Erythrolamprus miliaris (Linnaeus, 1758)

enezes, Frederico de Alcantara, Abegg, Arthur Diesel, Silva, Bruno Rocha da, ranco, Francisco Luis & Feio, Renato Neves, 2018, Composition and natural history of the snakes from the Parque Estadual da Serra do Papagaio, southern Minas Gerais, Serra da Mantiqueira, Brazil, ZooKeys 797, pp. 117-160 : 117

Erythrolamprus miliaris (Linnaeus, 1758)

Natural history notes.

Species of medium size (n = 1), predominantly diurnal and semi-aquatic ( Marques et al. 2001), although there are reports of activity at night ( Sazima and Haddad 1992). In September, an individual was found standing still on the forest floor during the day (15:00 h) at a swamp border. This species feeds mainly on amphibians, fish, and tadpoles ( Marques and Souza 1993, Marques and Sazima 2004), although it can occasionally feed on other reptiles ( Marques and Sazima 2004, Bonfiglio and Lema 2007, Hartmann et al. 2009a). Pizzatto and Marques (2006) reported a continuous reproductive cycle in a population of southern Bahia state coast (northern distribution) and seasonal reproductive cycles in populations of both inland and coastal São Paulo and Paraná states (southern distribution). Fecundity is six to seventeen eggs, with individuals reaching sexual maturity at twelve months ( Vitt 1992, Pizzatto and Marques 2006). No defensive behavior was observed for this species.

Altitudinal variation.

We found no information in the literature regarding the altitudinal variation of the species. In this study, the maximum altitudinal record was at 1643 m a.s.l., in Baependi-MG.

Distribution and habitat.

Northern, northeast, central-west, southeast and southern Brazil (Alagoas, Amapá, Amazonas, Bahia, Ceará, Espírito Santo, Goiás, Maranhão, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, Pará, Paraná, Pernambuco, Piauí, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Norte, Rio Grande Do Sul, Rondônia, Santa Catarina, São Paulo, Sergipe) ( Wallach et al. 2014). This species occurs in semi-deciduous, dense, and mixed ombrophilous forests, as well as in adjacent open areas, from the Amazon to the Atlantic Forest ( Gans 1964).