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Home/Species/ Red-bellied Mudsnake

Farancia abacura

(Holbrook, 1836)

Red-bellied Mudsnake

G5Secure Found in 3 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
LowThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.106573
Element CodeARADB14010
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicendemic to a single nation
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassReptilia
OrderSquamata
FamilyColubridae
GenusFarancia
Other Common Names
Mud Snake (EN) red-bellied mudsnake (EN)
Concept Reference
McDaniel, V. R., and J. P. Karges. 1983. Farancia abacura.Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles 314.1-314.2.
Taxonomic Comments
Cundall and Rossman (1984) presented skull data indicating substantial divergence between the eastern western subspecies abacura and reinwardtii.
Conservation Status
Review Date2006-08-31
Change Date1996-10-30
Edition Date2006-08-31
Edition AuthorsHammerson, G.
Threat ImpactLow
Range Extent200,000-2,500,000 square km (about 80,000-1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences81 to >300
Range Extent Comments
The range encompasses the Coastal Plain from southeastern Virginia to southern Florida, west to eastern Texas, and north in the Mississippi Valley to southern Illinois (Conant and Collins 1991, Mitchell 1994, Tennant 1997, Phillips et al. 1999, Johnson 2000, Werler and Dixon 2000, Minton 2001, Ernst and Ernst 2003, Trauth et al. 2004).
Occurrences Comments
This species is represented by a large number of occurrences (subpopulations).
Threat Impact Comments
No major threats are known.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Habitat includes marshes, swampy weedy lake margins, wetlands along the edges of large rivers, oxbow lakes, beaver ponds, slow mud-bottomed streams, shallow sloughs with rotting logs, floodplains, drainage ditches, and brackish tidal areas (Dundee and Rossman 1989, Werler and Dixon 2000, Ernst and Ernst 2003, Trauth et al. 2004). This fossorial, semiaquatic snake burrows in soft soil and among wet debris and mats of vegetation along the water's edge. Eggs are laid in earthen cavity, sometimes in alligator nests (Copeia 1993:219-222). In South Carolina, juveniles entered aquatic habitats in spring (mainly) or in fall (Semlitsch et al. 1988).

Reproduction

Lays clutch of 6-104 (usually less than 50) eggs, mostly July-early August. Eggs hatch August-October. Female may stay with eggs until hatching.
Palustrine Habitats
HERBACEOUS WETLANDSCRUB-SHRUB WETLANDFORESTED WETLANDBog/fenRiparian
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
AlabamaSNRYes
MississippiS5Yes
MissouriS2Yes
IndianaSHYes
LouisianaS5Yes
TexasS5Yes
KentuckySNRYes
North CarolinaS4Yes
TennesseeS5Yes
IllinoisSNRYes
FloridaS4Yes
VirginiaS4Yes
South CarolinaS4Yes
OklahomaS2Yes
ArkansasS5Yes
GeorgiaS5Yes
Roadless Areas (3)
Florida (1)
AreaForestAcres
Gum BayApalachicola National Forest11,645
North Carolina (2)
AreaForestAcres
Pond Pine BCroatan National Forest2,961
Sheep Ridge AdditionCroatan National Forest5,808
References (25)
  1. Ashton, R. E., Jr., and P. S. Ashton. 1981. Handbook of reptiles and amphibians of Florida. Part One: The Snakes. Windward Publishing Company, Miami, Florida. 176 pp.
  2. Behler, J. L., and F. W. King. 1979. The Audubon Society field guide to North American reptiles and amphibians. Alfred A. Knopf, New York. 719 pp.
  3. Collins, J. T. 1990. Standard common and current scientific names for North American amphibians and reptiles. 3rd ed. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles. Herpetological Circular No. 19. 41 pp.
  4. Conant, R., and J. T. Collins. 1998. A field guide to reptiles and amphibians: eastern and central North America. Third edition, expanded. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, Massachusetts. 616 pp.
  5. Crother, B. I. (editor). 2008. Scientific and standard English names of amphibians and reptiles of North America north of Mexico, with comments regarding confidence in our understanding. Sixth edition. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles Herpetological Circular 37:1-84. Online with updates at: http://www.ssarherps.org/pages/comm_names/Index.php
  6. Crother, B. I. (editor). 2012. Scientific and standard English names of amphibians and reptiles of North America north of Mexico, with comments regarding confidence in our understanding. 7th edition. SSAR Herpetological Circular 39:1-92.
  7. Crother, B. I. (editor). 2017. Scientific and standard English names of amphibians and reptiles of North America north of Mexico, with comments regarding confidence in our understanding. 8th edition. SSAR Herpetological Circular 43:1-104. [Updates in SSAR North American Species Names Database at: https://ssarherps.org/cndb]
  8. Cundall, D., and D. A. Rossman. 1984. Quantitative comparisons of skull form in the colubrid snake genera <i>Farancia </i>and <i>Pseudoeryx</i>. Herpetologica (1984):388-405.
  9. Dundee, H. A., and D. A. Rossman. 1989. The amphibians and reptiles of Louisiana. Louisiana State University Press, Baton Rouge.
  10. Ernst, C. H., and E. M. Ernst. 2003. Snakes of the United States and Canada. Smithsonian Books, Washington, D.C.
  11. Fitch, H. S. 1970. Reproductive cycles of lizards and snakes. Univ. Kansas Museum Natural History Miscellaneous Publication 52:1-247.
  12. Johnson, T. R. 2000. The amphibians and reptiles of Missouri. Second edition. Missouri Department of Conservation, Jefferson City. 400 pp.
  13. McDaniel, V. R., and J. P. Karges. 1983. Farancia abacura.Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles 314.1-314.2.
  14. Minton, S. A., Jr. 1972. Amphibians and reptiles of Indiana. Indiana Academy Science Monographs 3. v + 346 pp.
  15. Minton, S. A., Jr. 2001. Amphibians & reptiles of Indiana. Revised second edition. Indiana Academy of Science, Indianapolis. xiv + 404 pp.
  16. Mitchell, J. C. 1994. The reptiles of Virginia. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C. xv + 352 pp.
  17. Mount, R. H. 1975. The reptiles and amphibians of Alabama. Auburn University Agricultural Experiment Station, Auburn, Alabama. vii + 347 pp.
  18. Palmer, W. M., and A. L. Braswell. 1995. Reptiles of North Carolina. North Carolina State Museum of Natural Sciences, University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
  19. Phillips, C. A., R. A. Brandon, and E. O. Moll. 1999. Field guide to amphibians and reptiles of Illinois. Illinois Natural History Survey Manual 8. xv + 282 pp.
  20. Semlitsch, R. D., J. H. K. Pechman, and J. W. Gibbons. 1988. Annual emergance of juvenile mud snakes (<i>Farancia abacura</i>) at aquatic habitats. Copeia 1988:243-245.
  21. Tennant, A. 1984. The Snakes of Texas. Texas Monthly Press, Austin, Texas. 561 pp.
  22. Tennant, A. 1997. A field guide to snakes of Florida. Gulf Publishing Company, Houston, Texas. xiii + 257 pp.
  23. Tennant, A. 1998. A field guide to Texas snakes. Second edition. Gulf Publishing Company, Houston, Texas.
  24. Trauth, S. E., H. W. Robison, and M. V. Plummer. 2004. The amphibians and reptiles of Arkansas. University of Arkansas Press.
  25. Werler, J. E., and J. R. Dixon. 2000. Texas snakes: identification, distribution, and natural history. University of Texas Press, Austin. xv + 437 pp.