Langbahn Team – Weltmeisterschaft

Vermicella

Vermicella
Vermicella annulata
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Elapidae
Subfamily: Hydrophiinae
Genus: Vermicella
Gray in Günther, 1858

Vermicella is a genus of venomous snakes of the family Elapidae, commonly known as bandy-bandies or hoop snakes. The best known species is the bandy-bandy (V. annulata).

Species

Six species are recognized as being valid.[1] In mid 2018 a new species of bandy-bandy was discovered in Australia, visually nearly identical to Vermicella annulata. The species named Vermicella parscauda is considerably more venomous, with a toxin that is comparable to that of the red-bellied black snake (Pseudechis porphyriacus).[citation needed]

  1. One species of Vermicella is the Bandy-Bandy commonly found in Australia. This snake is highly venomous and relatively small, sizing between 50 and 100 cm. Bandy-Bandies use their banded black and white pattern to repel predators by moving rapidly, causing a flicker visual illusion.

Nota bene: A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Vermicella.

References

Further reading

  • Gray JE (1858). In: Günther A (1858). Catalogue of the Colubrine Snakes in the Collection of the British Museum. London: Trustees of the British Museum. (Taylor and Francis, printers). xvi + 281 pp. (Vermicella, new genus, p. 236).
  • Data related to Vermicella at Wikispecies
  • Media related to Vermicella at Wikimedia Commons