Equatorial Mussurana (Clelia equatoriana)

Reptiles of Ecuador | Serpentes | Colubridae | Clelia clelia

English common name: Equatorial Mussurana.

Spanish common name: Ratonera ecuatoriana.

Recognition: ♂♂ 142.2 cmMaximum distance from the snout to the tip of the tail. ♀♀ 157.5 cmMaximum distance from the snout to the tip of the tail. Snout–vent length=140 cm..^1,2 Clelia equatoriana is a large, robust snake that experiences a change in coloration throughout its lifespan. The adults have a uniform glossy black or gray dorsum whereas juveniles have a bright red dorsum with black scale tips, black head, and a cream or yellow nuchal collar followed by a black band (Fig. 1).^1–3 The belly is always white but the dorsal coloration impinges the margins of the ventral scales.^2,3 This is the only snake in western Ecuador having this coloration in combination with 17 rows of smooth scales at mid-body. The lower number of dorsals can be used to separate this species from C. clelia and Oxyrhopus petolarius.^1–3

Figure showing variation among individuals of Clelia equatoriana

Figure 1: Individuals of Clelia equatoriana from Ecuador: Itapoa Reserve, Esmeraldas province (); Reserva Río Manduriacu, Imbabura province (); Séptimo Paraíso Lodge, Pichincha province (). j=juvenile.

Natural history: Clelia equatoriana is a terrestrial snake that inhabits old growth rainforests and cloud forests.¹ The species also occurs in cultivated areas, pastures, and rural gardens.⁴ At night or at dusk after a warm day, Equatorial Mussuranas may be seen foraging on the forest floor or along rocky river shores.^1,5 During cold nights, they use roads for thermoregulation.⁵ By daytime, some individuals remain hidden in leaf-litter, under logs,⁶ or beneath debris,⁴ but others are seen crawling at ground level.⁴ Clelia equatoriana is an ophiophagous species; that is, it feeds on other snakes, including Chironius exoletus,¹ Bothrocophias campbelli,¹ and Bothrops asper.⁷ Rodents are also consumed.^8,9 Mussuranas active foragers, tracking prey by quickly flicking their tongues to detect their scent trail. Although it has grooved rear fangs and venom glands, the Equatorial Mussurana is very docile and rarely bites in defense.^1,4

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Conservation: Least Concern Believed to be safe from extinction given current circumstances..¹⁰ Clelia equatoriana is listed in this category primarily because the species is widely distributed, occurs in protected areas, and is able to tolerate some degree of habitat disturbance.^5,10 However, this species can be particularly affected by traffic, being frequently found dead-on-road in Ecuador⁴ and Colombia.⁵

Distribution: Clelia equatoriana is widespread throughout the slopes and foothills of the Andes, being found in Colombia, Ecuador (Fig. 2), and Peru.

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

Etymology: The word clelia is derived from the Latin Cloelia, a girl’s name meaning “illustrious” or “famous.” According to Roman legend, Cloelia was a heroine who was held hostage by an Etruscan invader. However, she managed to escape by swimming across the river Tiber.¹¹ The specific epithet refers to the terra-tipica: Ecuador.

See it in the wild: Despite being large and conspicuous, the Equatorial Mussurana is only seldom seen in Ecuador. Nevertheless, the species appears more common in the general area of Mindo, where individuals are spotted crossing roads at dusk at a rate of about once every two weeks.

Autor: Alejandro Arteaga^aAffiliation: Khamai Foundation, Quito, Ecuador.

Photographer: Jose Vieira^bAffiliation: Tropical Herping (TH), Quito, Ecuador.^,^cAffiliation: ExSitu, Quito, Ecuador.

