Published May 12, 2018. Updated April 6, 2024. Open access. | Purchase book ❯ |
Neotropical Snail-eating Snake (Dipsas indica)
Reptiles of Ecuador | Serpentes | Colubridae | Dipsas indica
English common names: Neotropical Snail-eating Snake.
Spanish common name: Caracolera neotropical.
Recognition: ♂♂ 106.7 cmMaximum distance from the snout to the tip of the tail. Snout–vent length=79.6 cm. ♀♀ 115.3 cmMaximum distance from the snout to the tip of the tail. Snout–vent length=86.0 cm..1,2 Dipsas indica can be identified by having a grayish dorsum with 25–47 yellow-bordered blackish blotches, distinctly wider at the lower flanks than at the vertebral level, separated from each other by white or yellow spots (Fig. 1).3–6 This species differs from D. variegata by having yellow-bordered black reticulations on the dorsal surface of the head.3–6 From D. vermiculata and D. welborni, it differs by lacking a loreal scale.1,6
Figure 1: Individuals of Dipsas indica from Ecuador: Jatun Sacha Biological Reserve, Napo province (); Huella Verde Lodge, Pastaza province (). j=juvenile.
Natural history: Dipsas indica is a nocturnal snake that inhabits old-growth to moderately disturbed rainforests, occurring also but in lower densities in forest edges, plantations, and banana groves.3–7 Neotropical Snail-Eaters are active at night, especially if it is raining or drizzling.2 Their movements through the foliage are slow, graceful, and generally occur during the first hours of the night on vegetation 0.8–12 m above the ground.2–4,8,9 However, they may also be seen crawling on leaf-litter or crossing trails at ground level.2 The diet in this species consists of slugs and snails,3,9–11 which are extracted from their shells by means of alternating contractions of the specialized adductor muscles.11 Individuals of D. indica have glands in the lower jaw which produce a mucous secretion that presumably causes paralysis and death of the mollusks as well as facilitates prey lubrication during ingestion.12 During the day, snakes of this species rest coiled inside the leaf-litter, under surface objects,2 or even inside the nests of passerine birds.13 The usual defense mechanism of the Neotropical Snail-Eater consists of musking and flattening the body while expanding the head to simulate a triangular shape.2,8,14 Clutches of 5 eggs have been recorded.15 These may take about 107 days to hatch.15
Conservation: Least Concern Believed to be safe from extinction given current circumstances..16 Dipsas indica is listed in this category because the species is widely distributed, occurs in several protected areas (at least 20 in Ecuador), and is considered to be facing no major immediate threats of extinction.16
Distribution: Dipsas indica occurs throughout the Amazonian lowlands and adjacent slopes of the Andes in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador (Fig. 2), French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela. It also occurs in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil.
Figure 2: Distribution of Dipsas indica in Ecuador. See Appendix 1 for a complete list of the presence localities included in the map.
Etymology: The name Dipsas comes from the Greek dipsa (=thirst)17 and probably refers to the fact that the bite of these snakes was believed to cause intense thirst. The specific epithet indica refers to the Indian Ocean. The holotype was mistakenly believed to have originated from Ceylon, now Sri Lanka.
See it in the wild: Neotropical Snail-eating Snakes can be seen at a rate of about once every few nights, especially after a rainy day in forested areas throughout their area of distribution in Ecuador. Prime localities for this species in Ecuador include Yasuní Scientific Station, Jatun Sacha Biological Reserve, Narupa Reserve, and Sani Lodge.
Special thanks to Samantha Schenker for symbolically adopting the Neotropical Snail-eating Snake and helping bring the Reptiles of Ecuador book project to life.
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Author: Alejandro ArteagaaAffiliation: Khamai Foundation, Quito, Ecuador.
Photographer: Jose VieirabAffiliation: Tropical Herping (TH), Quito, Ecuador.,cAffiliation: ExSitu, Quito, Ecuador.
