Tidy Tropical-Racer (Mastigodryas pulchriceps)

Reptiles of Ecuador | Serpentes | Colubridae | Mastigodryas pulchriceps

English common names: Tidy Tropical-Racer, Cope’s Tropical Racer.

Spanish common names: Serpiente látigo adornada, serpiente látigo de cabeza linda, corredora tropical pulcra.

Recognition: ♂♂ 153.1 cmMaximum distance from the snout to the tip of the tail. Snout–vent length=113.0 cm. ♀♀ 150 cmMaximum distance from the snout to the tip of the tail. Snout–vent length=114.0 cm..¹ Tropical Racers (genus Mastigodryas) can be identified from other medium-sized diurnal snakes in Ecuador by having a loreal scale, more than one anterior temporal scale, and smooth dorsal scales arranged in 17 rows at mid-body.^2,3 Juveniles of M. pulchriceps are easily identified based on their ornate dorsal coloration, which consists of 30–68 dark-brown blotches on a lighter background shade.^3,4 This pattern becomes fainter on larger individuals and is usually accompanied by two thin light dorsolateral stripes (Fig. 1).³ Mastigodryas pulchriceps approaches the distribution of, and may even co-occur with, M. heathii and M. reticulatus. While juveniles of the three species are difficult to tell apart from each other, adults are easily distinguishable. Those of M. heathii have broader (3 vs 1 dorsal scales wide) dorsolateral stripes than adults of M. pulchriceps.⁵ Adults of M. reticulatus lack a striped pattern; instead, they have a uniform grayish dorsum in which each scale is edged in black.⁵ Other snakes similar in size and coloration that may be found living alongside M. pulchriceps in Ecuador are Erythrolamprus albiventris, which has one anterior temporal scale (instead of two), and species in the genus Dendrophidion, which have keeled (instead of smooth) dorsal scales.²

Figure showing variation among individuals of Mastigodryas pulchriceps

Figure 1: Individuals of Mastigodryas pulchriceps from Ecuador: FCAT Reserve, Esmeraldas province (); Mindo, Pichincha province (); Cerro de Hayas, Guayas province (); Itapoa Reserve, Esmeraldas province (); Cahuasquí, Imbabura province (). j=juvenile.

Natural history: Mastigodryas pulchriceps is a diurnal and primarily terrestrial snake that inhabits evergreen to semi-deciduous forests, cloud forests, and dry to humid montane shrublands.^3,6,7 The species also occurs in areas having a matrix of pastures, plantations, and remnants of native vegetation, as well as in gardens of heavily-populated urban areas.^1,3 These snakes have been seen active during sunny hours in the morning, crossing roads and trails, basking in open areas or foraging on leaf-litter, soil, or among grass or shrubs.^1,8 When not active, they sleep under rocks or coiled on vegetation up to 5 m above the ground.^1,9 Racer snakes in general are opisthoglyphous (having enlarged teeth towards the rear of the maxilla) and mildly venomous, which means they are dangerous to small prey, but not to humans.^10,11 Tidy Tropical-Racers are active hunters and their diet is based primarily on lizards (including Andinosaura oculata,³ Holcosus bridgesii,¹ Stenocercus guentheri,¹² and S. chota¹²) and frogs (Gastrotheca riobambae¹³). Individuals rely mostly on crypsis as a primary defense mechanism; when threatened, they usually try to flee. However, if grabbed or cornered, these agile snakes will not hesitate to strike.^1,3 Snakes in the genus Mastigodryas are oviparous,¹¹ but there is no information about the clutch size in M. pulchriceps.

