Cacophis

Cacophis
File:Golden Crowned Snake.jpg
Cacophis squamulosus, golden-crowned snake
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Subphylum:	Vertebrata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Elapidae
Genus:	Cacophis Günther, 1863
Species
Four, see text.

Cacophis a genus of mildly venomous snakes, commonly known as crowned snakes, which are endemic to Australia.

Geographic range

Species of Cacophis are distributed along eastern Australia.

Venom

The four species in this genus are all venomous, but not dangerous to people.

Habitat

Snakes of the genus Cacophis inhabit a variety of forest types, from woodland to rainforest.

Behavior & diet

Cacophis are generally nocturnal and feed on lizards and reptile eggs.

Description

All species of Cacophis have a distinct "crown" pattern on their heads, which gives them their common names.

Species

The following four species are recognized as being valid.

• Cacophis churchilli Wells & Wellington, 1985 – northern dwarf crowned snake
• Cacophis harriettae Krefft, 1869 – white-crowned snake
• Cacophis krefftii Günther, 1863 – dwarf crowned snake
• Cacophis squamulosus (A.M.C. Duméril, Bibron & A.H.A. Duméril, 1854) – golden-crowned snake

Nota bene: In the above list, binomial authorities in parentheses indicate that the species was originally described in a genus other than Cacophis.

External links

• Australian Fauna Directory

Further reading

• Günther A. 1863. Third Account of new Species of Snakes in the Collection of the British Museum. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., Third Series 12: 348-365 + Plates V & VI. (Cacophis, new genus, p. 361).
• Swan G. 1995. A Photographic Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of Australia. Sydney: New Holland. 144 pp. ISBN 1-85368-585-2.