Ecology and conservation of the Pale-headed Snake (Hoplocephalus bitorquatus, Elapidae)

Abstract

The Pale-headed Snake, Hoplocephalus bitorquatus (Jan 1859), is a slender-bodied, arboreal, venomous snake that is widely, but patchily, distributed through coastal and inland eastern Australia. We summarise existing knowledge on the conservation status and the ecology of this taxon, and provide original data based on fieldwork at a study site on the Namoi River (a river red gum - coolabah woodland). Four radio-tracked snakes spent long periods hidden within tree hollows, usually in Coolabah Trees. The telemetered snakes moved infrequently, with one gravid female remaining within the same tree for 6' days. Overall, strong similarities are evident between the Pale-headed Snake and two congeneric species that have attracted more detailed previous research. Those similarities, and the range of threatening processes affecting inland riparian ecosystems, suggest that the Pale-headed Snake may be of significant conservation concern and thus, warrant more intensive study.