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Conservation: Least Concern Believed to be safe from extinction given current circumstances..^14,15 Mastigodryas pulchriceps is included in this category on the basis of the species’ wide distribution, presence in over a dozen protected areas (Appendix 1), and presumed stable populations.^3,14 This is one of the few snakes able to survive in Quito and adjacent inter-Andean valleys despite the fact that virtually no native vegetation is left in these highly populated areas.³ The main threat to the long-term survival of populations of M. pulchriceps is the continuing decline in the extent and quality of its habitat, mostly due to encroaching human activities such as agriculture, cattle grazing, wild fires, and the replacement of native vegetation with eucalyptus and pine trees. It is estimated that in Ecuador, ~57% of the potential habitat of the species has already been destroyed.¹⁶ Tidy Tropical-Racers also suffer from human persecution and traffic-related mortality.^1,14

Distribution: Mastigodryas pulchriceps occurs in the Chocoan lowlands and adjacent slopes of the Andes of Colombia and Ecuador (Fig. 2). The species also occurs in several inter-Andean valleys, including Quito, El Chota, and Jubones.

Figure 2: Distribution of Mastigodryas pulchriceps in Ecuador. The star corresponds to the type locality: Valley of Quito, Pichincha province. See Appendix 1 for a complete list of the presence localities included in the map.

Etymology: The name Mastigodryas, which comes from the Greek words mastigos (=whip) and dryas (a tree-nymph),¹⁷ refers to the long whip-like tail in snakes of this genus. The specific epithet pulchriceps, which comes from the Latin words pulcher (=beautiful) and ceps (=head), refers to the ornate pattern of blotches and stripes on the head of juveniles of this species.³

See it in the wild: Individuals of Mastigodryas pulchriceps may be encountered at rate of about once every week in some areas throughout the species’ distribution. Tidy Tropical-Racers are particularly abundant in the general area of Mindo, Mashpi, Canandé Reserve, and Otongachi Reserve. They are also frequently reported in the valleys surrounding the cities Quito and Ibarra, in northern Ecuador. The snakes may be spotted as they cross trails and roads in areas having adequate vegetation cover, especially during sunny mornings.

Acknowledgments: Special thanks to Diego Piñán for providing locality and natural history data for Mastigodryas pulchriceps as well as for finding three of the specimens photographed in this account.

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

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

How to cite? Arteaga A (2022) Tidy Tropical-Racer (Mastigodryas pulchriceps). 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/LCQQ1911

Literature cited:

Field notes, Reptiles of Ecuador book project.
Peters JA, Orejas-Miranda B (1970) Catalogue of Neotropical Squamata: part I, snakes. Bulletin of the United States National Museum, Washington, D.C., 347 pp.
Arteaga A, Bustamante L, Guayasamin JM (2013) The amphibians and reptiles of Mindo. Universidad Tecnológica Indoamérica, Quito, 257 pp.
Montingelli GG (2009) Revisão taxonômica do gênero Mastigodryas Amaral, 1934 (Serpentes: Colubridae). PhD thesis, Universidade de São Paulo, 338 pp.
Montingelli GG, Valencia JH, Benavides MA, Zaher H (2011) Revalidation of Herpetodryas reticulata (Peters, 1863) (Serpentes: Colubridae) from Ecuador. South American Journal of Herpetology 6: 189–197. DOI: 10.2994/057.006.0304
Castro-Herrera F, Valencia-Aguilar A, Villaquirán-Martínez DF (2012) Diversidad de anfibios y reptiles del Parque Nacional Natural Isla Gorgona. Universidad del Valle, Cali, 112 pp.
Valencia JH, Garzón-Tello K, Tipantiza-Tuguminago L, Pulluquitín F, Barragán-Paladines ME, Noboa G (2017) Serpientes del Distrito Metropolitano Quito (DMQ), Ecuador, con comentarios sobre su rango geográfico y altitudinal y conservación. Avances en Ciencias e Ingeniería 9: 17–60. DOI: 10.18272/aci.v9i15.305
Savit AZ (2006) Reptiles of the Santa Lucía Cloud Forest, Ecuador. Iguana 13: 94–103.
Photo by Ryan Lynch.
Natera-Mumaw M, Esqueda-González LF, Castelaín-Fernández M (2015) Atlas serpientes de Venezuela. Dimacofi Negocios Avanzados S.A., Santiago de Chile, 456 pp.
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.
Field notes of Diego Piñán.
Video by Diego Piñán.
Castañeda MR, Bolívar W, Velasco J, Cisneros-Heredia DF, Yánez-Muñoz M (2017) Mastigodryas pulchriceps. The IUCN Red List of threatened species. Available from: www.iucnredlist.org. DOI: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-2.RLTS.T203303A2763534.en
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.
MAE (2012) Línea base de deforestación del Ecuador continental. Ministerio del Ambiente del Ecuador, Quito, 30 pp.
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 Mastigodryas pulchriceps in Ecuador (Fig. 2). Go to the section on symbols and abbreviations for a list of acronyms used. Asterisk (*) indicates type locality.

