Taeniophallus affinis ( Guenther , 1858)

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

Taeniophallus affinis ( Guenther, 1858)

Natural history notes.

Species of small size (n = 3), diurnal, terrestrial and cryptozoic ( Marques et al. 2001). Two recently road-killed individuals were found during the day at 9:00 h and 14:00 h: one in an open area and the other in a forested area. A third individual was also found during the day in an open area, apparently at rest, near a watercourse. Of the three examined specimens, one presented fragments of anurans in its digestive tract. Available information indicates the diet is composed of anurans primarily, but also by lizards and amphisbaenians ( Marques et al. 2001, Barbo and Marques 2003). There is no information in the literature regarding the reproduction of the species. A female (SVL = 397 mm TL = 125 mm) presented five vitellogenic follicles in September. No defensive behavior was observed for this species.

Altitudinal variation.

This species is found at a minimum of sea level from the coast of Rio Grande do Sul to Rio de Janeiro and maximum at 1600 m a.s.l. in Parque Estadual Ibitipoca, Lima Duarte, MG ( Bérnils 2009). The maximum altitude for the species is increased, where individuals were observed at 1760 m a.s.l., in Baependi, MG. Bérnils (2009) points out that more than 80% of the toponyms are located in mountains and plateaus above 800 m.

Distribution and habitat.

Northeast, southeast and southern Brazil (Alagoas, Bahia, Ceará, Espírito Santo, SE Minas Gerais, Paraná, Rio de Janeiro and Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, São Paulo) ( Wallach et al. 2014). This species was reported in areas with predominantly dense and mixed ombrophilous forests ( Bérnils 2009).