How to cite? Arteaga A (2024) Neotropical Snail-eating Snake (Dipsas indica). 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/PAPY4074
Literature cited:
- Arteaga A, Salazar-Valenzuela D, Mebert K, Peñafiel N, Aguiar G, Sánchez-Nivicela JC, Pyron RA, Colston TJ, Cisneros-Heredia DF, Yánez-Muñoz MH, Venegas PJ, Guayasamin JM, Torres-Carvajal O (2018) Systematics of South American snail-eating snakes (Serpentes, Dipsadini), with the description of five new species from Ecuador and Peru. ZooKeys 766: 79–147. DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.766.24523
- Field notes, Reptiles of Ecuador book project.
- 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.
- Duellman WE (2005) Cusco amazónico: the lives of amphibians and reptiles in an Amazonian rainforest. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, 433 pp.
- Dixon JR, Soini P (1986) The reptiles of the upper Amazon Basin, Iquitos region, Peru. Milwaukee Public Museum, Milwaukee, 154 pp.
- Peters JA (1960) The snakes of the subfamily Dipsadinae. Miscellaneous Publications, Museum of Zoology, Univesity of Michigan 114: 1–224.
- Maynard RJ, Aall NC, Saenz D, Hamilton PS, Kwiatkowski MA (2016) Road-edge effects on herpetofauna in a lowland Amazonian rainforest. Tropical Conservation Science 9: 264–290. DOI: 10.1177/194008291600900114
- Martins RA, Scheeffer I, Batista Turci LC, Machado RA, Bernarde PS (2019) Cases of melanism in Dipsas indica indica Laurenti, 1768 (Serpentes: Dipsadidae: Dipsadini) in northern and northeastern Brazil. Herpetology Notes 12: 1197–1200.
- Martins M, Oliveira ME (1998) Natural history of snakes in forests of the Manaus region, Central Amazonia, Brazil. Herpetological Natural History 6: 78–150.
- Beebe W (1946) Field notes on the snakes of Kartabo, British Guiana, and Caripito, Venezuela. Zoologica 31: 11–52.
- Sazima I (1989) Feeding behaivor of the snail-eating snake, Dipsas indica. Journal of Herpetology 23: 464–468.
- De Oliveira L, Jared C, da Costa Prudente AL, Zaher H, Antoniazzi MM (2008) Oral glands in dipsadine “goo-eater” snakes: morphology and histochemistry of the infralabial glands in Atractus reticulatus, Dipsas indica, and Sibynomorphus mikanii. Toxicon 51: 898–913. DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2007.12.021
- Photo by Ben Phalan.
- Cadle JE, Myers CW (2003) Systematics of snakes referred to Dipsas variegata in Panama and Western South America, with revalidation of two species and notes on defensive behaviors in the Dipsadini (Colubridae). American Museum Novitates 3409: 1–47.
- Braz HBP, Almeida-Santos SM (2008) Dipsas indica (Snail-eating snake): reproduction. Herpetological Bulletin 106: 33–35.
- Arredondo JC, Castañeda MR, Cisneros-Heredia DF, Velasco J, Gagliardi G, Nogueira C, Schargel W, Rivas G (2019) Dipsas indica. The IUCN Red List of threatened species. Available from: www.iucnredlist.org. DOI: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T15177300A15177305.en
- 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 Dipsas indica in Ecuador (Fig. 2). Go to the section on symbols and abbreviations for a list of acronyms used.
