	Macuchi	iNaturalist
Ecuador	Cotopaxi	Reserva Yakusinchi	Photo by Jane Sloan
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Bilsa Biological Reserve	Ortega-Andrade et al. 2010
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Centro de Fauna Silvestre James Brown	Photo by Salvador Palacios
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Cerro Ceibo	Photo by Paul Hamilton
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Hacienda Equinox	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	La Mayronga	Torres-Carvajal et al. 2019
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Santo Domingo, 30 km NNW of	Dixon et al. 1993
Ecuador	Imbabura	Café Finca Las Cascadas	iNaturalist
Ecuador	Imbabura	Lita	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Imbabura	Paramba	Dixon et al. 1993
Ecuador	Imbabura	Reserva Los Cedros	Photo by Eduardo Obando
Ecuador	Los Ríos	Centro Científico Río Palenque	USNM 285476
Ecuador	Manabí	Jama Coaque Reserve	iNaturalist
Ecuador	Manabí	Maicito	Dixon et al. 1993
Ecuador	Manabí	Trinidad	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Morona Santiago	Cusuime	Dixon et al. 1993
Ecuador	Morona Santiago	Gualaquiza	Dixon et al. 1993
Ecuador	Morona Santiago	Macas	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Morona Santiago	Macuma	Nogueira et al. 2019
Ecuador	Morona Santiago	Méndez	Dixon et al. 1993
Ecuador	Morona Santiago	Quebrada Río Napinaza	Torres-Carvajal et al. 2019
Ecuador	Morona Santiago	Road Shaime–Puerto Morona	Torres-Carvajal et al. 2019
Ecuador	Napo	Chontapunta	iNaturalist
Ecuador	Napo	Finca Fischer	TCWC 65514
Ecuador	Napo	Guagua Sumaco, 10 km west of	Torres-Carvajal et al. 2019
Ecuador	Napo	Río Cotopino	Dixon et al. 1993
Ecuador	Napo	Río Suno	USNM 287926
Ecuador	Napo	Tena	iNaturalist
Ecuador	Napo	Wild Sumaco Lodge	Torres-Carvajal et al. 2019
Ecuador	Napo	Yachana Reserve	Photo by Scott Waters
Ecuador	Orellana	Ávila Viejo	Nogueira et al. 2019
Ecuador	Orellana	Coca	iNaturalist
Ecuador	Orellana	Coca, 9 km south of	Torres-Carvajal et al. 2019
Ecuador	Orellana	Loreto	Dixon et al. 1993
Ecuador	Orellana	Road AMO 1–Río Yasuní	Torres-Carvajal et al. 2019
Ecuador	Orellana	Shiripuno Lodge	Photo by Rudy Gelis
Ecuador	Orellana	Yasuní Scientific Station	Torres-Carvajal et al. 2019
Ecuador	Pastaza	Arajuno	Dixon et al. 1993
Ecuador	Pastaza	Balsaura	Ortega-Andrade 2010
Ecuador	Pastaza	Bloque 10-Agip Oil	Torres-Carvajal et al. 2019
Ecuador	Pastaza	Bobonaza	Dixon et al. 1993
Ecuador	Pastaza	Canelos	Dixon et al. 1993
Ecuador	Pastaza	Conambo	Ortega-Andrade 2010
Ecuador	Pastaza	Curaray Medio	Dixon et al. 1993
Ecuador	Pastaza	Montalvo	Ortega-Andrade 2010
Ecuador	Pastaza	Palta	Torres-Carvajal et al. 2019
Ecuador	Pastaza	Puyo	Dixon et al. 1993
Ecuador	Pastaza	Río Arajuno, headwaters of	Dixon et al. 1993
Ecuador	Pastaza	Río Capahuari	Dixon et al. 1993
Ecuador	Pastaza	Río Chambira	Dixon et al. 1993
Ecuador	Pastaza	Río Huiyoyacu	Dixon et al. 1993
Ecuador	Pastaza	Río Pindo	Dixon et al. 1993
Ecuador	Pastaza	Río Villano	Dixon et al. 1993
Ecuador	Pastaza	Sarayacu	Dixon et al. 1993
Ecuador	Pastaza	Sumak Kawsay In Situ	Photo by Danilo Medina
Ecuador	Pastaza	Tambo Unión	Dixon et al. 1993
Ecuador	Pichincha	Hostería Selva Virgen	This work
Ecuador	Pichincha	La Hesperia	Brouwer 2018
