Ornate Cat-eyed Snake (Leptodeira ornata)

Reptiles of Ecuador | Serpentes | Colubridae | Leptodeira ornata

English common name: Ornate Cat-eyed Snake.

Spanish common name: Ojo de gato adornada.

Recognition: ♂♂ 78.8 cmMaximum distance from the snout to the tip of the tail. Snout–vent length=56.7 cm. ♀♀ 86.0 cmMaximum distance from the snout to the tip of the tail. Snout–vent length=64.7 cm..¹ Leptodeira ornata is the only member of its genus known to occur in the lowlands of western Ecuador. It can be identified from other co-occurring snakes by having the following combination of features: dorsal scales arranged in 21 rows at mid-body, vertebral row not enlarged or only so slightly, vertically elliptical pupils, and a unique coloration.¹ The dorsum is light brown with a longitudinal series of dark brown vertebral blotches, some of which are fused in a zigzag pattern (Fig. 1).^1–3 This species differs from Imantodes and Dipsas by having an acutely rounded, instead of truncated snout and by having vertebral scales not enlarged or only barely so. From L. misinawui, it differs by having considerably larger dorsal blotches and a lower number of them (30–47 vs 54–72).⁴

Figure showing variation among individuals of Leptodeira ornata

Figure 1: Individuals of Leptodeira ornata: Morromico Reserve, Chocó deparment, Colombia (); Centro Científico Río Palenque, Los Ríos province, Ecuador (); Vinces, Los Ríos province, Ecuador (). j=juvenile.

Natural history: Leptodeira ornata is a common snake that inhabits a wide variety of ecosystems, from pristine rainforests and seasonally dry forests to heavily degraded habitats such as pastures and peri-urban areas.^5,6 The species occurs in higher densities along marshes, swamps, and lagoons in forest-edge situations.^5,6 Ornate Cat-eyed Snakes are exclusively nocturnal, with greater activity during the first hours of the night.⁵ They are terrestrial and semi-arboreal, foraging on leaf-litter and on bare soil, as well as on low (0.2–4 m above the ground) understory vegetation. During the day, these snakes remain hidden under surface objects, inside bromeliads, or in the thatch of roofs.^5,6 The main prey of L. approximans are anurans (including Pristimantis achatinus, Engystomops pustulosus, and the very toxic Rhinella bella).^5,6 Opportunistic predation on snakes (including Atractus microrhynchus and Leptophis bocourti) has also been recorded.^7,8 Small prey are swallowed whole and alive, whereas larger prey are subdued through envenomation.^6,7 In general, Cat-eyed Snakes are calm and rarely attempt to bite. Instead, they imitate vipers of the genus Bothrops by triangulating the head and performing false strikes.^5,6 They are also notorious for expelling foul-smelling cloacal secretions. Their dentition is opisthoglyphous, meaning they have enlarged teeth towards the rear of the maxilla and are venomous to small prey. The venom has hemorrhagic, neurotoxic, and myotoxic (muscle breaking) activities.^9,10 In humans, it causes local effects, such as intense pain, edema, and hemorrhagic blistering.^11,12

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Conservation: Least Concern Believed to be safe from extinction given current circumstances.. Leptodeira ornata is a recently revalidated species.⁴ Therefore, it has not been formally evaluated by the IUCN Red List. Here, it is provisionally assigned to the LC category because the species has high population densities and a wide distribution spanning many protected areas.

Distribution: Leptodeira ornata is widely distributed throughout the Chocoan lowland and adjacent foothills of the Andes, occurring from eastern Panamá, through Colombia and Ecuador (Fig. 2), to extreme northern Perú.

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

Etymology: The genus name is derived from the Greek words leptos (=thin) and deire (=neck).¹³ The specific epithet ornata is a Latin word meaning “ornate,”¹³ in reference to the dorsal coloration.

See it in the wild: Leptodeira ornata is the most common terrestrial snake in the seasonally dry forest ecosystem of western Ecuador, reported almost every night and in high densities along forest trails of Bosque Protector Cerro Blanco, Bilsa Biological Reserve, and Jama Coaque Reserve.

