Dendrelaphis

''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.

Classification

This list is based on the latest checklist of the snakes of the world and recent revisions and descriptions published in the scientific literature.

The authors of a 2015 revision of the Australo-Papuan ''Dendrelaphis'' species recommended the synonymy of ''D. solomonis'' within ''D. calligaster'', the elevation of ''D. keiensis'' to species status, the resurrection of ''D. lineolatus'' from within ''D. calligaster'', and the resurrection of ''D. macrops'' and elevation of ''D. striolatus'' from within ''D. punctulatus''. They also confined ''D. punctulatus'' to Australia and ''D. papuensis'' to the Trobriand Islands of Papua New Guinea.

*'' Dendrelaphis andamanensis'' – Andaman bronzeback
*'' Dendrelaphis ashoki'' – Ashok's bronzeback
*'' Dendrelaphis bifrenalis'' , Boulenger's bronzeback – southern India and Sri Lanka
*'' Dendrelaphis biloreatus'' – Gore's bronzeback
*'' Dendrelaphis calligaster'' – northern treesnake, green treesnake, coconut treesnake
*'' Dendrelaphis caudolineatus'' – striped bronzeback
*''Dendrelaphis caudolineolatus''
*''Dendrelaphis chairecacos'' – Karnataka bronzeback
*''Dendrelaphis cyanochloris'' – blue bronzeback
*''Dendrelaphis flavescens'' – Sulu bronzeback
*''Dendrelaphis formosus'' – elegant bronzeback
*''Dendrelaphis fuliginosus'' – Negros bronzeback
*''Dendrelaphis gastrostictus'' – spot-bellied treesnake, montane treesnake
*''Dendrelaphis girii'' – Giri's bronzeback
*'' Dendrelaphis grandoculis'' – southern bronzeback
*''Dendrelaphis grismeri'' – Grismer's bronzeback
*''Dendrelaphis haasi'' – Haas's bronzeback
*''Dendrelaphis hollinrakei'' – Shek Kwu Chau island tree snake
*'' Dendrelaphis humayuni'' – Nicobar bronzeback
*''Dendrelaphis keiensis'' – Kei Islands bronzeback
*''Dendrelaphis kopsteini'' – Kopstein's bronzeback
*''Dendrelaphis inornatus'' – Lesser Sunda bronzeback
*''Dendrelaphis levitoni'' – Palawan bronzeback
*''Dendrelaphis lineolatus''
*''Dendrelaphis lorentzii'' – Lorentz River treesnake
*''Dendrelaphis luzonensis'' – Luzon bronzeback
*''Dendrelaphis macrops'' – big-eyed treesnake
*''Dendrelaphis marenae'' – Maren Gaulke's bronzeback
*''Dendrelaphis modestus'' – Moluccan bronzeback, grey bronzeback, striped bronzeback
*''Dendrelaphis ngansonensis'' – Ngan Son bronzeback
*''Dendrelaphis nigroserratus'' – sawtooth-necked bronzeback
*''Dendrelaphis oliveri'' – Oliver's bronzeback
*''Dendrelaphis papuensis'' – Trobriand Islands treesnake
*''Dendrelaphis philippiensis'' – Philippine bronzeback
*'' Dendrelaphis pictus'' – painted bronzeback, common bronzeback
*''Dendrelaphis punctulatus'' – common treesnake, Australian treesnake
*'' Dendrelaphis schokari'' – Schokar's bronzeback
*''Dendrelaphis sinharajensis'' – Sinharaja tree snake
*''Dendrelaphis striatus'' – striped bronzeback
*''Dendrelaphis striolatus'' – Palau treesnake
*''Dendrelaphis subocularis'' – mountain bronzeback, Burmese bronzeback
*''Dendrelaphis terrificus'' – Sulawesi bronzeback, terrific bronzeback
*'' Dendrelaphis tristis'' – common bronzeback, Daudin's bronzebackack
*''Dendrelaphis underwoodi'' – Underwood's bronzeback
*''Dendrelaphis vogeli'' – Vogel's bronzeback
*''Dendrelaphis walli'' – Wall's bronzeback native to Myanmar
*''Dendrelaphis wickrorum'' – Wickramasinghes’ bronzeback

Description

Bronzebacks range in total length (including tail) from to up to . All species have a slender body with a long tail. Males are shorter in length and brighter in coloration; they also tend to be more active. Females are stouter with duller or darker colorations and are less active. Typical coloration includes red, brown or orange on the head with bronze, brown or olive-green running down the length of the back. The underside of the body is usually bright to pale green or yellow. They have big eyes and bright red tongues. The tail is fully prehensile.

Diet

The primary prey of ''Dendrelaphis'' species consists of lizards and frogs, but the larger species are capable of taking birds, bats, and small rodents.

References

Further reading

*Boulenger GA (1894). ''Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume II., Containing the Conclusion of the Colubridæ Aglyphæ''. London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xi + 382 pp. + Plates I-XX. (Genus ''Dendrelaphis'', p. 87, Figure 7).
*
* Wall F (1921). ''Ophidia Taprobanica or the Snakes of Ceylon''. Colombo, Ceylon ri Lanka Colombo Museum. (H.R. Cottle, Government Printer). xxii + 581 pp. (Genus ''Dendrelaphis'', pp. 220–221).

External links

*
Video of ''Dendrelaphis kopsteini'' in Malaysia

{{Taxonbar, from=Q179711

Colubrids
Snake genera
Snakes of Asia
Snakes of Southeast Asia
Reptiles of Oceania
Taxa named by George Albert Boulenger
Snakes of Australia