Dendrelaphis proarchos (Wall, 1909)

Hakim, Jonathan, Trageser, Scott J., Ghose, Animesh, Rashid, Sheikh Muhammad Abdur & Rahman, Shahriar Caesar, 2020, Amphibians and reptiles from Lawachara National Park in Bangladesh, Check List 16 (5), pp. 1239-1268 : 1257

Dendrelaphis proarchos (Wall, 1909)

Figure 8C

Material examined. BANGLADESH • 1 adult; Sylhet Division, MoulvibazarDistrict, KamalganjUpazila, LNP, pond near Lawachara Station ; 24°19.46′N, 091°47.30′E; 7 Jun. 2016; 20:13; photo voucher ZRC ( IMG) 2.352 .

Identification. Dendrelaphis proarchos is a slender brown snake with a thick black eye stripe that starts behind the eye and continues onto the neck, bright cream ventrolateral stripe bordered on both sides by black, and blue coloration on the neck skin that shows more prominently when agitated ( Vogel and Van Rooljen 2011). Our specimens had 9–10 supralabials ( IV – VI or VI and VII contacting orbit), loreal present, one preocular, 2–3 postoculars, and 2+2+2 or 2+1+2+2 temporals. They were distinguished from D. tristis (Daudin, 1803) by the red tongue ( Whitaker and Captain 2008).

Taxonomic notes. Dendrelaphis pictus populations west of Burma were assigned to D. proarchos by Vogel and Van Rooljen (2011). This is considered to be an accurate determination (Jayaditya Purkayastha pers. comm.), although it is yet to be fully accepted due to the lack of a clear description of D. proarchos (Peter Uetz pers. comm.).

Habitat. This species was found at habitat edges in both mature forest and degraded habitats, such as on dirt banks bordering tea plantation and village habitat or on brush edging degraded forest that bordered the road.