Country	Province	Locality	Source
Colombia	Nariño	El Palmichal	Pinto-Erazo et al. 2020
Colombia	Nariño	No specific locality	FMNH 165338; VertNet
Colombia	Nariño	Reserva Natural Río Ñambi	Bacca Cortes et al. 2019
Ecuador	Azuay	Above Poetate	Reptiles of Ecuador book database
Ecuador	Azuay	El Tejado	Reptiles of Ecuador book database
Ecuador	Azuay	La Unión	MZUA.RE.0106; examined
Ecuador	Azuay	Luz María	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Azuay	Puente de Chaucha	Photo by Ernesto Arbeláez
Ecuador	Azuay	Reserva Biológica Yunguilla	MZUA.RE.0073; examined
Ecuador	Azuay	Santa Isabel	MZUA.RE.0036; examined
Ecuador	Azuay	Susudel	Photo by Ernesto Arbeláez
Ecuador	Bolívar	Balzapamba	Montingelli et al. 2011
Ecuador	Cañar	El Chorro	Reptiles of Ecuador book database
Ecuador	Cañar	Huatacón	Reptiles of Ecuador book database
Ecuador	Carchi	Chical, 6 km S of	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Carchi	Chinambí	Reptiles of Ecuador book database
Ecuador	Carchi	Dracula Reserve	Online multimedia
Ecuador	Carchi	Tobar Donoso	iNaturalist; photo examined
Ecuador	Chimborazo	Chaguarapata	Montingelli et al. 2011
Ecuador	Chimborazo	Gonzol, 2.5 km NW of	Reptiles of Ecuador book database
Ecuador	Chimborazo	Sacramento	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Chimborazo	Tixán, 2.5 km SW of	Reptiles of Ecuador book database
Ecuador	Chimborazo	Tixán, 2.6 km NE of	Reptiles of Ecuador book database
Ecuador	Chimborazo	Valle del Chanchán	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Cotopaxi	Bosque Integral Otonga	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Cotopaxi	Bosque Privado El Jardín de los Sueños	Photo by Christophe Pellet
Ecuador	Cotopaxi	Las Juntas	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Cotopaxi	Las Pampas	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Cotopaxi	Recinto Galápagos	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Cotopaxi	Yakusinchi	Photo by Jane Sloan
Ecuador	El Oro	Buenaventura Biological Reserve	Reptiles of Ecuador book database
Ecuador	El Oro	California	Reptiles of Ecuador book database
Ecuador	El Oro	Cascadas de Manuel	Arteaga et al. (unpublished)
Ecuador	El Oro	El Guayabo	iNaturalist; photo examined
Ecuador	El Oro	Portovelo	Montingelli et al. 2011
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Alto Tambo	Reptiles of Ecuador book database
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Bilsa Biological Reserve	Reptiles of Ecuador book database
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Bosque El Edén	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Bosque Protector La Perla	Photo by Plácido Palacios
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Bulún	Montingelli et al. 2011
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Caimito	Reptiles of Ecuador book database
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Camino al Río Mira	EPN-H 2556; examined
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Canandé Biological Reserve	Reptiles of Ecuador book database
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Centro de Fauna Silvestre James Brown	Photo by Salvador Palacios
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Cerro Gatazo	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Cerro Zapallo	iNaturalist; photo examined
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Estero Agua Viva	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Estero Molina	EPN-H 4455; examined
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	FCAT Reserve	This work; Fig. 1
