Mastigodryas is a genus of colubrid snakes. Like some other colubrids, they are commonly called racers. It is a Neotropical genus, with members distributed from Mexico to Argentina and several islands in the Caribbean. Some authorities use the older generic name, Dryadophis, for these species.Savage JM (2002). The Amphibians and Reptiles of Costa Rica: A Herpetofauna Between Two Continents, Between Two Seas. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. p. 673.
Description These snakes are cylindrical or somewhat laterally compressed in shape. The head is distinct from the rest of the body, as in many other colubrids. They have large eyes. They have Duvernoy's glands. The morphology of the hemipenis in various species has been helpful in elucidating their relationships, as little is known about the evolutionary origins of the genus.Jadin, Robert C.; Parkhill, Richard V. (2011). "Hemipenis descriptions of Mastigodryas (Serpentes: Colubrinae) from northern Middle America, with comments on the use of hemipenial data in phylogenetics". Herpetology Notes 4: 207-210.
Behavior These snakes are diurnal and actively forage for their prey.
Diet The diet is varied. For example, Mastigodryas bifossatus is euryphagic, consuming a wide variety of prey items. A large part of its diet is made up of frogs, and it will also take various mammals, birds, lizards, and other snakes.Marques OAV, Muriel AP (2007). "Reproductive biology and food habits of the swamp racer Mastigodryas bifossatus from southeastern South America".The Herpetological Journal 17 (2): 104-109.
Species There are 13Mendoza, R. Juan Salvador; Rodríguez, S. Natalia (2010). "Observations on some aspects of the predatory behavior of the diurnal snake Mastigodryas pleei (Duméril, Bibron and Duméril 1854) held in natural and captive conditions". Rev. Colombiana Cienc. Anim. 2 (2): 253-263. species. There may be as many as 18 if certain subspecies are elevated to species status, as has been suggested.Montingelli GG (2009). Revisão taxonômica do gênero Mastigodryas Amaral, 1934 (Serpentes: Colubridae). Thesis. São Paulo: Instituto de Biociências. (in Portuguese, with an abstract in English).
Species include: The Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2010. Mastigodryas alternatus Mastigodryas amarali – Amaral's tropical racer Mastigodryas boddaerti – Boddaert's tropical racer Mastigodryas bruesi – Barbour's tropical racer Mastigodryas cliftoni – Clifton’s lizard eater Mastigodryas danieli – Daniel's tropical racer Mastigodryas dorsalis – striped lizard eater Mastigodryas heathii – Heath's tropical racer Mastigodryas melanolomus – salmon-bellied racer Mastigodryas moratoi Montingelli GG, Zaher H (2011). "New species of Mastigodryas Amaral, 1934 from Brazilian Amazonia and Guyana (Serpentes: Colubridae)". Journal of Herpetology 45 (1): 111-119. Mastigodryas pleii – Plee's tropical racer Mastigodryas pulchriceps – Cope's tropical racer Mastigodryas reticulatus Montingelli GG et al. (2011). "Revalidation of Herpetodryas reticulata (Peters, 1863) (Serpentes: Colubridae) from Ecuador".South American Journal of Herpetology 6 (3): 189-197.
Nota bene: A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Mastigodryas.
References
Further reading Freiberg M (1982). Snakes of South America. Hong Kong: T.F.H. Publications. 189 pp. . (Mastigodryas, pp. 66–67, 77, 103-104, 131, 136-137). https://serpientesdevenezuela.org/mastigodryas-pleei/ https://serpientesdevenezuela.org/mastigodryas-boddaerti/