[3] It is sometimes incorrectly called ringed hognose snake, the common name for Xenodon semicinctus.

This snake is distinguishable by its namesake upturned rostral scale and striking banded pattern of white stripes bordered with black on a red base.

[4] When threatened, it may use a defensive display involving bluff strikes, neck flattening, and spastic movements similar to coral snakes.

[5] While these snakes possess a relatively stocky body shape similar to Heterodon, they are usually somewhat smaller and slimmer.

X. pulcher is primarily found in the Chaco bioregion,[3] extending through Bolivia, Paraguay, and northern Argentina.