''Coelognathus'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of seven

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

rat snake Rat snakes are members – along with kingsnakes, milk snakes, Oxybelis, vine snakes and indigo snakes – of the subfamily Colubrinae of the family Colubridae. They are medium to large Constriction, constrictors and are found throughout much o ...

s in the

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end botanical subfamily names with "-oideae", and zo ...

Colubrinae The Colubrinae are a subfamily of snakes within the family Colubridae. It includes numerous genus, genera, and although Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic sources often disagree on the exact number, the Reptile Database lists 717 species in 92 genera ...

of the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Colubridae Colubridae (, commonly known as colubrids , from , 'snake') is a family of snakes. With 249 genera, it is the largest snake family. The earliest fossil species of the family date back to the Late Eocene epoch, with earlier origins suspected. C ...

. The species, which are native to South Asia and Southeast Asia, were formerly assigned to the genus ''

Elaphe ''Elaphe'' is a genus of snakes in the family Colubridae. ''Elaphe'' is one of the main genera of the rat snakes, which are found in many regions of the northern hemisphere. ''Elaphe'' species are medium to large constrictors by nature. Based ...

''. Based on morphological evidence and

protein Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residue (biochemistry), residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including Enzyme catalysis, catalysing metab ...

similarities, in 2001, Helfenberger revalidated the name ''Coelognathus'' that had originally been proposed by

Leopold Fitzinger Leopold Joseph Franz Johann Fitzinger (13 April 1802 – 20 September 1884) was an Austrian zoologist. Fitzinger was born in Vienna and studied botany at the University of Vienna under Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin. He worked at the Vienna Naturhis ...

in 1843. The distinction between ''Coelognathus'' and ''Elaphe'' was further supported by

mitochondrial DNA Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA and mDNA) is the DNA located in the mitochondrion, mitochondria organelles in a eukaryotic cell that converts chemical energy from food into adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Mitochondrial DNA is a small portion of the D ...

sequence and additional morphological evidence in 2005.

Species

These species are recognized as being valid: *'' Coelognathus enganensis'' *'' Coelognathus erythrurus'' – Philippine rat snake *''

Coelognathus flavolineatus ''Coelognathus flavolineatus'', the black copper rat snake or yellow striped snake, is a species of colubrid snake found in Southeast Asia. This species was previously recognized in the genus ''Elaphe''. Distribution * Brunei Darussalam * Camb ...

'' – yellow-striped rat snake *''

Coelognathus helena The trinket snake (''Coelognathus helena''), also known commonly as the common trinket snake, is a species of nonvenomous constricting snake in the family Colubridae. The species is native to southern Central Asia. Etymology The specific name ...

'' – trinket snake *'' Coelognathus philippinus'' – reddish rat snake *''

Coelognathus radiatus ''Coelognathus radiatus'', commonly known as the radiated ratsnake, copperhead rat snake, or copper-headed trinket snake, is a nonvenomous species of colubrid snake. Temperament These snakes are usually defensive in nature which makes it hard ...

'' – copperhead rat snake *''

Coelognathus subradiatus The Indonesian ratsnake (''Coelognathus subradiatus'') is a species of snake of the family Colubridae. Geographic range The snake is found in Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oc ...

'' - Indonesian rat snake ''

Nota bene ( ; plural: ) is the Latin language, Latin phrase meaning ''note well''. In manuscripts, ''nota bene'' is abbreviated in upper-case as NB and N.B., and in lower-case as n.b. and nb; the editorial usages of ''nota bene'' and ''notate bene'' fi ...

'': A

binomial authority In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin grammatical forms, altho ...

in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than ''Coelognathus''.

Species

References

Further reading