Hemiaspis signata
Silhouette: SeismicShrimp · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Hemiaspis signata (common names: black-bellied swamp snake and marsh snake) is a species of venomous elapid snake endemic to Australia, where it is found along the east coast. Recognisable by two distinctive narrow white lines on the face, the colour can range from pale olive to black top with a dark grey to black belly. Adults can grow to 70 cm in length, but most specimens are smaller than this. Their diet consists mainly of skinks and frogs.
It was first described in 1859 by Giorgio Jan as Alecto signata. Boulenger GA. 1896. Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume III., Containing the Colubridæ (Opisthoglyphæ and Proteroglyphæ)... London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiv + 727 pp. + Plates I-XXV. (Denisonia signata, pp. 338–339).
Jan G, Sordelli F. 1873. Iconographie générale des Ophidiens, Quarante-troisième livraison. Paris: Baillière. Index + Plates I-VI. (Alecto signata, Plate VI, figure 5). (in French). Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lamington National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Springbrook National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Royal National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Daintree National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Black-bellied Swamp Snake sighting in Brisbane on a given day, based on 15 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 33rd most-seen of the 43 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January, April–May and October
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Black-bellied Swamp Snake in Brisbane on a given day, against under 5% in February–March, June–September and November–December, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Black-bellied Swamp Snake sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 2 cities where we can rate Black-bellied Swamp Snake sightings, Brisbane ranks 2nd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Sydney (Australia, under 5%).
Same family: Elapidae
The closest relatives of the Black-bellied Swamp Snake that you can see in Brisbane (family Elapidae, Elapid Snakes) are Red-bellied Black Snake (about 10%), Yellow-faced Whipsnake (about 10%) and Eastern Brown Snake (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Black-bellied Swamp Snake is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Brisbane (15 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
