Citation: Midtgaard, Rune. RepFocus - A Survey of the Reptiles of the World. (www.repfocus.dk).
Latest update:
July 22nd, 2024.
 
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Genus
Helicops
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South American Keelbacks, South American Water Snakes, Neotropical Water Snakes
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Scheelaugennattern
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Sydamerikanske Vandsnoge
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1828 |  |
Helicops Wagler (type species: Coluber carinicaudus Wied 1824) |
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1843 | |
Tachynectes Fitzinger (type species: Homalopsis leopardina Schlegel 1837) |
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1843 | |
Uranops Fitzinger (type species: Coluber angulatus Linnaeus 1758) |
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1849 | |
Uranops Gray [not Uranops Fitzinger 1843 (Serpentes)] (type species: Coluber angulatus Linnaeus 1758) |
Contents:
21 species, of which 13 (61.9%) are endemic.
Endemism: 0%  100%
Distribution:
South America.
Reported from:
Argentina,
Bolivia,
Brazil
(Acre,
Alagoas,
Amapa,
Amazonas,
Bahia,
Ceara,
Distrito Federal,
Espirito Santo,
Goias,
Maranhao,
Mato Grosso,
Mato Grosso do Sul,
Minas Gerais,
Para
[incl.
Marajo Island],
Paraiba,
Parana,
Pernambuco,
Piaui,
Rio de Janeiro,
Rio Grande do Norte,
Rio Grande do Sul,
Rondonia,
Roraima,
Santa Catarina,
Sao Paulo,
Sergipe,
Tocantins),
Colombia,
Ecuador,
French Guiana,
Guyana,
Paraguay,
Peru,
Surinam,
Trinidad & Tobago
(Trinidad),
Uruguay,
Venezuela.
| |
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Helicops acangussu
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Rondonia Keelback
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Rondonia-Scheelaugennatter
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Rondonia-vandsnog
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2021 | |
Helicops acangussu Moraes-da-Silva, Walterman, Citelic, Nunesa & Curcio |
Distribution:
Brazil
(Rondonia).
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Helicops angulatus
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Brown-banded Keelback, Banded South American Water Snake
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Braunbändige Scheelaugennatter
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Brunbåndet Vandsnog
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1758 | |
Coluber angulatus Linnaeus |
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Helicops angulatus Wagler 1830 |
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1802 | |
Coluber Surinamensis Shaw (Peters & Orejas-Miranda 1970) |
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1824 | |
Natrix aspera Wagler (Peters & Orejas-Miranda 1970) |
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1869 | |
Helicops fumigatus Cope (Peters & Orejas-Miranda 1970) |
Remarks:
Previously included cyclops.
Distribution:
Bolivia,
Brazil
(Acre,
Alagoas,
Amapa,
Amazonas,
Bahia,
Ceara,
Distrito Federal,
Goias,
Maranhao,
Mato Grosso,
Mato Grosso do Sul,
Minas Gerais,
Para
[incl.
Marajo Island],
Paraiba,
Pernambuco,
Piaui,
Rio Grande do Norte,
Rondonia,
Roraima,
Sergipe,
Tocantins),
Colombia,
Ecuador,
French Guiana,
Guyana,
Peru,
Surinam,
Trinidad & Tobago
(Trinidad),
Venezuela.
|
|
|
Helicops apiaka
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Apiaká Keelback
|
|
Apiaká-Scheelaugennatter
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Apiaká-vandsnog
|
|
2013 | |
Helicops apiaka Kawashita-Ribeiro, Ávila & Morais |
Distribution:
Brazil
(Mato Grosso).
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|
Helicops boitata
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Poconé Keelback
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Poconé-Scheelaugennatter
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Poconé-vandsnog
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2019 | |
Helicops boitata Moraes-da-Silva, Amaro, Sales Nunes, Strüssmann, Teixeira, Andrade, Sudré, Recoder, Rodrigues & Curcio |
Distribution:
Brazil
(Mato Grosso).
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Helicops carinicaudus
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Keel-tailed Keelback
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Kielschwanznatter
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Keel-tailed Keelback
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1824 | |
Coluber carinicaudus Wied |
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Helicops carinicaudus Wagler 1830 |
Remarks:
Previously included infrataeniatus. Records from Colombia (Pérez-Santos & Moreno 1988) refer to danieli (Yuki 1994).
