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Family : COLUBRIDAE
Species: Dendrelaphis nigroserratus
Maximum Size : Up to 156 cm total length.
First described in 2012,
the Sawtooth-necked Bronzeback occurs in hill evergreen forest between 900
and 1350 metres above sea level (i.e. lower montane forest). It is recorded
as being locally common, particularly near forest streams and stands of
bamboo, but is absent from areas where the forest has been cut down.
The specimen shown here was found at Kaeng Krachan National Park in southern
Thailand : it was busy consuming a
Wallace's Flying Frog Rhacophorus nigropalmatus.
In the field, the species is best identified by a thick black stripe behind
the eye, which extends onto the neck as a Sawtooth pattern of black,
oblique bars.
The cheeks are pale yellow, and the eyes are moderately large.
Its body colour is olive-brown, patterned with broken, irregular pale yellow
bands every few centimetres.
The vertebral scale row
comprises greatly enlarged, smooth, hexagonal scales which are lighter brown
than the flanks. Other scale rows are smooth and oblique in shape, in typical Dendrelaphis
style.
This is a relatively large species of Dendrelaphis, measuring up to
156 cm.
This species occurs in western and southern parts of Thailand, and southern
parts of neighbouring Myanmar.
Fig 1 : The body is brown with numerous narrow,
irregular yellow bands.
Fig 2 : Consuming a Wallace's Flying Frog Rhacophorus
nigropalmatus.
Fig 3 : Dorsal view showing the dark grey neck
region, and the olive brown to brown enlarged vertebral scales.
All photos thanks to Horst Flotow
References :
Vogel, Gernot; Johan Van Rooijen & Sjon Hauser 2012. A new species of
Dendrelaphis Boulenger, 1890 (Squamata: Colubridae) from Thailand and
Myanmar. Zootaxa 3392: 35–46.
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