Dendrelaphis pictus | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Order: | Squamata |
Suborder: | Serpentes |
Family: | Colubridae |
Subfamily: | Ahaetuliinae |
Genus: | Dendrelaphis |
Species: | D. pictus |
Binomial name | |
Dendrelaphis pictus (Gmelin, 1789) | |
Synonyms | |
Dendrophis pictus |
Dendrelaphis pictus, commonly known as either the common bronzeback, painted bronzeback, or Indonesian bronzeback, is a species of colubrid snake found in Southeast Asia.
Dendrelaphis pictus belongs to the genus Dendrelaphis , which contains 48 other described species. [2]
Dendrelaphis is one of five genera belonging to the vine snake subfamily Ahaetuliinae, of which Dendrelaphis is most closely related to Chrysopelea , as shown in the cladogram below: [3]
Ahaetuliinae |
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It if found throughout Southeast Asian forests in Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, China, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, and Singapore. Populations from India, Bangladesh, and Myanmar are now considered to belong to the separate species Dendrelaphis proarchos . [4]
The snake's colouration is olive or brown above with a yellow lateral stripe, bordered below by a dark line between the outer scales and the ventrals. A black stripe on each side of the head passes through the eye, widens or breaks up into spots, separated by bluish-green bands on the nape. The upper lip is yellow, and the lower surface yellowish or greenish. Length of head and body approximately 740 mm and the tail 440 mm.
The maxillary teeth number from 23 to 26, the eye is as long as the distance between the nostril and eye. The rostral scale is more broad than deep, and is visible from above. Internasal scales are as long as, or slightly shorter than, the prefrontal scales. The frontal scale is as long as its distance from the rostral or the tip of the snout, but shorter than the parietal scales. The loreal is long and there is one preocular and two postoculars. The temporal scales are 2+2, 1+1, or 1+2. There are nine (seven or eight) upper labials, with the fifth and sixth (or fourth to sixth) entering the eye. This snake has five (four) lower labials in contact with the anterior chin shields the latter shorter than the posterior, which are separated by one anterior and two posterior scales. Scales are in 15 rows, vertebrals about as large as the outer. Ventrals number 151–204, the anal scale is divided, and subcaudals number 103–174. [5]
It is a fully arboreal and diurnal, with oviparous reproduction. [4]
Ahaetulla perroteti, known commonly as the bronze-headed vine snake, Perrotet's vine snake, or the Western Ghats bronzeback, is a species of mildly venomous, rear-fanged snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to the Western Ghats in South India.
Dendrelaphis bifrenalis, also called Boulenger's bronzeback, Boulenger's bronze-back, and Travancore bronze-brown snake, is a colubrid snake native to Eastern Ghats of Southern India and Sri Lanka. It was first described by George Albert Boulenger in 1890. Dendrelaphis wickrorum from Sri Lanka was previously confused with this species.
Dendrelaphis cyanochloris, commonly known as Wall's bronzeback or the blue bronzeback, is a species of colubrid snake found in Southeast Asia.
Dendrelaphis grandoculis, commonly called as the large-eyed bronzeback or southern bronzeback, is a species of Colubrid snake endemic to the Western Ghats of southwestern India.
Dendrelaphis humayuni, also known commonly as the Nicobar bronzeback or Tiwari's bronzeback, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to the Nicobar Islands of India.
Dendrelaphis tristis is a species of colubrid tree-snake found in South Asia.
Ptyas mucosa, commonly known as the Oriental rat snake, dhaman or Indian rat snake, is a common non-venomous species of colubrid snake found in parts of South and Southeast Asia. Dhamans are large snakes. Typical mature total length is around 1.5 to 1.95 m though some exceed 2 m. The record length for this species was 3.7 m, second only to their cousin Ptyas carinata among living colubrid snakes. Despite their large size, oriental ratsnakes are usually quite slender with even a specimen of 2 m commonly measuring 4 to 6 cm only around in diameter. Furthermore, the average weight of ratsnakes caught in Java was around 877 to 940 g, though larger males of over 2.3 m may easily weigh over 2.5 kg (5.5 lb). Their color varies from pale browns in dry regions to nearly black in moist forest areas. Rat snakes are diurnal, semi-arboreal, non-venomous, and fast-moving. Rat snakes eat a variety of prey and are frequently found in urban areas where rodents thrive.
The checkered keelback, also known commonly as the Asiatic water snake, is a common species in the subfamily Natricinae of the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to Asia. It is non-venomous.
Psammophis leithii, commonly called the Pakistan sand racer, Pakistani ribbon snake, or Leith's sand snake, is a species of rear-fanged snake in the family Psammophiidae. The species is native to South Asia. It is harmless to humans.
Calliophis nigriscens, commonly known as the black coral snake or striped coral snake, is a species of venomous elapid snake endemic to the Western Ghats, India.
Dendrelaphis caudolineatus, commonly known as the striped bronzeback or grey bronzeback, is a species of colubrid snake found in Southeast Asia.
Dendrelaphis is a genus of colubrid snakes, distributed from Pakistan, India and southern China to Indonesia, Timor-Leste, the Philippines, Australia, New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. There are over forty described species. Asian species are known commonly as bronzebacks, while the Australo-Papuan species are simply called treesnakes. All are non-venomous and entirely harmless to humans.
Polemon neuwiedi, called commonly the Ivory Coast snake-eater or Neuwied's polemon, is a species of mildly venomous rear-fanged snake in the family Atractaspididae. The species is endemic to West Africa.
Dendrelaphis schokari, also known as the common bronze-back or Schokar's bronzeback, is a species of non-venomous arboreal snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to Sri Lanka.
Dendrelaphis girii, Giri's bronzeback tree snake or Giri's bronzeback, is a species of diurnal, arboreal, Colubrid snake endemic to the Western Ghats of southwestern India.
Ahaetulla mycterizans, the Malayan green whipsnake or Malayan vine snake, is a slender arboreal colubrid vine snake found in Southeast Asia.
Dendrelaphis formosus, commonly known as either the elegant bronzeback or beautiful bronzeback tree snake, is a snake species in the family Colubridae from Southeast Asia.
Dendrelaphis haasi, also known commonly as Haas' bronzeback, Haas's bronzeback, Haas's bronzeback snake, and Haas's bronzeback tree snake, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is native to Southeast Asia.
Dendrelaphis ngansonensis, commonly known as either the Nganson bronzeback or Nganson bronzeback tree snake, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae, sound in Southeast Asia.
Dendrelaphis striatus, commonly known as the banded bronzeback or striated bronzeback treesnake, is a species of snake of the family Colubridae found in Southeast Asia.