NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Variegated Snail-eater
Dipsas variegata (Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
Dipsas variegata, the variegated snail-eater, is a snake found in South America. It is reported to feed almost exclusively on tree snails and slugs.
Dipsas trinitatis, the Trinidad snail-eater from Trinidad and Tobago, has sometimes been considered a subspecies of Dipsas variegata (Dipsas variegata trinitatis).
Wikipedia contributors, Dipsas variegata; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T07:56:05.339094+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Dipsas variegata (Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854)
- Name authority
- (Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854)
- Common name
- Variegated Snail-eater
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Colubridae
- Genus
- Dipsas
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classReptilia Laurenti, 1768
- orderSquamata Oppel, 1811
- suborderSerpentes Linnaeus, 1758
- infraorderAlethinophidia Nopcsa, 1923
- familyColubridae
- subfamilyDipsadinae
- genusDipsas
- speciesDipsas variegata (Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Dipsas. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| American Snail-eaterDipsas articulata (Cope, 1868) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Neotropical Snail-eaterDipsas bucephala (Shaw, 1802) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Catesby's Snail-eaterDipsas catesbyi (Sentzen, 1796) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Dipsas chaparensis Reynolds & Foster, 1992 | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Dipsas copei (Günther, 1872) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Dipsas ellipsifera (Boulenger, 1898) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Graceful Snail-eaterDipsas gracilis (Boulenger, 1902) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Jan's Snail-eaterDipsas incerta (Jan, 1863) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Werner's Thirst SnakeDipsas maxillaris (Werner, 1910) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Vermiculate Snail-eaterDipsas vermiculata Peters, 1960 | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Tropical Snail-eaterDipsas sanctijoannis (Boulenger, 1911) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Jan's Snail-eaterDipsas alternans (Fischer, 1885) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Leptognathus robusta Müller, 1924 Müller, 1924 | synonym |
| Leptognathus variegatus Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854 Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854 | synonym |
| Dipsas neivai Amaral, 1926 Amaral, 1926 | synonym |
| Amblycephalus aberrans Werner, 1923 Werner, 1923 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- Duméril, A.M.C., G. BIBRON & A.H.A. DUMÉRIL. (1854). Erpétologie générale ou Histoire Naturelle complète des Reptiles. Vol. 7 (partie 1). Paris, Xvi + 780 S. Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:36QF4. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.