Dendrelaphis caudolineatus

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
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: Ahaetuliinae
Genus: Dendrelaphis
Species: Dendrelaphis caudolineatus
Subspecies: D. c. caudolineatus – D. c. flavescens – D. c. luzonensis – D. c. modestus – D. c. terrificus
Name

Dendrelaphis caudolineatus (Gray in Gray & Hardwicke, 1834)

Type locality: Malay Peninsula.
Synonyms

Ahaetulla caudolineata Gray in Gray & Hardwicke, 1834
Leptophis caudalineatus Cantor, 1847
Dendrophis sex lineata in Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854
Dendrophis octo-lineata Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854: 201
Dendrophis octolineatus - Bleeker, 1858
Dendrophis caudolineatus - Stoliczka, 1873
Dendrophis caudolineata - Günther, 1858
Dendrelaphis caudolineatus - Boulenger, 1890
Dendrophis caudolineatus — Wall, 1921: 218
Dendrophis effrenis — Wall, 1921: 219
Dendrelaphis caudolineatus — Boulenger, 1894: 85
Dendrelaphis modestus — Boulenger, 1894: 91
Dendrophis caudolineatus caudolineatus - Meise & Hennig, 1932
Ahaetulla caudolineata — Smith, 1943
Ahaetulla caudolineata caudolineata - Haas, 1950
Ahaetulla caudolineata — Tweedie, 1950
Dendrelaphis caudolineatus caudolineatus - Leviton, 1968
Dendrelaphis caudolineatus caudolineatus — Gaulke, 1999
Dendrelaphis caudolineatus — Manthey & Grossmann, 1997: 336
Dendrelaphis caudolineatus — Cox et al., 1998: 70
Dendrelaphis caudolineata — Sharma, 2004

References

Gray. J. E. 1835. Illustrations of Indian Zoology, chiefly selected from the collection of Major - General Hardwicke. Vol. 2. London (1833-1834): 263 pp., 95 plates.
Leviton, A.E. 1970. Contributions to a review of Philippine snakes, XII. The Philippine snakes of the genus Dendrelaphis (Serpentes: Colubridae). Philippine J. Sci. 97 (4): 371–396.
Gaulke, M. 2001. Die Herpetofauna von Sibaliw (Panay), einem der letzten Tieflandregenwaldgebiete der West-Visayas, Philippinen. Teil II: Schlangen. Herpetofauna 23 (131): 23–34.
Dendrelaphis caudolineatus at the New Reptile Database. Accessed on 25 August 2008.

Vernacular names
English: Gray Bronzeback, Striped Bronzeback

Dendrelaphis caudolineatus is a common species of colubrid snake known commonly as the striped bronzeback or bronze tree snake. It is erroneously called 'garter snake' in the Philippines. It is not venomous and it is the most commonly sold snake as a pet. Though in captivity, they don't live as long as in the wild.

There are five subspecies which range in distribution from: southern Burma to Sulawesi, the Philippines and the Maluku Islands.
Description

Dendrelaphis caudolineatus is a rather small and thin snake, it can reach a length of 180 centimeters but is usually closer to 140 cm.

The males are usually thinner than females but are more colorful, ranging from a reddish shade or bright chestnut brown, to a shiny bronze color. The females are usually dull-colored, and more stout-bodied than the males. It is also observed that females of this species tend to be less active than the males.

It is mostly arboreal but rarely climbs higher than 4 meters and is mostly found in the open ground or on grassy plains. It has been recorded in most habitats in its range, from coastal lowlands to mountainous areas up to 1500 in elevation. It feeds mainly on lizards and tree frogs.

Subspecies

Dendrelaphis caudolineatus caudolineatus (Gray, 1834) is fairly widespread from Myanmar−Burma and Thailand to Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore, Sumatra, and into the Philippines.
Dendrelaphis caudolineatus flavescens (Gaulke, 1994) which was discovered in Tawi-Tawi Island, Sulu Archipelago.[1]
Dendrelaphis caudolineatus luzonensis (Leviton, 1964) is found in Luzon, Philippines.[2]
Dendrelaphis caudolineatus modestus (Boulenger, 1894) is found on the Maluku Islands and other regions of Indonesia.[3]
Dendrelaphis caudolineatus terrificus (Peters, 1871) is found across northeast Sulawesi and into Mindanao. It is also found in the islands of Panay and Negros, Philippines.[2]

References

Gaulke, Maren (1994). "CONTRIBUTION TO THE SNAKE FAUNA OF THE SULU ARCHIPELAG O, WITH THE DESCRIPTION OF A NEW SUBSPECIES OF DENDRELAPHIS CAUDOL INEATUS (GRAY, 1 834)". Herpetological Journal. 4: 136–144. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
Guide to Philippine Flora and Fauna: Amphibians and reptiles. Natural Resources Management Center, Ministry of Natural Resources and University of the Philippines. 1986. ISBN 978-971-10-2628-8. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
David, Patrick; Vogel, Gernot (1996). The Snakes of Sumatra: An Annotated Checklist and Key with Natural History Notes. Ed. Chimaira. p. 75. ISBN 978-3-930612-08-6. Retrieved 16 December 2021.