Dendrelaphis tristis (Common bronzeback or Daudin's bronzeback) is a species of colubrid tree-snake found in South Asia.
| Dendrelaphis tristis | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Colubridae |
| Subfamily: | Ahaetuliinae |
| Genus: | Dendrelaphis |
| Species: | D. tristis
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| Binomial name | |
| Dendrelaphis tristis (Daudin, 1803)
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Taxonomy
editDendrelaphis tristis belongs to the genus Dendrelaphis, which contains 48 other described species.[2]
Dendrelaphis is one of five genera belonging to the vine snake subfamily Ahaetuliinae, of which Dendrelaphis is most closely related to Chrysopelea, as shown in the cladogram below:[3]
| Ahaetuliinae |
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Distribution
editDendrelaphis tristis is found in Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar, Pakistan, and Bhutan,[4] although its presence is uncertain in Myanmar, Bhutan, and Pakistan.[1]
Habitat
editIt is diurnal and fully arboreal.[4] It lives in various types of forests, from dry deciduous to semi-evergreen, and has even been reported in urban gardens and parks.[1]
Description
editDendrelaphis tristis is a long, slender snake with a pointed head and a bronze-coloured line running right down its back. It is camouflaged among the leaves because of its uniform ruddy brown skin.[citation needed]
Diet
editIts diet includes geckos, garden lizards, frogs, and small birds.[1] It is not venomous, and harmless to humans.[1]
Reproduction
editThe snake has oviparous (egg laying) reproduction,[4] and lays 6-8 eggs in April in tree hollows and rotting vegetation.[1]
Gallery
edit-
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Head seen dorso-laterally -
In Sri Lanka -
Bronzeback eating a frog -
Common Bronzeback at Bardiya National Park, Nepal
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References
edit- ^ a b c d e f Wickramasinghe, L.J.M.; Ganesh, S.R. (2021). "Dendrelaphis tristis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2021: e.T172608A1351149. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
- ^ Genus Dendrelaphis at The Reptile Database.
- ^ Mallik, Ashok Kumar; Achyuthan, N. Srikanthan; Ganesh, Sumaithangi R.; Pal, Saunak P.; Vijayakumar, S. P.; Shanker, Kartik (27 July 2019). "Discovery of a deeply divergent new lineage of vine snake (Colubridae: Ahaetuliinae: Proahaetulla gen. nov.) from the southern Western Ghats of Peninsular India with a revised key for Ahaetuliinae". PLOS ONE. 14 (7): e0218851. Bibcode:2019PLoSO..1418851M. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0218851. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 6636718. PMID 31314800.
- ^ a b c Species Dendrelaphis tristis at The Reptile Database
Further reading
edit- Boulenger, George A. 1890 The Fauna of British India, Including Bangladesh, Ceylon and Burma. Reptilia and Batrachia. Taylor & Francis, London, xviii, 541 pp.
- Daudin, F. M. 1803 Histoire Naturelle Generale et Particuliere des Reptiles. Vol. 6. F. Dufart, Paris.
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