Xenelaphis ellipsifer

Xenelaphis ellipsifer, the ornate brown snake,^[3] or ocellated brown snake,^[4] is a large species of snake, up to 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) long,^[5] which is found in Malaysia and Indonesia.^[1] It has a rounded snout, its head is distinct from its neck,^[5] and it has protruding large round eyes.^[3] The top of the snake (the dorsum) is orange-red in color, and along the sides of its body are large black-edged squarish brown blotches separated by cream colored spaces.^[5] It has a yellow upper lip.^[6] X. ellipsifer is an aquatic species, found in forests at 800–1,000 m (2,600–3,300 ft) above sea level.^[5]

Xenelaphis ellipsifer
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Colubridae
Genus:	Xenelaphis
Species:	X. ellipsifer
Binomial name
Xenelaphis ellipsifer Boulenger, 1900[2]

The first description of this snake was published in 1900 by George Albert Boulenger, who found a single specimen in a fish trap above the Sarawak River in Malaysia.^[3] This snake became the type specimen of the species, and is held at the British Museum in London.^[3] Although this is a rare snake which has been described in few published reports, it is classified on the IUCN Red List as a species of least concern, since it is widely distributed in protected areas, and is therefore not under threat.^[1]