Malayan green whipsnake
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Colubridae
Genus: Ahaetulla
Species:
A. mycterizans
Binomial name
Ahaetulla mycterizans
(Linnaeus, 1758)[2]
Synonyms

Coluber mycterizans Linnaeus, 1758
Coluber nasutus Lacépède, 1789
Dryophis xanthozonia Boie, 1827
Tragops xanthozonius Duméril & Bibron, 1854
Passerita mycterizans Günther, 1859
Dryophis xanthozonia Boulenger, 1896
Ahaetulla mycterizans Link, 1807
Dryophis xnathozona Boulenger, 1896
Dryophis mycterizans Evans, 1905
Dryophis mycterizans Wall, 1908
Dryophis mycterizans Wall, 1921
Passerita xanthozonia Smith, 1930
Dryophis mycterizans Smith, 1943
Dryophis mycterizans Tweedie, 1950
Ahaetulla mycterizans Cox et al., 1998

Ahaetulla mycterizans, the Malayan green whipsnake[3] or Malayan vine snake,[1] is a slender arboreal snake found in Western Peninsular Malaysia, Java and Sumatra of Indonesia,[4] Singapore, Thailand and possibly Laos up to elevation of 350 m.[3]

Description and ecology

The Malayan green whipsnake is diurnal and mildly venomous. Occurs in primary and mature secondary forests near streams. The diet, like other whip snakes, consists primarily of frogs and lizards. These slow moving snakes often appear like vines amongst foliage and are hard to detect. The anterior part of the body can expand when threatened exposing the dark scales. It is often confused with the oriental whipsnake (Ahaetulla prasina) but the former does not occur in disturbed areas or parks or gardens, especially in its distributional range of Singapore. The Malayan whipsnake can be distinguished from the oriental whipsnake by the former having larger eyes and the flanks lacking a thin yellow line. The former is also smaller (up to 1 m snout to vent length) as compared to the oriental whipsnake which can grow up to 2 m.[5]

Very little is known about the ecology and natural history of this species.[6]

References

  1. 1 2 Grismer, L.; Chan-Ard, T. (2012). "Ahaetulla mycterizans". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2012: e.T191914A2014767. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2012-1.RLTS.T191914A2014767.en. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  2. ↑ Linnaeus, C. 1758. Systema naturæ per regna tria naturæ, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Tomus I. Editio decima, reformata. Laurentii Salvii, Holmiæ. 10th Edition: 824 pp.
  3. 1 2 Ahaetulla mycterizans at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 20 October 2014.
  4. ↑ Miralles and David 2010. First record of Ahaetulla mycterizans (Linnaeus, 1758) (Reptilia, Squamata, Colubridae) from Sumatra, Indonesia, with an expanded definition. Zoosystema 32(3): 449-456.
  5. ↑ Nick Baker (2014). "Big-eye Green Whip Snake". Ecology Asia.
  6. ↑ Cox, M.J., van Dijk, P.P., Nabhitabhata, J. and Thirakhupt, K. 1998. A Photographic Guide to Snakes and Other Reptiles of Thailand and South-East Asia. Asia Books, Bangkok.
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