Family : NATRICIDAE
Species : Tropidonophis statisticus
Maximum Size : 87 cm

As its informal name implies, this species is recorded only in mountainous areas. O'Shea (1996) puts the range of this species as between 900 and 2150 metres elevation. 

The 25 cm large-eyed juvenile pictured here was found at around 2530 metres in Southern Highlands Province : it is thus tentatively assigned as Tropidonophis statisticus based on its colour, patterning and extremely high elevation (beyond its current known range). The species reaches a maximum recorded length of 87 cm.

This species occurs in montane areas throughout Papua New Guinea (including Goodenough Island in the southeast), and is also recorded from parts of Indonesian Papua (Irian Jaya).

Fig 1 : A juvenile, 25 cm snake from Southern Highlands Province, PNG, tentatively identified as Tropidonophis statisticus.  Found at an elevation of 2530 metres. Photo thanks to Terry Moore.


References :

O'Shea, M., 1996. A Guide to the Snakes of Papua New Guinea. Independent Publishing Group Pty Ltd.