Ecuador	Pichincha	La Unión del Toachi, 14 km SE of	iNaturalist
Ecuador	Pichincha	Maquipucuna Reserve	iNaturalist
Ecuador	Pichincha	Mashpi Lodge	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Pichincha	Mashpi Shungo	This work
Ecuador	Pichincha	Milpe Bird Sanctuary	This work
Ecuador	Pichincha	Mindo Garden Lodge	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Pichincha	Mindo–Cunuco road	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Pichincha	Mindo–Los Bancos	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Pichincha	Nanegalito, 1 km NW of	This work
Ecuador	Pichincha	Otongachi Reserve	Dixon et al. 1993
Ecuador	Pichincha	Río Alambi	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Pichincha	Río Cinto	Photo by Lisa Brunetti
Ecuador	Pichincha	Río Silanche	Dixon et al. 1993
Ecuador	Pichincha	Santa Lucía Cloud Forest Reserve	This work
Ecuador	Pichincha	Séptimo Paraíso Lodge	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Pichincha	Tandapi	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Pichincha	Tandayapa	iNaturalist
Ecuador	Pichincha	Vía a Cascada de Mindo	This work
Ecuador	Pichincha	Yellow House Lodge	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas	Finca la Esperanza	Dixon et al. 1993
Ecuador	Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas	La Florida	MHNG 2309.071
Ecuador	Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas	Puerto Limón	Torres-Carvajal et al. 2019
Ecuador	Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas	Reserva Forestal La Perla	Photo by Plácido Palacios
Ecuador	Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas	Río Baba	Torres-Carvajal et al. 2019
Ecuador	Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas	Santo Domingo, 23 km W of	Dixon et al. 1993
Ecuador	Sucumbíos	Comunidad Singue	Torres-Carvajal et al. 2019
Ecuador	Sucumbíos	Dureno	Dixon et al. 1993
Ecuador	Sucumbíos	El Porvenir	Nogueira et al. 2019
Ecuador	Sucumbíos	El Reventador	MHNG 2248.035
Ecuador	Sucumbíos	Limoncocha	Dixon et al. 1993
Ecuador	Sucumbíos	Nicky Amazon Lodge	iNaturalist
Ecuador	Sucumbíos	Road El Reventador–Lumbaqui	Torres-Carvajal et al. 2019
Ecuador	Sucumbíos	San Pablo de Kantesiya	MHNG 2309.072
Ecuador	Sucumbíos	Santa Cecilia	Dixon et al. 1993
Ecuador	Zamora Chinchipe	Copalinga	Reeves et al. (unpublished)
Ecuador	Zamora Chinchipe	Cumbaratza, 2 km N of	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Zamora Chinchipe	Las Orquídeas, 7 km N of	iNaturalist
Ecuador	Zamora Chinchipe	Maycu Reserve	This work
Ecuador	Zamora Chinchipe	Valladolid	MHNG 2248.034
Ecuador	Zamora Chinchipe	Valle del Quimi	Betancourt et al. 2018
Ecuador	Zamora Chinchipe	Zamora	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Zamora Chinchipe	Zamora, 10 km north of	Torres-Carvajal et al. 2019
Ecuador	Zamora Chinchipe	Zumba–Pucubamba road	This work
Peru	Amazonas	Aguaruna Village	MVZ 175311
Peru	Amazonas	Chiriaco, 31 km SW of	Dixon et al. 1993
Peru	Amazonas	Huambisa Village	MVZ 175307
Peru	Amazonas	Huampami	USNM 316580
Peru	Amazonas	Imasa	MVZ 163248
Peru	Amazonas	Kagka	USNM 316582
Peru	Amazonas	Kayamas	USNM 316581
Peru	Amazonas	La Poza	USNM 566553
Peru	Amazonas	Puerto Galilea	USNM 566552
Peru	Amazonas	Río Caterpiza	USNM 566711
Peru	Amazonas	Tujushik Entse	USNM 316579

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