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Gualpi	Reptiles of Ecuador book database
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Itapoa Reserve	This work; Fig. 1
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Monte Saíno	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Playa de Oro	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Río Blanco	Montingelli et al. 2011
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Río San Francisco	Montingelli et al. 2011
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Río Santiago	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	San Javier	Montingelli et al. 2011
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Trail between Rivers San Miguel and Grande	MCZ 153154; VertNet
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Tundaloma Lodge	Reptiles of Ecuador book database
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Verdecanandé	Reptiles of Ecuador book database
Ecuador	Guayas	Balao	MZLU l892/3135; examined
Ecuador	Guayas	Cerro de Hayas	This work; Fig. 1
Ecuador	Imbabura	Antonio Ante	Arteaga et al. (unpublished)
Ecuador	Imbabura	Cahuasquí	This work; Fig. 1
Ecuador	Imbabura	Chachimbiro	Photo by Diego Piñán
Ecuador	Imbabura	El Olivo	iNaturalist; photo examined
Ecuador	Imbabura	El Refugio de Intag	Photo by Peter Joost
Ecuador	Imbabura	Hostería Tunas y Cabras	Arteaga et al. (unpublished)
Ecuador	Imbabura	Ibarra, El Copal	Photo by Ernesto Arbeláez
Ecuador	Imbabura	Intag	Photo by John Castillo
Ecuador	Imbabura	Near Tumbabiro	Reptiles of Ecuador book database
Ecuador	Imbabura	Pablo Arenas	EPN-H 12724; examined
Ecuador	Imbabura	Paramba	Montingelli et al. 2011
Ecuador	Imbabura	Pimampiro	Montingelli et al. 2011
Ecuador	Imbabura	Quiroga	EPN-H 13076; examined
Ecuador	Imbabura	Reserva Manduriacu	Arteaga et al. (unpublished)
Ecuador	Imbabura	Urcuquí	Arteaga et al. (unpublished)
Ecuador	Los Ríos	Centro Científico Río Palenque	Montingelli et al. 2011
Ecuador	Los Ríos	Playas de Montalvo	Montingelli et al. 2011
Ecuador	Los Ríos	Puerto de Ilá	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Manabí	Ayampe	iNaturalist; photo examined
Ecuador	Manabí	Bosque La Esperanza	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Manabí	Cerro Pata de Pájaro	EPN-H 13074; examined
Ecuador	Manabí	El Guayacán	Photo by Regdy Vera
Ecuador	Manabí	Maicito	EPN-H 9065; examined
Ecuador	Manabí	Reserva Ayampe	Arteaga et al. (unpublished)
Ecuador	Manabí	Reserva Ecológica Mache-Chindul	iNaturalist; photo examined
Ecuador	Manabí	Reserva Jama Coaque	Photo by Javier Aznar
Ecuador	Pichincha	Barrio Chiviquí	Valencia et al. 2017
Ecuador	Pichincha	Barrio la Borrega	Reptiles of Ecuador book database
Ecuador	Pichincha	Calderón	Valencia et al. 2017
Ecuador	Pichincha	Carapungo	Valencia et al. 2017
Ecuador	Pichincha	Cascadas Verdes	iNaturalist; photo examined
Ecuador	Pichincha	Cerro Catequilla	Valencia et al. 2017
Ecuador	Pichincha	Chaupicruz	Valencia et al. 2017
Ecuador	Pichincha	Club Campestre Ilaló	Yánez-Muñoz et al. 2009
Ecuador	Pichincha	Club Pucará	iNaturalist; photo examined
Ecuador	Pichincha	Colinas del Norte	Valencia et al. 2017
Ecuador	Pichincha	Collaquí	Valencia et al. 2017
Ecuador	Pichincha	Country Club FAE	Valencia et al. 2017
Ecuador	Pichincha	Cumbayá	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Pichincha	Entrada de Nayón	Valencia et al. 2017
Ecuador	Pichincha	Estación Chiquilpe	Valencia & Garzón 2011
Ecuador	Pichincha	Granda Centeno	Valencia et al. 2017
