COMMON MUSSURANA Clelia clelia
Mussuranas are large, ophidiophagous (snake-eating) snakes that are notable for their immunity to the venom of the most deadly viperids. They are rare in Paraguay and very few confirmed records exist. Further confusion is introduced by the misidentification of Boiruna maculata as species of Clelia, particularly in the earlier literature, but while there is some overlap in the range of the two in the watershed of the Paraguay River, this species is distributed mainly in eastern Paraguay and Boiruna mainly in the Chaco.
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FIGURE 1 - (FPREP831PH) Adult dorsal, Caazapá near Rio Pirapó, Departamento Caazapá (Hugo del Castillo February 2012).
FIGURE 2 - (FPREP832PH) Same individual as (FPREP831PH) lateral (Hugo del Castillo February 2012).
FIGURE 3 - (FPREP833PH) Same individual as (FPREP831PH) head detail (Hugo del Castillo February 2012).
FIGURE 1

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 2

FIGURE 2
FIGURE 3

FIGURE 3
Thanks to Norman Scott for assistance in the identification of this specimen.
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Photographs on this page were taken by Hugo del Castillo and are used with permission.