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Xenochrophis piscator (SCHNEIDER, 1799)

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Higher TaxaColubridae, Natricinae, Serpentes (snakes) 
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Asiatic Water Snakes, Checkered Keelback
G: Gewöhnliche Fischnatter, Fischernatter 
SynonymHydrus Piscator SCHNEIDER 1799: 247
Natrix piscator — MERREM 1820: 122
Tropidonotus quincunciatus SCHLEGEL 1837: 307
Col. quincunciatus SCHLEGEL 1837 (fide DUMÉRIL et al. 1854)
Tropidonotus quincunciatus — DUMÉRIL, BIBRON & DUMÉRIL 1854: 592
Tropidonotus quincunciatus — GÜNTHER 1859: 224
Tropidonotus piscator — BOULENGER 1893: 230
Natrix piscator — STEJNEGER 1907: 288
Tropidonotus piscator — WALL 1908: 317
Nerodia (Tropidonotus) piscator — WALL 1921: 91
Xenochrophis piscator MALNATE & MINTON 1965
Amphiesma flavipunctatum HALLOWELL 1861: 503
Natrix piscator — SMITH 1943
Natrix piscator — TWEEDIE 1954
Xenochrophis piscator — COX et al. 1998: 43
Xenochrophis piscator — CHAN-ARD et al. 1999: 190
Xenochrophis piscator — MURTHY 2010 
DistributionAfghanistan, Pakistan,
Sri Lanka, India (Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Arunachal Pradesh (Siddi (=Gandhigram), Deban – Changlang district, Van Vihar, Chessa, Chimpu, Itanagar – Papum Pare district) [A. Captain, pers. comm.], Assam (Guwahati), West Bengal( Kolkata, 24 Pargana, Medinipur), Goa, Uttar Pradesh (Varanasi ), Meghalaya (Khasi Hills, Garo Hills) , Orissa(Baripada, Balasore) Manipur (Domba) [J. Purkayastha, pers. comm.], Punjab [Dino Aulakh, pers. comm.], Gujarat)
Burma, Thailand, Laos [HR 30: 175], Vietnam,
West Malaysia, Singapore,
China (Chekiang, Jiangxi, Fujian, Guangdong, Nan Ao Island, Hainan, Guangxi, Yunnan),
Taiwan,
Indonesia (Sumatra, Java, Celebes = Sulawesi)

melanzostus: Indonesia (Java, Sulawesi [?]; Sumatra); India (Andaman and Nicobar Islands).

piscator (Schneider, 1799): Bangladesh; Bhutan; India; Nepal (elevation below 700 m), Myanmar; Pakistan; People's Republic of China (including Hainan); Sri Lanka; Taiwan; Thailand.

Type locality: “East indies” Map legend:
TDWG region - Region according to the TDWG standard, not a precise distribution map.

NOTE: TDWG regions are generated automatically from the text in the distribution field and this does not always work properly. We are working on it.
 
Types 
CommentSynonymy: It seems not to be clear whether X. piscator includes X. flavipunctatum; see discussion in Zhao & Adler. Xenochrophis piscator melanozostus is now included in X. flavipunctatum. DUMÉRIL et al. 1854 give Hydrus palustris SCHNEIDER 1792 as orginal name.

Distribution: Not listed by DAS 1999 for the Andaman Islands and Nicobar Islands who listed X. melanozostus instead (for both islands). Not on Borneo fide DAS (pers. comm. via Shai Meiri, 4. Feb 2013).

Synonymy partly after STEJNEGER 1907.

Not listed by VIJAYAKUMAR & DAVID 2006 for the Nicobar Islands.

Reproduction: oviparous. 
References
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