Author: 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) Ornate Cat-eyed Snake (Leptodeira ornata). 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/ANWY5313

Literature cited:

Costa JC (2014) Análise filogenética de Leptodeira FITZINGER, 1843 e taxonomia das espécies do clado do sul do complexo Leptodeira annulata/septentrionalis (Serpentes, Dipsadidae). PhD thesis, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém, 240 pp.
Duellman WE (1958) A monographic study of the colubrid snake genus Leptodeira. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 114: 1–152.
Costa JC, Graboski R, Grazziotin FG, Zaher H, Rodrigues MT, Prudente ALDC (2022) Reassessing the systematics of Leptodeira (Serpentes, Dipsadidae) with emphasis in the South American species. Zoologica Scripta 51: 415–433. DOI: 10.1111/zsc.12534
Torres-Carvajal O, Sánchez-Nivicela JC, Posse V, Celi E, Koch C (2020) A New Species of Cat-Eyed Snake (Serpentes: Dipsadinae: Leptodeirini) from the Andes of southern Ecuador. Zootaxa 4895: 357–80. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4895.3.3
Field notes, Reptiles of Ecuador book project.
Arteaga A, Bustamante L, Guayasamin JM (2013) The amphibians and reptiles of Mindo. Universidad Tecnológica Indoamérica, Quito, 257 pp.
Quezada-Riera AB, Barrio-Amorós CL, Schenker S, Kaiser H, Arteaga A (2024) Review of ophiophagy in neotropical cat-eyed snakes, genus Leptodeira, with the first report of ophiophagy in L. ornata (Bocourt, 1884). Herpetology Notes 17: 347–349.
Photo by Eric Osterman.
Torres-Bonilla KA, Schezaro-Ramos R, Floriano RS, Rodrigues-Simioni L, Bernal-Bautista MH, da Cruz-Höfling M (2016). Biological activities of Leptodeira annulata (Banded Cat-eyed Snake) venom on vertebrate neuromuscular preparations. Toxicon 119: 345–351. DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2016.07.004
Lemoine K, Girón ME, Aguilar I, Navarrete LF, Rodríguez-Acosta A (2004) Proteolytic, hemorrhagic, and neurotoxic activities caused by Leptodeira annulata ashmeadii (Serpentes: Colubridae) Duvernoy’s gland secretion. Wilderness & Environmental Medicine 15: 82–89. DOI: 10.1580/1080-6032(2004)015[0082:phanac]2.0.co;2
Ferreira-Cunha L, Fiszer M, Periard W, Pinna PH (2024) First case of envenomation in humans caused by the banded cat-eyed snake Leptodeira annulata (Linnaeus, 1758) (Squamata: Dipsadidae) in Brazil. Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical 57: e00803-2024. DOI: 10.1590/0037-8682-0555-2023
Torres-Bonilla KA, Panunto PC, Pereira BB, Zambrano DF, Herrán-Medina J, Bernal MH, Hyslop S (2020) Toxinological characterization of venom from Leptodeira annulata (Banded Cat-eyed Snake; Dipsadidae, Imantodini) Biochimie 174: 171–188. DOI: 10.1016/j.biochi.2020.04.006
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 Leptodeira ornata in Ecuador (Fig. 2). Go to the section on symbols and abbreviations for a list of acronyms used.

