The University of South Australia (UniSA) has reported that one of its PhD students recently detected a critically endangered Australian venomous snake in SA for the first time.
Seen near the border of NSW and Victoria, the ‘De Vis’ banded snake’, also known as the mud adder (Denisonia devisi), was sighted by the student and local herpetologists over several nocturnal sightings in the Chowilla Game Reserve near Renmark.
The UniSA student, Shawn Scott said sighting the four adult mud adders near an isolated pool brought South Australia’s total number of venomous snake species to 37.
“We found one De Vis’ banded snake with its head exposed and its body and tail concealed in a soil crack while biting onto the left hind limb and thigh of a large adult Southern Bell frog,” Mr Scott said.
He said the three other snakes were found in the same vicinity, one at the base of a large River Red Gum and the others in soil cracks.
According to Mr Scott the discovery underlines the need for greater conservation efforts in Australia’s river systems, particularly for reptiles, as many snake species are small and live in isolated or specialised ecosystems.
He said the De Vis’ banded snake is widespread through central and southern Queensland and northern NSW but is critically endangered in Victoria, hence the significance of the finding.
He said it was a front-fanged medium-sized snake, up to 60 centimetres in length, yellow-to-orange-brown, or olive basal in colour, and often confused with a death adder.
The snake’s scientific and common names refer to Charles Walter de Vis (1829-1915), first director of the Queensland Museum and renowned herpetologist.
Mr Scott said frogs were the snakes’ main diet with the predator-prey sighting believed to be the first visual record of Denisonia devisi consuming a Southern Bell frog, which is also threatened.