Correct publication year of the original description is 1824, not 1825 (Vanzolini & Myers 2015; Costa & Bérnils 2015).
Records from Mato Grosso do Sul are erroneous (Costa & Bérnils 2018).
Distribution:
Brazil
(Bahia,
Espirito Santo,
Minas Gerais,
Parana,
Rio de Janeiro,
Rio Grande do Sul,
Santa Catarina,
Sao Paulo).
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Helicops cyclops
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Bahia Keelback
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Bahia-Scheelaugennatter
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Bahia-vandsnog
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1869 | |
Helicops cyclops Cope |
Remarks:
Previously regarded as a synonym of angulatus (e.g., Peters & Orejas-Miranda 1970).
Revalidated as a separate species by Murphy, Muñoz-Mérida, Auguste, Lasso-Alcalá, Rivas & Jowers (2020).
Distribution:
Brazil
(Bahia).
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Helicops danieli
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Colombian Keelback
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Kolumbianische Scheelaugennatter
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Colombiansk Vandsnog
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1938 | |
Helicops danieli Amaral |
Distribution:
Colombia.
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Helicops gomesi
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São Paulo Keelback
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São-Paulo-Scheelaugennatter
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São Paulo-vandsnog
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1922 | |
Helicops gomesi Amaral |
Remarks:
Correct publication year of the original description is 1922, not 1921 (Vanzolini 1977; Costa & Bérnils 2015).
Distribution:
Brazil
(Goias,
Mato Grosso do Sul,
Minas Gerais,
Parana,
Sao Paulo).
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Helicops hagmanni
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Amazonian Keelback
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Amazonas-Scheelaugennatter
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Amazonas-vandsnog
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1910 | |
Helicops hagmanni Roux |
Remarks:
Claimed to occur also in Peru by Calderon, Ortega, Nogueira, Gagliardi, Schargel & Rivas (2019).
This needs verification.
Distribution:
Brazil
(Acre,
Amapa,
Amazonas,
Para
[incl.
Marajo Island],
Rondonia),
Colombia,
Venezuela.
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Helicops infrataeniatus
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Surinam Keelback, Pampean Water Snake
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Surinam-Scheelaugennatter
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Surinam-vandsnog
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1865 | |
Helicops infrataeniatus Jan |
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Helicops carinicauda infrataeniata Griffin 1916 |
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1865 | |
Helicops carinicaudus gastrosticta Jan (Peters & Orejas-Miranda 1970) |
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1878 | |
Helicops trivittatus Cope [not Myron trivittatus Gray 1849] (Peters & Orejas-Miranda 1970) |
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1885 | |
Helicops baliogaster Cope (Peters & Orejas-Miranda 1970) |
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1897 | |
Helicops pictiventris Werner (Cei 1993) |
Remarks:
Previously regarded as a subspecies of carinicaudus. Revalidated as a separate species by Deiques & Cechin (1991).
Distribution:
Argentina,
Brazil
(Distrito Federal,
Goias,
Mato Grosso do Sul,
Parana,
Rio Grande do Sul,
Santa Catarina,
Sao Paulo),
Paraguay,
Uruguay.
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Helicops leopardinus
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Leopard Keelback, Spotted Keelback
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Leopard-Kielschwanznatter
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Leopard-vandsnog
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1837 | |
Homalopsis leopardina Schlegel |
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Helicops leopardinus Jan 1865 |
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1854 | |
Helicops leprieurii Duméril, Bibron & Duméril (Peters & Orejas-Miranda 1970) |
Remarks:
Presence in Colombia, although previously reported (Pérez-Santos & Moreno 1988), needs confirmation.
Although presence in Guyana has been questioned (Cole, Townsend, Reynolds, MacCulloch & Lathrop 2013), the species has been reported from the country by Avila-Pires (2005) and Kuijpers (2024).
Distribution:
Argentina,
Bolivia,
Brazil
(Alagoas,
Amapa,
Amazonas,
Bahia,
Ceara,
Distrito Federal,
Maranhao,
Mato Grosso,
Mato Grosso do Sul,
Minas Gerais,
Para
[incl.