| Country | Province | Locality | Source |
| Colombia | Caquetá | Alto Bonito | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Colombia | Caquetá | Belén de Andaquíes | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Colombia | Caquetá | La Mina | Gutiérrez-Lamus et al. 2020 |
| Colombia | Putumayo | Finca Villa Irene | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Colombia | Putumayo | Río Putumayo | FMNH 165847; VertNet |
| Colombia | Putumayo | Vereda Islas de Cartagena | Borja-Acosta & Galeano 2024 |
| Ecuador | Morona Santiago | 9 de Octubre | Tipantiza-Tuguminago et al. 2021 |
| Ecuador | Morona Santiago | Comunidad Shuar Kukunk | Pazmiño-Otamendi 2020 |
| Ecuador | Morona Santiago | Limón, 6.6 km N of | Nogueira et al. 2019 |
| Ecuador | Morona Santiago | Macas | Peters 1960 |
| Ecuador | Morona Santiago | Macuma | Nogueira et al. 2019 |
| Ecuador | Morona Santiago | Puchimi | Torres-Carvajal et al. 2019 |
| Ecuador | Morona Santiago | Río Llushin | USNM 210956; VertNet |
| Ecuador | Morona Santiago | Rosa de Oro | Arteaga et al. 2018 |
| Ecuador | Morona Santiago | Sardinayacu | Arteaga & Batista 2023 |
| Ecuador | Morona Santiago | Turula | Peters 1960 |
| Ecuador | Morona Santiago | Valle del Río Quimi | Betancourt et al. 2018 |
| Ecuador | Morona Santiago | Vía Macas–Riobamba | Peters 1960 |
| Ecuador | Morona Santiago | Vicinity of Macas | Peters 1960 |
| Ecuador | Napo | Chocolate Lodge | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Napo | Gareno | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Napo | Gareno Lodge | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Napo | Hidroeléctrica Coca Codo Sinclair | COCASINCLAIR 2013 |
| Ecuador | Napo | Huella Verde Lodge | This work; Fig. 1 |
| Ecuador | Napo | Jatun Sacha Biological Reserve | Harvey 2008 |
| Ecuador | Napo | Lumbaqui, 15 KM ENE of | KU 121871; VertNet |
| Ecuador | Napo | Misahuallí | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Napo | Puerto Napo | Nogueira et al. 2019 |
| Ecuador | Napo | Reserva Narupa | Morales-Mite et al. 2013 |
| Ecuador | Napo | Reserva Privada Ankaku | Nogueira et al. 2019 |
| Ecuador | Napo | Runa Huasi | Nogueira et al. 2019 |
| Ecuador | Napo | Sacha Lodge | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Napo | Tena | Photo by Diego Piñán |
| Ecuador | Napo | Universidad Ikiam | Reptiles of Ecuador book database |
| Ecuador | Napo | Yachana Reserve | Whitworth & Beirne 2011 |
| Ecuador | Orellana | Coca | Arteaga et al. 2018 |
| Ecuador | Orellana | Hacienda Primavera | Arteaga et al. 2018 |
| Ecuador | Orellana | La Joya de los Sachas | Nogueira et al. 2019 |
| Ecuador | Orellana | Loreto | USNM 200011; VertNet |
| Ecuador | Orellana | NPF | Photo by Paulina Romero |
| Ecuador | Orellana | Plataforma Petrolera Apaika | Nogueira et al. 2019 |
| Ecuador | Orellana | Pozo Nashiño | AMNH 57338; VertNet |
| Ecuador | Orellana | Reserva Río Bigal | García et al. 2021 |
| Ecuador | Orellana | Río Cotapino | Peters 1960 |
| Ecuador | Orellana | San José de Payamino | Maynard et al. 2017 |
| Ecuador | Orellana | Shiripuno Lodge | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Orellana | Tambococha | Nogueira et al. 2019 |
| Ecuador | Orellana | Tiputini Biodiversity Station | Reptiles of Ecuador book database |
| Ecuador | Orellana | Vía Pompeya–Iro, km 42 | Nogueira et al. 2019 |
| Ecuador | Orellana | Vía Pompeya–Iro, km 97 | Nogueira et al. 2019 |
| Ecuador | Orellana | Yasuní Scientific Station | Nogueira et al. 2019 |
| Ecuador | Orellana | Yuturi | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Pastaza | Andoas | Peters 1960 |
| Ecuador | Pastaza | Arajuno | Peters 1960 |
