Gonyosoma boulengeri

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: Gonyosoma
Species: Gonyosoma boulengeri
Name

Gonyosoma boulengeri (Mocquard, 1897)

Syntypes (6): MNHN 1897.94–99, ♂ and ♀, obtained from Lichtenfelder in 1897.
Type locality: “des îles Norway, de la baie d’Along, dans le golfe de Tonkin”.

Combinations

Rhynchophis boulengeri Mocquard, 1897: 215 [original combination]
Gonyosoma boulengeri — Chen et al., 2014: 537 [subsequent combination]

Synonyms

Proboscidophis versicolor Fan, 1931: 114 [synonymised by Pope (1935: 277)]
Holotype: SYS, ♀, collected by K.K. Wong.
Type locality: “Kutchen, Kwangsi”.
Paratype: SYS, ♂, collected by K.K. Wong, from “Loshiang, Kwangsi”.

References
Primary references

Mocquard, F. 1897. Notes herpétologiques. Bulletin du Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle 3(6): 211–217. BHL
Fan, T.-H. 1931. Preliminary report of reptiles from Yaoshan, Kwangsi, China. Bulletin of the Department of Biology, Sun Yatsen University 11: 1–154, 9 pls. Reference page.
Pope, C.H. 1935. The reptiles of China: turtles, crocodilians, snakes, lizards. American Museum of Natural History: New York. lii + 604 pp., 27 pls. BHL Reference page.
Chen, X., McKelvy, A.D., Grismer, L.L., Matsui, M., Nishikawa, K. & Burbrink, F.T. 2014. The phylogenetic position and taxonomic status of the Rainbow Tree Snake Gonyophis margaritatus (Peters, 1871) (Squamata: Colubridae). Zootaxa 3881(6): 532–548. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3881.6.3 Paywall Reference page.

Links

Uetz, P. & Hallermann, J. 2022. Rhynchophis boulengeri. The Reptile Database. Accessed on 25 June 2021.
Rao, D.-q. & Lau, M. 2012. IUCN: Rhynchophis boulengeri (Least Concern). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2012: e.T190628A1955324. DOI: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2012-1.RLTS.T190628A1955324.en

Vernacular names
Deutsch: Vietnamesischen Langnasennatter
English: Rhinoceros Ratsnake

The rhinoceros ratsnake (Gonyosoma boulengeri) , also commonly known as the rhinoceros snake, rhino rat snake, and Vietnamese longnose snake,[3] is a species of nonvenomous ratsnake in the family Colubridae. The species is found from northern Vietnam to southern China. It has a prominent, distinctive, scaled protrusion on the front of its snout, which has led to its common naming after a rhinoceros.[4]

Etymology

The specific name, boulengeri, is in honor of Belgian-British biologist George Albert Boulenger.[5][6][7]
Geographic range

G. boulengeri is found in northern Vietnam including Tam Dao,[8] and in southern China.[9] During a 2001 survey, 10 specimens were observed in Yên Bái Province, northern Vietnam.[10]
Description
Rhinoceros ratsnake showing full body coils

The adult size of G. boulengeri is 100–160 cm (39–63 in) in total length (including tail). Its scale count includes 19 rows of dorsals at midbody.[9]
Natural history

The rhinoceros ratsnake inhabits subtropical rainforests at elevations between 300 and 1,100 m (980 and 3,610 ft), particularly valleys with streams. It is generally arboreal, and mostly nocturnal, hunting small mice and other rodents, birds, and perhaps other vertebrate prey. Oviparous, its mating season from April to May may produce five to 10 eggs in a clutch. After 60 days' incubation, hatchlings are 30–35 cm (12–14 in) total length, brownish grey with dark edges on several dorsal scales. As they mature, rhinoceros ratsnakes change color to steel grey at about 12–14 months, then to a bluish green or green adult hue at about 24 months. However, a rare few individuals maintain their steel grey subadult color and do not pass into ordinarily mature color phase.[8]
References
Rhinoceros ratsnake, dorsal view

Rao, D.-q.; Lau, M. (2012). "Gonyosoma boulengeri". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2012: e.T190628A1955324. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2012-1.RLTS.T190628A1955324.en. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
Species Gonyosoma boulengeri at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
Rhynchophis boulengeri (Vietnamese Longnose Snake) Archived 2012-08-26 at the Wayback Machine. Zipcodezoo.com. Retrieved on 2013-01-03.
Rhino Ratsnake, Rhynchophis boulengeri (MOCQUARD, 1897). Ratsnakefoundation.org. Retrieved on 2013-01-03.
"Rhynchophis boulengeri, Vietnamese Longnose Snake". Ratsnake Foundation. "D.A. Boulenger [sic], almost certainly meaning George Albert Boulenger."
Rhynchophis boulengeri MOCQUARD, 1897. reptile-database.reptarium.cz
Beolens B, Watkins M, Grayson M (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Rhynchophis boulengeri, p. 34).
Rhynchophis boulengeri Archived 2011-02-16 at the Wayback Machine. www.schlangenland.de. Retrieved on 2013-01-03.
Rhynchophis boulengeri – Rhino Ratsnake. Ratsnakefoundation.org. Retrieved on 2013-01-03.

Tordoff et al. (May 2001). A Rapid Biodiversity Survey of Che Tao Commune, Mu Cang Chai District, Yen Bai Province, Vietnam, Hanoi, note those of its reported species which have IUCN Redlist status, and have no such notes for Rhynchophis boulengeri which was observed in this report.