Gould's hooded snake (Suta gouldii), also known commonly as the black-headed snake and Gould's black-headed snake, is a species of venomous snake in the familyElapidae. The species is endemic to Western Australia.[1]
Adults of S. gouldii have an average snout-to-vent length (SVL) of 30 cm (12 in), and the length of the tail is on average 13.3% SVL. The maximum recorded SVL is 47 cm (19 in).[4]
Although S. gouldii is venomous, its bite is considered to be of lesser medical significance. A life-threatening envenomation is unlikely, but a debilitating injury is possible.[5]
^Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN978-1-4214-0135-5. (Suta gouldii, p. 104).
^Storr GM (1981). "The Denisonia gouldii species-group (Serpentes, Elapidae) in Western Australia". Records of the Western Australian Museum8 (4): 501–515. (Denisonia gouldii, pp. 508–512, Figure 4).
^Bush, Brian; Maryan, Brad (2006). Snakes and Snake-like Reptiles of Southern Western Australia: A guide to their identification and medical significance for outdoor workers: An important resource for every regional medical professional. Stoneville, Perth, Western Australia: Snakes Harmful & Harmless. 40 pp. ("Gould's Hooded Snake", p. 23, Figure 40).
Further reading
Cogger HG (2014). Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia, Seventh Edition. Clayton, Victoria, Australia: CSIRO Publishing. xxx + 1,033 pp. ISBN978-0643100350.
Gray JE (1841). "Description of some new Species and four new Genera of Reptiles from Western Australia, discovered by John Gould, Esq." Annals and Magazine of Natural History, [First Series ] 7: 86–91. (Elaps gouldii, new species, p. 91).
Maryan B, Brennan IG, Hutchinson MR, Geidans LS (2020). "What's under the hood? Phylogeny and taxonomy of the snake genera Parasuta Worrell and Suta Worrell (Squamata:Elapidae), with a description of a new species from the Pilbara, Western Australia". Zootaxa4778 (1): 1–47.
Wilson S, Swan G (2013). A Complete Guide to Reptiles of Australia, Fourth Edition. Sydney: New Holland Publishers. 522 pp. ISBN978-1921517280.