Dendrelaphis tristis

Dendrelaphis tristis (Common bronzeback or Daudin's bronzeback) is a species of colubrid tree-snake found in South Asia. It is not venomous, and harmless to humans.

Dendrelaphis tristis
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Colubridae
Subfamily:	Ahaetuliinae
Genus:	Dendrelaphis
Species:	D. tristis
Binomial name
Dendrelaphis tristis (Daudin, 1803)

Common Bronzeback

Taxonomy

Dendrelaphis tristis belongs to the genus Dendrelaphis, which contains 48 other described species.^[2]

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:^[3]

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 tristis is found in Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar, Pakistan, and Bhutan,^[4] although its presence is uncertain in Myanmar, Bhutan, and Pakistan.^[1]

Habitat

It is diurnal and fully arboreal.^[4] It lives in various types of forests, from dry deciduous to semi-evergreen, and has even been reported in urban gardens and parks.^[1]

Description

Dendrelaphis tristis is a long, slender snake with a pointed head and a bronze-coloured line running right down its back. It is camouflaged among the leaves because of its uniform ruddy brown skin.^{[citation needed]}

Diet

Its diet includes geckos, garden lizards, frogs, and small birds.^[1] It is not venomous, and harmless to humans.^[1]

Reproduction

The snake has oviparous (egg laying) reproduction,^[4] and lays 6-8 eggs in April in tree hollows and rotting vegetation.^[1]

Gallery

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  Head seen dorso-laterally
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  In Sri Lanka
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  Bronzeback eating a frog
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  Common Bronzeback at Bardiya National Park, Nepal