Marajo Island],
Paraiba,
Pernambuco,
Piaui,
Rio Grande do Norte,
Rondonia,
Sergipe,
Tocantins),
Ecuador,
French Guiana,
Guyana,
Paraguay,
Peru,
Surinam.
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Helicops modestus
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Brazilian Olive Keelback
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Brasilianische Braune Scheelaugennatter
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Brasiliansk Brun Vandsnog
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1861 | |
Helicops modestus Günther |
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1866 | |
Helicops assimilis Reinhardt (Peters & Orejas-Miranda 1970) |
Distribution:
Brazil
(Bahia,
Distrito Federal,
Goias,
Mato Grosso,
Mato Grosso do Sul,
Minas Gerais,
Parana,
Santa Catarina,
Sao Paulo).
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Helicops nentur
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Minas Gerais Keelback
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Minas-Gerais-Scheelaugennatter
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Minas Gerais-vandsnog
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2016 | |
Helicops nentur Costa, Santana, Leal, Koroiva & Garcia |
Distribution:
Brazil
(Minas Gerais).
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Helicops pastazae
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Pastaza River Keelback
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Pastaza-Scheelaugennatter
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Pastaza-vandsnog
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1934 | |
Helicops pastazae Shreve |
Distribution:
Colombia,
Ecuador,
Peru,
Venezuela.
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Helicops petersi
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Napo Keelback
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Napo-Scheelaugennatter
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Napo-vandsnog
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1976 | |
Helicops petersi Rosmann |
Distribution:
Ecuador.
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Helicops phantasma
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Phantom Keelback
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Fantom-Scheelaugennatter
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Fantom-vandsnog
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2021 | |
Helicops phantasma Moraes-da-Silva, Amaro, Sales Nunes, Rodrigues & Curcio |
Remarks:
Distribution:
Brazil
(Maranhao,
Mato Grosso,
Tocantins).
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Helicops polylepis
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South American Many-scaled Keelback
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Vielschuppige Scheelaugennatter
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Mangeskællet Vandsnog
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1861 | |
Helicops polylepis Günther |
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1862 | |
Tachynectes chrysostictus Cope (Peters & Orejas-Miranda 1970) |
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1865 | |
Helicops spixii Jan (Peters & Orejas-Miranda 1970) |
Distribution:
Bolivia,
Brazil
(Acre,
Amapa,
Amazonas,
Goias,
Mato Grosso,
Mato Grosso do Sul,
Para
[incl.
Marajo Island],
Rondonia,
Tocantins),
Colombia,
Peru.
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Helicops scalaris
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Ladder Keelback
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Treppen-Scheelaugennatter
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Trappe-vandsnog
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1865 | |
Helicops scalaris Jan |
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1964 | |
Helicops hogei Lancini (Rossman 2002) |
Remarks:
Rossman (2002) synonymized hogei with scalaris, which is followed herein, however, some authors have retained hogei as a valid species
(e.g., Avila-Pires 2005; Rivas-Fuenmayor, Molina, Ugueto, Barros, Barrio-Amorós & Kok 2012; Mumaw, González & Fernández 2015).
Distribution:
Colombia,
Venezuela.
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Helicops tapajonicus
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Tapajós River Keelback
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Tapajós-Scheelaugennatter
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Tapajós-vandsnog
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|
2005 | |
Helicops tapajonicus Da Frota |
Distribution:
Brazil
(Para).
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Helicops trivittatus
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Three-striped Keelback
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Dreistreifige Scheelaugennatter
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Trestribet Vandsnog
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1849 | |
Myron trivittatus Gray |
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Helicops trivittatus Boulenger 1863 |
Distribution:
Brazil
(Amapa,
Goias,
Maranhao,
Mato Grosso,
Para
[incl.
Marajo Island],
Tocantins).
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Helicops yacu
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Loreto Keelback
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Loreto-Scheelaugennatter
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Loreto-vandsnog
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1975 | |
Helicops yacu Rossman & Dixon |
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Hydrops yacu [lapsus?] Henle & Ehrl 1991 |
Remarks:
Rossman & Abe (1979) suggested that yacu might be as subspecies of pastazae.
Presence in Brazil reported by Rossman & Abe (1979), but apparently overlooked by subsequent workers (e.g., Costa & Bernils 2015).
Distribution:
Brazil
(Acre),
Peru.
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