Boiga ceylonensis

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Cladus: Craniata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Cladus: Reptiliomorpha
Cladus: Amniota
Classis: Reptilia
Cladus: Eureptilia
Cladus: Romeriida
Subclassis: Diapsida
Cladus: Sauria
Infraclassis: Lepidosauromorpha
Superordo: Lepidosauria
Ordo: Squamata
Subordo: Serpentes
Infraordo: Caenophidia
Superfamilia: Colubroidea

Familia: Colubridae
Subfamilia: Colubrinae
Genus: Boiga
Species: Boiga ceylonensis
Name

Boiga ceylonensis (Günther, 1858)

Type locality: Sri Lanka.
Synonyms

Dipsadomorphus ceylonensis Günther, 1858: 176
Dipsas ceylonensis — Günther, 1864
Dipsas nuchalis Günther, 1875 (fide Smith, 1943)
Dipsadomorphus nuchalis — Wall, 1900 (fide Smith, 1943)
Dipsadomorphus beddomei Wall, 1909 (fide Smith, 1943)
Dipsadomorphus andamanensis Wall, 1909 (fide Smith, 1943)
Dipsadomorphus ceylonensis — Wall, 1921: 278
Boiga andamanensis — Wall, 1924 (fide Smith, 1943)
Boiga ceylonensis — Smith, 1943: 351
Boiga ceylonensis — Das, 1996: 54

References

Günther, A. 1858. Catalogue of Colubrine snakes of the British Museum. London, I - XVI, 1 - 281.
Wall, Frank 1921. Ophidia Taprobanica or the Snakes of Ceylon. Colombo Mus. (H. R. Cottle, govt. printer), Colombo. xxii, 581 pages.
Das, I. 1999. Biogeography of the amphibians and reptiles of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India. In: Ota,H. (ed) Tropical Island herpetofauna..., Elsevier, pp. 43-77.
Boiga ceylonensis at the New Reptile Database. Accessed on 20 August 2008.

Vernacular names
English: Sri Lanka Cat Snake

Boiga ceylonensis (Sri Lanka cat snake) is a species of rear-fanged, mildly-venomous, nocturnal, arboreal colubrid snake endemic to Sri Lanka.[1]

Description

This is a thin-bodied, elongate, slim, tree snake. Taxonomic features: Dorsal Scales in 19 rows, oblique ; scales along the vertebral row much enlarged, and at mid body nearly as broad as long. Ventrals scales 217–237; the anals are undivided, subcaudals 95-109. The colour is brown or greyish above, with a series of blackish transverse cross bands ; nape with a blackish blotch, or three blackish longitudinal streaks, or a transverse bar ; a more or less distinct brown crown marking on top of head and a thick streak from the eye to the angle of the mouth ; lower parts yellowish, dotted with brown, usually with a lateral series of small brown dots. They are about 4 feet long from tip to tip with the tail 10 inches.
BoigaWynaad.jpg
Distribution Range

It is an endemic species to Sri Lanka. Previously believed to occur in the Western Ghats of India, but was falsified by recent studies.
Interaction with humans

This snake frequently ventures into human dwellings in search of prey such as geckos. It has a somewhat aggressive disposition and boldly strikes out when disturbed or cornered.[2] This snake is known as Nidi mapila by the Sinhala speaking community of Sri Lanka.[3]
See also

Boiga barnesii

Notes

Boiga ceylonensis at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 28 December 2015.
"Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2008-05-21. Retrieved 2009-11-21.

"WWW Virtual Library: Diversities and linkages in Sri Lanka". lankalibrary.com. Archived from the original on 2008-12-02. Retrieved 2009-11-21.

References

Günther, A. 1858 Catalogue of Colubrine snakes of the British Museum. London, I – XVI, 1 – 281
Wall, Frank 1921 Ophidia Taprobanica or the Snakes of Ceylon. Colombo Mus. (H. R. Cottle, govt. printer), Colombo. xxii, 581 pages
GANESH, S.R., N.S. ACHYUTHAN, S.R. CHANDRAMOULI & GERNOT VOGEL (2020). Taxonomic revision of the Boiga ceylonensis group (Serpentes: Colubridae): re-examination of type specimens, redefinition of nominate taxa and an updated key.4779 (3): 301–332.