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Ribonned Brittle-Snake (Urotheca lateristriga)
Reptiles of Ecuador | Serpentes | Colubridae | Urotheca | Urotheca lateristriga
English common names: Ribboned Brittle-Snake, Ribboned Glasstail.
Spanish common names: Culebra quebradiza listada, culebra de labios manchados.
Recognition: ♂♂ 51.6 cmMaximum distance from the snout to the tip of the tail. Snout–vent length=33.4 cm. ♀♀ 62.2 cmMaximum distance from the snout to the tip of the tail. Snout–vent length=42.1 cm..1,2 The Ribboned Brittle-Snake (Urotheca lateristriga) is a small-sized snake with a cylindrical body, smooth scales arranged in 17 rows at mid-body, and a long (~32–33% of the total length), thick, fragile, and often incomplete, tail.1,3 The head is uniformly brown, with a black-edged cream/white line in the upper labial scales.1,4 The body is brown, with one or two dark-edged white lines on each side extending from the neck to the tail.1 In Ecuador, U. lateristriga is most easily confused with Coniophanes fissidens, Rhadinaea decorata, and Saphenophis boursieri. However, C. fissidens has 19–21 rows of dorsal scales at mid-body and the ventral surfaces in this species, as well as in S. boursieri, are cream with fine black speckling. In U. lateristriga the belly is bright orange-red without speckles.3,5 Rhadinaea decorata presents a white behind the eyes, which is absent in U. lateristriga.5
Figure 1: Adult of the Ribonned Brittle-Snake (Urotheca lateristriga) from Bosque Integral Otonga, Cotopaxi province, Ecuador.
Natural history: UncommonUnlikely to be seen more than once every few months.. Urotheca lateristriga inhabits the leaf-litter of evergreen forests in lowland and foothill areas.1,3 Ribboned Brittle-Snakes are terrestrial and are active during the daytime under forest cover or in open areas such as rural gardens, plantations, forest border, and roads.6 Their diet and habits are largely unknown, but there is a record of an individual feeding on a small snake (Tantilla fraseri).6 Ribboned Brittle-Snakes are calm, jittery, and rely mostly on their camouflage and swift movements to avoid predators.3 They have a long, fragile tail that breaks off easily when grabbed by a predator, enabling the escape and survival of the snake.1,7 There is a record of a viper (Bothrocophias campbelli) preying upon an individual of this species.8 Urotheca lateristriga has well developed Duvernoy’s venom glands, which have been shown to produce toxic, protein-rich serous secretions that can translate as painful, but not life-threatening, bites to humans.1,3,9
Conservation: Least Concern Believed to be safe from extinction given current circumstances..10–12 Urotheca lateristriga is listed in this category because the species is widely distributed, especially in areas that have not been heavily affected by deforestation, like the Colombian Pacific coast, and it is unlikely to be declining fast enough to qualify for a more threatened category.10 The most important threat for the long-term survival of some populations is the loss of habitat due to large-scale deforestation. In western of Ecuador, an estimated ~58% of the suitable habitat of the species has already been destroyed.13 Furthermore, the fear of snakes is also a source of mortality to individuals of this species. People in rural regions tend to kill any snake, even those not dangerous to them.14
Distribution: Urotheca lateristriga is distributed in northwestern South America, in Colombia and western Ecuador. It inhabits the Chocó and Río Magdalena valley regions at elevations between 0 and 2094 m (Fig. 2).
Figure 2: Distribution of Urotheca lateristriga in Ecuador. See Appendix 1 for a complete list of the presence localities included in the map.
Etymology: The generic name Urotheca, which comes from the Greek words oura (meaning “tail”) and theke (meaning “box”),15,16 refers to the thick tail. The specific epithet lateristriga, which comes from the Latin words latus (meaning “flank”) and striga (meaning “stripe”),15, refers to the stripes on the sides of the snake.17
See it in the wild: Ribboned Brittle-Snakes cannot be expected to be encountered reliably in Ecuador, as individuals are spotted no more than once every few weeks. Although individuals may be found throughout the Chocoan lowlands of Ecuador, the area having the greatest number of observations is Mindo, a valley and town in Pichincha province. The snakes are most easily located by walking along forest trails during the daytime.
Special thanks to Roy and Laurie Averill-Murray for symbolically adopting the Ribboned Brittle-Snake and helping bring the Reptiles of Ecuador book project to life.
Click here to adopt a species.
Authors: Felipe A. Toro-CardonaaAffiliation: Red de Biología Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecología A. C. Xalapa, Veracruz, México. and Alejandro ArteagabAffiliation: Tropical Herping (TH), Quito, Ecuador.
Photographer: Jose VieirabAffiliation: Tropical Herping (TH), Quito, Ecuador.,cAffiliation: ExSitu, Quito, Ecuador.
How to cite? Toro-Cardona FA, Arteaga A (2021) Ribonned Brittle-Snake (Urotheca lateristriga). 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/VMCL9352
Literature cited:
- Myers CW (1974) The systematics of Rhadinaea (Colubridae), a genus of New World snakes. Bulletin of American Museum of Natural History 153: 1–262.
- Averill-Murray RC, Averill-Murray A (2017) Urotheca lateristriga (Ribboned Brittle-Snake). Maximum size. Herpetological Review 48: 687.
- Arteaga A, Bustamante L, Guayasamin JM (2013) The amphibians and reptiles of Mindo. Universidad Tecnológica Indoamérica, Quito, 257 pp.
- Boulenger GA (1894) Catalogue of the snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). British Museum of Natural History, London, 382 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, Reptiles of Ecuador book project.