Country	Province	Locality	Source
Colombia	Nariño	Candelillas	iNaturalist; photo examined
Colombia	Nariño	Llorente	iNaturalist; photo examined
Ecuador	Azuay	Sarayunga	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Bolívar	Balzapamba	Duellman 1958
Ecuador	Bolívar	Caluma	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Bolívar	Las Naves	Torres-Carvajal et al. 2020
Ecuador	Cañar	El Chorro	Photo by Alex Angulo
Ecuador	Cañar	Hidroeléctrica Ocaña	MZUA.Re.0160; examined
Ecuador	Carchi	Destacamento Militar	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Carchi	Tobar Donoso	Samec & Samec 1988
Ecuador	Chimborazo	Huigra	Duellman 1958
Ecuador	Chimborazo	Pallatanga	Duellman 1958
Ecuador	Cotopaxi	El Jardín de los Sueños	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Cotopaxi	Finca Yakusinchi	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	El Oro	Arenillas Ecological Reserve	Torres-Carvajal et al. 2020
Ecuador	El Oro	Base Militar Montúfar	Torres-Carvajal et al. 2020
Ecuador	El Oro	Bosque Protector Puyango	Torres-Carvajal et al. 2020
Ecuador	El Oro	California	Reptiles of Ecuador book database
Ecuador	El Oro	El Progreso	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	El Oro	Hualtaco	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	El Oro	Machala	Duellman 1958
Ecuador	El Oro	Reserva Biológica Buenaventura	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	3 km on road Durango–San Lorenzo	Torres-Carvajal et al. 2020
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Agua Sucia	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Angostura	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Bilsa Biological Reserve	Almendariz & Carr 2007
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Bosque Protector La Perla	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Caimito	Torres-Carvajal et al. 2020
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Canandé Reserve	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Durango	Torres-Carvajal et al. 2020
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	El Aguacate	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Laguna de Cube	Torres-Carvajal et al. 2020
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Lote Rosero	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Lote Salvadores	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Mompiche	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Monte Saíno	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Playón de San Francisco	Torres-Carvajal et al. 2020
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Quingue	Torres-Carvajal et al. 2020
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Quinindé	Duellman 1958
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Río San Francisco	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Río Tinajas	Torres-Carvajal et al. 2020
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	San Javier	Duellman 1958
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	San Lorenzo	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Tesoro Escondido Reserve	Torres-Carvajal et al. 2020
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Tundaloma Lodge	Torres-Carvajal et al. 2020
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Tundaloma Lodge, 20 km SE of	Torres-Carvajal et al. 2020
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Verdecanandé	Reptiles of Ecuador book database
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Viche	Torres-Carvajal et al. 2020
Ecuador	Guayas	Balzar	Torres-Carvajal et al. 2020
Ecuador	Guayas	Bucay	Duellman 1958
Ecuador	Guayas	Capeira	Eduardo Zavala
Ecuador	Guayas	Cerro Blanco Protected Forest	Torres-Carvajal et al. 2020
Ecuador	Guayas	Cerro de Hayas	Reptiles of Ecuador book database
Ecuador	Guayas	Cerro Masvale	Torres-Carvajal et al. 2020
Ecuador	Guayas	Durán	Duellman 1958
Ecuador	Guayas	Guayaquil	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Guayas	Isla Puná	Duellman 1958
Ecuador	Guayas	Lago Canclón	Torres-Carvajal et al. 2020
Ecuador	Guayas	Las Mercedes, 27 km S of	Torres-Carvajal et al. 2020
Ecuador	Guayas	Los Álamos	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Guayas	Milagro	Duellman 1958
Ecuador	Guayas	Parque Histórico de Guayaquil	Torres-Carvajal et al. 2020
Ecuador	Guayas	Parque Lago	Torres-Carvajal et al. 2020
Ecuador	Guayas	Quinta Caoba	Torres-Carvajal et al. 2020
Ecuador	Guayas	Río Congo	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Guayas	Río Daule	Duellman 1958
Ecuador	Guayas	San Pablo	Torres-Carvajal et al. 2020
Ecuador	Guayas	Sendero Aulladores	Torres-Carvajal et al. 2020
