Dryophiops rubescens, commonly known as the red whip snake, is a species of snake in the colubrid family from Southeast Asia.

Dryophiops rubescens
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Colubridae
Subfamily: Ahaetuliinae
Genus: Dryophiops
Species:
D. rubescens
Binomial name
Dryophiops rubescens
(Gray, 1835)
Synonyms
  • Dipsas rubescens Gray, 1835
  • Dendrophis sumatrana Bleeker, 1858

Taxonomy

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Dryophiops rubescens (originally named Dipsas rubescens) is the type species of the genus Dryophiops, which contains only one other species: Dryophiops philippina of the Philippines.[2]

Dryophiops is one of five genera belonging to the vine snake subfamily Ahaetuliinae, of which Dryophiops is most closely related to Ahaetulla and Proahaetulla, as shown in the cladogram below:[3]

Ahaetuliinae
sharp‑nosed snakes
broad‑nosed snakes

Distribution

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The species is arboreal, found in forests in Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.[2]

Description

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Dryophiops snakes, along with their close relatives of Ahaetulla and Proahaetulla, all share an elongated and laterally compressed body plan, with elongated sharp snouts, and large eyes with horizontals pupils specialized for binocular vision.[3]

References

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  1. ^ "Dryophiops rubescens". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2012. 2012. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2012-1.RLTS.T176800A1447382.en.
  2. ^ a b Dryophiops rubescens at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 26 December 2018.
  3. ^ a b 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.