Lycodon aulicus (Linnaeus, 1758)

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 : 1258

Lycodon aulicus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Material examined. BANGLADESH • 1 adult; Syl- het Division, Moulvibazar District , Kamalganj Upazila, paddy field east of Fulbari Village; 24°19.72′N, 091° 48.70′E; 20 Jun. 2014; 22:50; photo voucher ZRC ( IMG) 2.343 .

Identification. This common Lycodon species is distinguished from other local wolf snakes by its relatively broad head, loreal in contact with internasal, 17 midbody scale rows, brownish-gray dorsal color with indistinct white-to-cream reticulations forming bands in the front of the body that fade towards the back, and light collar reaching towards front of head ( Ganesh and Vogel 2018).

Habitat. Of the three Lycodon species found in LNP, L. aulicus was the one most associated with humans, found across all disturbed habitats but most commonly in village habitat and paddy fields.

Remarks. This snake was twice seen being preyed on by other species; SCR observed a 77 cm specimen being eaten by a 13 cm Hoplobatrachus tigerinus (Rahman et al. 2012a) , and JH and ST observed another being consumed by a Bungarus fasciatus .