Ecuador	Imbabura	Paramba	Boulenger 1898
Ecuador	Loja	Alamor, 14 km N of	Torres-Carvajal et al. 2020
Ecuador	Loja	Celica	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Loja	El Faiqué	Torres-Carvajal et al. 2020
Ecuador	Loja	El Pindo	iNaturalist; photo examined
Ecuador	Loja	Jorupe Reserve	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Loja	Mangahurco	Photo by Fausto Siavichay
Ecuador	Loja	Puyango	Duellman 1958
Ecuador	Loja	Reserva Cazaderos	Torres-Carvajal et al. 2020
Ecuador	Loja	Reserva La Ceiba	Reptiles of Ecuador book database
Ecuador	Loja	Zapotillo	Torres-Carvajal et al. 2020
Ecuador	Los Ríos	Babahoyo	Duellman 1958
Ecuador	Los Ríos	Centro Científico Río Palenque	Torres-Carvajal et al. 2020
Ecuador	Los Ríos	El Descanso	Torres-Carvajal et al. 2020
Ecuador	Los Ríos	Jauneche	Torres-Carvajal et al. 2020
Ecuador	Los Ríos	Pacalori	MZUA.Re.0170; examined
Ecuador	Los Ríos	Vinces	Reptiles of Ecuador book database
Ecuador	Manabí	Aguas Blanca	Torres-Carvajal et al. 2020
Ecuador	Manabí	Bahía de Caraquez	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Manabí	Bosque Seco Lalo Loor	José Schreckinger
Ecuador	Manabí	Cerro Pata de Pájaro	Hamilton et al 2005
Ecuador	Manabí	Chone	Photo by Redgy Vera
Ecuador	Manabí	Cojimies–Pedernales	Reptiles of Ecuador book database
Ecuador	Manabí	Comunidad Río Javier	Torres-Carvajal et al. 2020
Ecuador	Manabí	Comunidad Santa Rosa	Torres-Carvajal et al. 2020
Ecuador	Manabí	El Aromo	Torres-Carvajal et al. 2020
Ecuador	Manabí	Flavio Alfaro	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Manabí	Ganaderos Orenses	Torres-Carvajal et al. 2020
Ecuador	Manabí	Hacienda Siberia	Hamilton et al 2005
Ecuador	Manabí	Jama Coaque Reserve	Torres-Carvajal et al. 2020
Ecuador	Manabí	La Crespa	iNaturalist; photo examined
Ecuador	Manabí	La Mina	Torres-Carvajal et al. 2020
Ecuador	Manabí	Machalilla	Almendariz & Carr 2007
Ecuador	Manabí	Manta	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Manabí	Nalpe	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Manabí	Pacoche Lodge	Torres-Carvajal et al. 2020
Ecuador	Manabí	Pedernales, 20 km E of	Torres-Carvajal et al. 2020
Ecuador	Manabí	Playa Liguiqui	Torres-Carvajal et al. 2020
Ecuador	Manabí	Poza Honda	Photo by Lisa Brunetti
Ecuador	Manabí	Punta Prieta	Hamilton et al 2005
Ecuador	Manabí	Refugio de Vida Silvestre Pacoche	Photo by Ronald Pincay
Ecuador	Manabí	Río Ayampe	Torres-Carvajal et al. 2020
Ecuador	Manabí	Río Canoa	Torres-Carvajal et al. 2020
Ecuador	Manabí	Río Coaque	Torres-Carvajal et al. 2020
Ecuador	Manabí	San Lorenzo	Reptiles of Ecuador book database
Ecuador	Manabí	Three Forests Trail	Photo by Paul Maier
Ecuador	Manabí	Tito Santos	Hamilton et al 2005
Ecuador	Manabí	Vía El Carmen–Pita	Torres-Carvajal et al. 2020
Ecuador	Manabí	Zapote	Torres-Carvajal et al. 2020
Ecuador	Pichincha	Hacienda Yellow House	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Pichincha	Kapari Lodge	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Pichincha	Maquipucuna Reserve	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Pichincha	Mashpi Lodge	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Pichincha	Milpe Bird Sanctuary	Torres-Carvajal et al. 2020
Ecuador	Pichincha	Pacto	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Pichincha	Pedro Vicente Maldonado	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Pichincha	Puerto Quito	Torres-Carvajal et al. 2020
Ecuador	Pichincha	Río Caoni	Duellman 1958
Ecuador	Santa Elena	Colonche	Duellman 1958
Ecuador	Santa Elena	Reserva Las Balsas	Reptiles of Ecuador book database
Ecuador	Santa Elena	Rincón del Tigre	Torres-Carvajal et al. 2020
Ecuador	Santa Elena	San Vicente, represa	Reptiles of Ecuador book database
Ecuador	Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas	Centinela	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas	Finca La Selva	iNaturalist; photo examined
Ecuador	Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas	Hacienda Dyott	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas	Hacienda Espinosa	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas	Hacienda Tinalandia	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas	Santo Domingo	Duellman 1958
Ecuador	Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas	Santo Domingo, 9 km W of	Duellman 1958
Perú	Piura	El Angolo	Costa 2014
Perú	Piura	Mangamangilla	Costa 2014
Perú	Piura	Morropón	Costa 2014
Perú	Piura	Quebrada El Zorro	Costa 2014
Perú	Tumbes	El Plátano	Costa 2014
Perú	Tumbes	Estación Biológica El Caucho	iNaturalist; photo examined
Perú	Tumbes	Quebrada Faical	Tello 1998
Perú	Tumbes	Quebrada Huarapal	Costa 2014