Ecuador	Pichincha	Guangopolo	Valencia et al. 2017
Ecuador	Pichincha	Guayllabamba	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Pichincha	Hayulima	iNaturalist; photo examined
Ecuador	Pichincha	Iñaquito Alto	Valencia et al. 2017
Ecuador	Pichincha	La Marín	Valencia et al. 2017
Ecuador	Pichincha	La Pampa	Valencia et al. 2017
Ecuador	Pichincha	Las Tolas, 4 km S of	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Pichincha	Llano Grande	Valencia et al. 2017
Ecuador	Pichincha	Maquipucuna	Montingelli et al. 2011
Ecuador	Pichincha	Marianitas	Valencia et al. 2017
Ecuador	Pichincha	Mashpi Lodge	Reptiles of Ecuador book database
Ecuador	Pichincha	Masphi (town), 2 km S of	iNaturalist; photo examined
Ecuador	Pichincha	Mindo	Photo by Viviana Morales
Ecuador	Pichincha	Mindo Gardens	Reptiles of Ecuador book database
Ecuador	Pichincha	Monjas	Valencia et al. 2017
Ecuador	Pichincha	Nanegal, 3 km E of	iNaturalist; photo examined
Ecuador	Pichincha	Nanegalito	Valencia et al. 2017
Ecuador	Pichincha	Pacto	Montingelli et al. 2011
Ecuador	Pichincha	Parque Jerusalém	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Pichincha	Parque Lineal de Quitumbe	Arteaga et al. (unpublished)
Ecuador	Pichincha	Parque Metropolitano Guangüiltagua	Valencia et al. 2017
Ecuador	Pichincha	Pintag	Valencia et al. 2017
Ecuador	Pichincha	Pirca	Valencia et al. 2017
Ecuador	Pichincha	Pomasqui	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Pichincha	Ponceano Alto	Valencia et al. 2017
Ecuador	Pichincha	Puéllaro	EPN-H 9154; examined
Ecuador	Pichincha	Puembo	Photo by Ernesto Arbeláez
Ecuador	Pichincha	Puerto Quito, 2 km S of	Pazmiño-Otamendi 2022
Ecuador	Pichincha	Pusuquí	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Pichincha	Quebrada Pumacho	Photo by Ernesto Arbeláez
Ecuador	Pichincha	Quito, Av. 12 de Octubre	Valencia et al. 2017
Ecuador	Pichincha	Quito*	Cope 1868
Ecuador	Pichincha	Rancho Suamox	Photo by Rafael Ferro
Ecuador	Pichincha	Río Machángara	Valencia et al. 2017
Ecuador	Pichincha	Río Pisque	Valencia et al. 2017
Ecuador	Pichincha	Río San Pedro	Valencia et al. 2017
Ecuador	Pichincha	Ruinas de Marieta	Valencia et al. 2017
Ecuador	Pichincha	San Antonio	Valencia et al. 2017
Ecuador	Pichincha	San Roque	Valencia et al. 2017
Ecuador	Pichincha	Santa Lucía Cloud Forest Reserve	Savit 2006
Ecuador	Pichincha	Santa Teresa	Valencia et al. 2017
Ecuador	Pichincha	Tababela	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Pichincha	Tanda	Valencia et al. 2017
Ecuador	Pichincha	Tandapi	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Pichincha	Tandayapa Bird Lodge	Reptiles of Ecuador book database
Ecuador	Pichincha	Terreno de Eric Osterman en Mindo	Reptiles of Ecuador book database
Ecuador	Pichincha	Trigoloma	Valencia et al. 2017
Ecuador	Pichincha	Tumbaco	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Santa Elena	Reserva Ecológica Loma Alta	Luis Amador, pers. comm.
Ecuador	Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas	Finca la Esperanza	EPN-H 9558; examined
Ecuador	Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas	Otongachi Reserve	Reptiles of Ecuador book database
Ecuador	Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas	Río Baba	Montingelli et al. 2011
Ecuador	Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas	Río Mulaule	EPN-H 9142; examined
Ecuador	Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas	San Miguel de los Colorados	Montingelli et al. 2011
Ecuador	Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas	Santo Domingo de los Colorados	Arteaga et al. 2013