Spectacled hooded snake

The spectacled hooded snake (Suta spectabilis), also known commonly as the Port Lincoln snake, is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is native to central-southern Australia. There are three recognized subspecies.

Geographic range
S. spectabilis is found in the Australian states of New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia.

Habitat
The preferred natural habitats of S. spectabilis are grassland and shrubland.

Description
Adults of S. spectabilis have an average snout-to-vent length (SVL) of 26.5 cm, and the length of the tail is on average 12.5% SVL. The maximum recorded SVL is 35.6 cm.

Reproduction
S. spectabilis is viviparous.

Subspecies
Including the nominotypical subspecies, three subspecies are recognized as being valid.
 * Suta spectabilis bushi (Storr, 1988)
 * Suta spectabilis nullarbor (Storr, 1981)
 * Suta spectabilis spectabilis (Krefft, 1869)

Nota bene: A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Parasuta.

Etymology
The subspecific name, bushi, is in honor of Australian herpetologist Brian Gordon Bush (born 1947).