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Herpetoreas xenura (WALL, 1907)

IUCN Red List - Herpetoreas xenura - Near Threatened, NT
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Higher TaxaColubridae (Natricinae), Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Wall's Keelback 
SynonymTropidonotus xenura WALL 1907: 616
Natrix xenurus — WALL 1923
Natrix xenura — SMITH 1943: 292
Paranatrix xenura — MAHENDRA 1984
Amphiesma xenura — DAS 1996: 54
Amphiesma xenura — DAVID et al. 2007
Hebius xenura — GUO et al. 2014
Amphiesma xenura — WALLACH et al. 2014: 35
Herpetoreas xenura — LALRONUNGA et al. 2020
Herpetoreas xenura — LALREMSANGA et al. 2022
Herpetoreas xenura — NGUYEN et al. 2025 
DistributionIndia (Tripura, Meghalaya, Mizoram)

Type locality: Cherrapunji, Khasi Hills, Assam.  
Reproductionoviparous 
TypesNeotype (designated herein) ZSI R-4278, adult female, collected by J. H. Bourne in 1871 and entered in the register on 18 March 1880. Holotype (lost): BNHS = BNHM (Collection of the Bombay Natural History Society). 
DiagnosisUnfortunately we had to temporarily remove additional information as this was scraped by multiple AI companies who sell that data to their customers. These details, e.g. detailed descriptions or comparisons (about 3623 characters), are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. 
CommentThe original description did not have a type locality, but WALL 1909 found additional specimens from Khasi Hills, henceforth assumed to be the type locality.

Similar species: Amphiesma modestum.

Distribution: see map in Nguyen et al. 2024: 176 (Fig. 7). Not in Assam fide Basfore et al. 2024. 
References
  • Basfore, B., Kalita, M. J., Sharma, N., & Boro, A. R. 2024. An updated checklist of snakes (Reptilia: Squamata) in northeastern India derived from a review of recent literature. Journal of Threatened Taxa, 16(11), 26131-26149 - get paper here
  • Das, I. 2012. A Naturalist's Guide to the Snakes of South-East Asia: Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Myanmar, Borneo, Sumatra, Java and Bali. Oxford J, ohn Beaufoy Publishing - get paper here
  • David, P., Bain, R. H., Nguyen Quang Truong, Orlov, N. L., Vogel, G., Vu Ngoc Thanh & T. Ziegler 2007. A new species of the natricine snake genus Amphiesma from the Indochinese Region (Squamata: Colubridae: Natricinae). Zootaxa 1462: 41-60 - get paper here
  • GUO, PENG; FEI ZHU, QIN LIU, LIANG ZHANG, JIAN X. LI, YU Y. HUANG & R. ALEXANDER PYRON 2014. A taxonomic revision of the Asian keelback snakes, genus Amphiesma (Serpentes: Colubridae: Natricinae), with description of a new species. Zootaxa 3873 (4): 425–440 - get paper here
  • Lalremsanga, H. T., Bal, A. K., Vogel, G., & Biakzuala, L. 2022. Molecular phylogenetic analyses of lesser known colubrid snakes reveal a new species of Herpetoreas (Squamata: Colubridae: Natricinae), and new insights into the systematics of Gongylosoma scriptum and its allies from northeastern India. SALAMANDRA, 58(2): 101-115 - get paper here
  • Lalremsanga, H.T.; Saipari Sailo and Chinliansiama 2011. Diversity of Snakes (Reptilia: Squamata) and Role of Environmental Factors in Their Distribution in Mizoram, Northeast India. Advances in Environmental Chemistry - get paper here
  • LALRONUNGA, SAMUEL; C. LALRINCHHANA, VANRAMLIANA VANRAMLIANA, ABHIJIT DAS, DAVID J. GOWER, V. DEEPAK 2020. A multilocus molecular perspective on the systematics of the poorly known Northeast Indian colubrid snakes Blythia reticulata (Blyth, 1854), B. hmuifang Vogel, Lalremsanga & Vanlalhrima, 2017, and Hebius xenura (Wall, 1907). Zootaxa 4768 (2): 193–200 - get paper here
  • Liu, S., Hou, M., Zhou, H., Zuo, C., Yin, F., & Rao, D. 2024. A New Species of Herpetoreas Günther, 1860 (Serpentes: Natricidae) from Yunnan, China. Diversity, 16(12), 768 - get paper here
  • Mahendra B C 1984. Handbook of the snakes of India, Ceylon, Burma, Bangladesh and Pakistan. ANNALS OF ZOOLOGY (AGRA) 22 (B): i-xvi, 1-412
  • Malsawmdawngliana, B. Boruah, N.G. Patel, S. Lalronunga, I. Zosangliana, K. Lalhmangaiha & A. Das 2022. An updated checklist of reptiles from Dampa Tiger Reserve, Mizoram, India, with sixteen new distribution records. Journal of Threatened Taxa 14(10): 21946–21960 - get paper here
  • MALSAWMDAWNGLIANA; ZODINSANGA & LALMUANPUIA. 2021. HERPETOREAS XENURA (Wall’s Keelback). DIET and SCAVENGING. Herpetological Review 52 (3): 667. - get paper here
  • Muansanga, Lal; L.H. Laltlanhlui, Lal Biakzuala, Yash Singh Rathee, Hmar Tlawmte Lalremsanga 2021. Observations of feeding behavior and a note on clutch size in Wall’s Keelback, Herpetoreas xenura (Wall 1907) (Squamata: Natricidae). Reptiles & Amphibians 28 (1): 82-83 - get paper here
  • Nguyen T.V., Lalremsanga H.T., Biakzuala L. & Vogel G. 2024. Taxonomic reassessment of the Herpetoreas xenura (Wall, 1907)(Squamata: Serpentes: Natricidae) from Myanmar with description of a new species. European Journal of Taxonomy, 932, 158-203 - get paper here
  • Nguyen, T.V., Ray, S., David, P. & Mohapatra, P.P. 2025. Designation of a Neotype for Herpetoreas xenura (Wall, 1907) (Squamata: Serpentes: Natricidae). Zootaxa 5620 (1), 196–200 - get paper here
  • Purkayastha J. 2013. An Amateur’s Guide to Reptiles of Assam. EBH Publishers (India) - get paper here
  • Sharma, R. C. 2004. Handbook Indian Snakes. AKHIL BOOKS, New Delhi, 292 pp.
  • Smith, M.A. 1943. The Fauna of British India, Ceylon and Burma, Including the Whole of the Indo-Chinese Sub-Region. Reptilia and Amphibia. 3 (Serpentes). Taylor and Francis, London. 583 pp.
  • Wall,F. 1907. Some new Asian snakes. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 17: 612-618 - get paper here
  • Wall,F. 1909. Remarks on some little known Indian Ophidia. Records of the Indian Museum 3 (2): 145-150. - get paper here
  • Wallach, Van; Kenneth L. Williams , Jeff Boundy 2014. Snakes of the World: A Catalogue of Living and Extinct Species. [type catalogue] Taylor and Francis, CRC Press, 1237 pp.
  • Whitaker, Romulus and Ashok Captain 2004. Snakes of India. Draco Books, 500 pp., reprinted 2007 - get paper here
  • Ziegler, T., and Quyet, L.K. 2006. A new natricine snake of the genus Amphiesma (Squamata: Colubridae: Natricinae) from the central Truong Son, Vietnam. Zootaxa 1225: 39-56 - get paper here
 
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