How to cite? Arteaga A (2024) Equatorial Mussurana (Clelia equatoriana). In: Arteaga A, Bustamante L, Vieira J (Eds) Reptiles of Ecuador: Life in the middle of the world. Available from: www.reptilesofecuador.com. DOI: 10.47051/XIOD4373

Literature cited:

Arteaga A, Bustamante L, Guayasamin JM (2013) The amphibians and reptiles of Mindo. Universidad Tecnológica Indoamérica, Quito, 257 pp.
Zaher H (1996) A new genus and species of pseudoboine snake, with a revision of the genus Clelia (Serpentes, Xenodontinae). Bolletino dei Musei di Zoologia ed Anatomia Comparata della Università di Torino 14: 289–337.
Pérez-Santos C, Moreno AG (1988) Ofidios de Colombia. Museo Regionale di Scienze Naturali, Torino, 517 pp.
Field notes, Reptiles of Ecuador book project.
Rojas-Morales JA (2012) Snakes of an urban-rural landscape in the central Andes of Colombia: species composition, distribution, and natural history. Phyllomedusa 11: 135–154.
Chávez-Arribasplata JC, Vásquez D, Torres C, Echevarría LY, Venegas PJ (2016) Confirming the presence of Clelia equatoriana Amaral, 1924 (Squamata: Dipsadidae) in Peru. Amphibian & Reptile Conservation 10: 1–4.
Photo by Juan José Arévalo.
Photo by ONG Juglans.
Photo by Jehave on iNaturalist.
Acosta Chaves V, Ballesteros E, Batista A, García Rodríguez A, Ines Hladki A, Ramírez Pinilla M, Renjifo J, Saborío G, Urbina N, Vargas Álvarez J, Caicedo J (2016) Clelia equatoriana. The IUCN Red List of threatened species. Available from: www.iucnredlist.org. DOI: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T203440A2765472.en
Beolens B, Watkins M, Grayson M (2011) The eponym dictionary of reptiles. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 296 pp.

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

Country	Province	Locality	Source
Colombia	Cauca	Parque Nacional Munchique	Vera-Pérez et al. 2018
Colombia	Nariño	Reserva La Planada	Photo by Fernando Santander
Colombia	Nariño	Reserva Natural El Pangán	Online multimedia
Ecuador	Bolívar	Balzapamba	KU 132502; VertNet
Ecuador	Carchi	Peñas Blancas	Reptiles of Ecuador book database
Ecuador	Chimborazo	Salsipuedes	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Cotopaxi	Las Pampas	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Cotopaxi	Otonga Biological Station	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	El Oro	Casa de investigadores	Reptiles of Ecuador book database
Ecuador	El Oro	Reserva Biológica Buenaventura	Garzón-Santomaro et al. 2019
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Alto Tambo	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Itapoa Reserve	This work; Fig. 1
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Reserva Tesoro Escondido	Pazmiño-Otamendi 2020
Ecuador	Guayas	Bucay	Zaher 1996
Ecuador	Guayas	Guayaquil*	Amaral 1924
Ecuador	Imbabura	Los Yumbos, 2 km W of	iNaturalist; photo examined
Ecuador	Imbabura	Reserva Manduriacu	Reptiles of Ecuador book database
Ecuador	Imbabura	Selva Alegre	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Pichincha	Bellavista Lodge	iNaturalist; photo examined
Ecuador	Pichincha	Estación Puerto Quito OCP	Valencia & Garzón 2013
Ecuador	Pichincha	Hacienda La Hesperia	Brouwer 2018
Ecuador	Pichincha	Maquipucuna Reserve	iNaturalist; photo examined
Ecuador	Pichincha	Mashpi Lodge	Reptiles of Ecuador book database
Ecuador	Pichincha	Mindo	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Pichincha	Monterreal Rainforest Ecolodge	Photo by Jorge Ambuludi
Ecuador	Pichincha	Nanegal	Boulenger 1883
Ecuador	Pichincha	Nanegalito	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Pichincha	Puma Sacha	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Pichincha	Road to Mindo	Reptiles of Ecuador book database
Ecuador	Pichincha	Sachatamia Lodge	Reptiles of Ecuador book database
Ecuador	Pichincha	Septimo Paraíso Lodge	This work; Fig. 1
Ecuador	Pichincha	Tandapi	Zaher 1996
Ecuador	Pichincha	Tandayapa	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Pichincha	Vía los Laureles	iNaturalist; photo examined
Ecuador	Pichincha	Yaku Quinde	iNaturalist; photo examined
Ecuador	Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas	Bosque Protector Río Guajalito	Reyes 2008
Ecuador	Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas	Santo Domingo de los Colorados	Zaher 1996
Peru	Cajamarca	El Sauce Forest	Chávez-Arribasplata et al. 2016
Peru	Piura	Quebrada Molletón	Chávez-Arribasplata et al. 2016