| Ecuador | Pastaza | Cabeceras del Río Bobonaza | Peters 1960 |
| Ecuador | Pastaza | Campo Villano K4 | Nogueira et al. 2019 |
| Ecuador | Pastaza | Canelos | Nogueira et al. 2019 |
| Ecuador | Pastaza | Chichirota | USNM 200016; VertNet |
| Ecuador | Pastaza | Copataza | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Pastaza | Kapawi Lodge | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Pastaza | Montalvo | Almendáriz 1987 |
| Ecuador | Pastaza | Piatúa | Reptiles of Ecuador book database |
| Ecuador | Pastaza | Pucayacu | Nogueira et al. 2019 |
| Ecuador | Pastaza | Puyo | Peters 1960 |
| Ecuador | Pastaza | Puyo, 14 Km ESE of | Peters 1960 |
| Ecuador | Pastaza | Río Bobonaza | Peters 1960 |
| Ecuador | Pastaza | Río Bufeo | Ortega-Andrade 2010 |
| Ecuador | Pastaza | Río Capahuari | USNM 210952; VertNet |
| Ecuador | Pastaza | Río Pastaza | Harvey 2008 |
| Ecuador | Pastaza | Río Pastaza (Territorio Shiwiar, Achuar y Sápara) | Ortega-Andrade et al. 2010 |
| Ecuador | Pastaza | Río Pindo | USNM 210948; VertNet |
| Ecuador | Pastaza | Río Rutuno | USNM 210954; VertNet |
| Ecuador | Pastaza | Santa Ana | Nogueira et al. 2019 |
| Ecuador | Pastaza | Sarayacu | USNM 210955; VertNet |
| Ecuador | Pastaza | Shell | Nogueira et al. 2019 |
| Ecuador | Pastaza | Sumak Kawsay In Situ | Bentley et al. 2021 |
| Ecuador | Pastaza | Tambo Unión | Peters 1960 |
| Ecuador | Pastaza | Tarqui | Peters 1960 |
| Ecuador | Pastaza | Tzarentza | Arteaga et al. 2018 |
| Ecuador | Sucumbíos | Bloque 15 | Izquierdo et al. 2000 |
| Ecuador | Sucumbíos | Campamento Charapa | Nogueira et al. 2019 |
| Ecuador | Sucumbíos | El Reventador | Nogueira et al. 2019 |
| Ecuador | Sucumbíos | La Selva Lodge | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Sucumbíos | Lago Agrio | Nogueira et al. 2019 |
| Ecuador | Sucumbíos | Limoncocha | MCZ 156862; VertNet |
| Ecuador | Sucumbíos | Lumbaqui | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Sucumbíos | Puerto Libre | Duellman 1978 |
| Ecuador | Sucumbíos | Puerto Ore | Duellman 1978 |
| Ecuador | Sucumbíos | Puerto Rodríguez | Nogueira et al. 2019 |
| Ecuador | Sucumbíos | Reserva Cuyabeno | Nogueira et al. 2019 |
| Ecuador | Sucumbíos | Reserva Ecológica Cofán Bermejo | Nogueira et al. 2019 |
| Ecuador | Sucumbíos | Río Aguarico | Nogueira et al. 2019 |
| Ecuador | Sucumbíos | San Pablo de Kantesiya | MHNG 2307.061; collection database |
| Ecuador | Sucumbíos | Sani Lodge | Reptiles of Ecuador book database |
| Ecuador | Sucumbíos | Santa Cecilia | Duellman 1978 |
| Ecuador | Sucumbíos | Simón Bolívar | Nogueira et al. 2019 |
| Ecuador | Sucumbíos | Territorio Cofán Dureno | Yánez-Muñoz & Chimbo 2007 |
| Ecuador | Sucumbíos | Vía a casa de Máquinas de Coca-Codo | Nogueira et al. 2019 |
| Ecuador | Tungurahua | Vía a Baños | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Zamora Chinchipe | Alto Machinaza | Almendáriz et al 2014 |
| Ecuador | Zamora Chinchipe | Bosque Protector Alto Nangaritza | Pazmiño-Otamendi 2020 |
| Ecuador | Zamora Chinchipe | Concesión Colibrí | Nogueira et al. 2019 |
| Ecuador | Zamora Chinchipe | El Pangui | Nogueira et al. 2019 |
| Ecuador | Zamora Chinchipe | Vía a Pindal | Nogueira et al. 2019 |
| Ecuador | Zamora Chinchipe | Zurmi | Photo by Darwin Núñez |
| Perú | Amazonas | Aguaruna Village | MVZ 163269; VertNet |
| Perú | Amazonas | Caterpiza | USNM 566564; VertNet |
| Perú | Amazonas | Huampami | USNM 316597; VertNet |
| Perú | Amazonas | Teniente Pinglo | USNM 566566; VertNet |
| Perú | Amazonas | Tseasim | USNM 316598; VertNet |
| Perú | Loreto | Cerro de Kampankis | Catenazzi & Venegas 2016 |
| Perú | Loreto | Trompeteros | Nogueira et al. 2019 |