Dendrelaphis marenae

Dendrelaphis marenae, also known commonly as Gaulke's bronze-back tree snake and Maren's bronzeback, is a species of snake in the subfamily Ahaetuliinae of the family Colubridae. The species is native to Southeast Asia.

Dendrelaphis marenae
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Colubridae
Subfamily:	Ahaetuliinae
Genus:	Dendrelaphis
Species:	D. marenae
Binomial name
Dendrelaphis marenae G. Vogel & van Rooijen, 2008

Etymology

The species Dendrelaphis marenae is named after German herpetologist Dr. Maren Gaulke, honoring her scientific contributions to the field of herpetology in the Philippines. She also helped collect some of the initial specimens.^{[2][3]: 168}

Taxonomy

Dendrelaphis marenae belongs to the genus Dendrelaphis, which contains 48 other described species.^[4]

Dendrelaphis is one of five genera belonging to the vine snake subfamily Ahaetuliinae, of which Dendrelaphis is most closely related to Chrysopelea, as shown in the cladogram below:^[5]

Ahaetuliinae	sharp‑nosed snakes Ahaetulla Proahaetulla Dryophiops broad‑nosed snakes Dendrelaphis Dendrelaphis marenae Dendrelaphis haasi Dendrelaphis pictus Dendrelaphis ngansonensis Dendrelaphis cyanochloris Dendrelaphis striatus Dendrelaphis formosus Dendrelaphis tristis Dendrelaphis subocularis Dendrelaphis schokari Dendrelaphis fuliginosus Dendrelaphis caudolineatus Chrysopelea

Distribution

Dendrelaphis marenae is found in Indonesia and the Philippines.^[1][2]

Habitat

The preferred natural habitat of Dendrelaphis marenae is forest, at elevations up to 1,000 m (3,300 ft).^[1]

Behavior

Dendrelaphis marenae is diurnal and fully arboreal.^[2]

Diet

Dendrelaphis marenae preys predominately upon frogs.^[1]

Reproduction

Dendrelaphis marenae is oviparous.^[1][2] Clutch size is two to ten eggs.^[1]