- Rojas-Morales JA, Marín-Martínez M, Zuluaga-Isaza JC (2018) Aspectos taxonómicos y ecogeográficos de algunas serpientes (Reptilia: Colubridae) del área de influencia de la Central Hidroeléctrica Miel I, Caldas, Colombia. Biota Colombiana 19: 73–91.
- Rojas-Rivera A, Castillo K, Gutiérrez-Cárdenas PDA (2013) Bothrocophias campbelli (Campbell's Toad-headed Pit-viper, Víbora Boca de Sapo de Campbell). Diet/Ophiophagy. Herpetological Review 44: 518.
- Hill RE, Mackessy SP (2000) Characterization of venom (Duvernoy’s secretion) from twelve species of colubrid snakes and partial sequence proteins. Toxicon 38: 1663–1687. DOI: 10.1016/s0041-0101(00)00091-x
- Caicedo J, Gutiérrez-Cárdenas P, Rivas G, Cisneros-Heredia DF (2015) Urotheca lateristriga. The IUCN Red List of threatened species. Available from: www.iucnredlist.org. DOI: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T203617A2769151.en
- Morales-Betancourt MA, Lasso CA, Páez VP, Bock BC (2005) Libro rojo de reptiles de Colombia. Instituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos Alexander von Humboldt, Bogotá, 257 pp.
- 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.
- Lynch JD (2012) El contexto de las serpientes de Colombia con un análisis de las amenazas contra su conservación. Revista de la Academia Colombiana de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales 36: 435–449.
- Brown RW (1956) Composition of scientific words. Smithsonian Books, Washington D.C., 882 pp.
- Quattrocchi U (1999) CRC world dictionary of plant names: common names, scientific names, eponyms, synonyms, and etymology. CRC Press, Boca Raton, 640 pp.
- Berthold AA (1859) Einige neue Reptilien des Akademie Zoologisches Museums zu Göttingen. Königliche Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften zu Göttingen 3: 3–32.
Appendix 1: Locality data used to create the distribution map of Urotheca lateristriga in Ecuador (Fig. 2). Go to the section on symbols and abbreviations for a list of acronyms used.
| Country | Province | Locality | Source |
| Colombia | Nariño | Reserva Natural Río Ñambí | Photo by July López |
| Ecuador | Carchi | Tobar Donoso | Samec & Samec 1988 |
| Ecuador | Cotopaxi | Cutzualo | Arteaga et al. 2013 |
| Ecuador | Cotopaxi | Finca de Don Tomás | Arteaga et al. 2013 |
| Ecuador | Cotopaxi | Finca Yakusinchi | Photo by Jane Sloan |
| Ecuador | Cotopaxi | San Francisco de Las Pampas | Arteaga et al. 2013 |
| Ecuador | El Oro | Reserva Buenaventura | Photo by Juan Carlos Sánchez |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Bilsa Biological Reserve | Ortega-Andrade et al. 2010 |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Cachabi | Myers 1974 |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Caimito | iNaturalist |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Canandé Biological Reserve | This work |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Centro de Fauna Silvestre James Brown | Photo by Salvador Palacios |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Las Mareas | iNaturalist |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Pichiyacu | Arteaga et al. 2013 |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Playa Tongorachi | iNaturalist |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Reserva Tesoro Escondido | Photo by Diego Quirola |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | San Javier | UIMN 55724 |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Tundaloma Lodge | MZUTI 3333 |
| Ecuador | Imbabura | Intag | Myers 1974 |
| Ecuador | Imbabura | Los Yumbos | iNaturalist |
| Ecuador | Imbabura | Manduriacu Reserve | Photo by Paul Maier |
| Ecuador | Imbabura | Reserva Cotacachi-Cayapas | iNaturalist |
| Ecuador | Imbabura | Reserva Los Cedros | Arteaga et al. 2013 |
| Ecuador | Los Ríos | Centro Científico Río Palenque | MCZ 156957 |
| Ecuador | Los Ríos | Puerto de Ilá | USNM 204205 |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | Bellavista Cloud Forest Reserve | iNaturalist |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | Kapari Lodge | This work |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | La Quinta Pinta | iNaturalist |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | Las Tolas | Yánez-Muñoz et al. 2009 |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | Mashpi Lodge | iNaturalist |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | Pachijal | Arteaga et al. 2013 |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | Puerto Quito | Photo by David Guizado |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | Quevedo | UIMNH 92248 |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | Rancho Suamox | Photo by Rafael Ferro |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | Reserva Las Gralarias | Arteaga et al. 2013 |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | Río Blanco | USNM 204210 |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | Río Mulaule | USNM 204208 |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | San Miguel de los Bancos | Arteaga et al. 2013 |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | San Vicente de Aquepi | UIMNH 92247 |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | Séptimo Paraíso | This work |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | Tandapi | MCZ 164533 |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | USFQ Mindo station | This work |
| Ecuador | Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas | Bosque Protector Río Guajalito | Reyes 2008 |
| Ecuador | Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas | Dos Ríos, 15 km NE of | KU 164222 |
| Ecuador | Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas | Dos Ríos, 4 km NE of | Arteaga et al. 2013 |
| Ecuador | Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas | El Esfuerzo | UIMNH 92246 |
| Ecuador | Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas | Finca la Esperanza | USNM 204209 |
| Ecuador | Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas | La Florida | This work |
| Ecuador | Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas | Las Brasas | iNaturalist |
| Ecuador | Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas | Meme | USNM 204204 |
| Ecuador | Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas | Pizzería El Hornero | iNaturalist |
| Ecuador | Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas | Río Mulaute | USNM 204208 |
| Ecuador | Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas | Santo Domingo de los Colorados | USNM 204207 |