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Rhabdophis siamensis (MELL, 1931)

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Higher TaxaColubridae (Natricinae), Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Siamese red-necked keelback 
SynonymNatrix subminiata siamensis MELL 1931
Rhabdophis himalayanus laobaoensis BOURRET 1934: 169
Rhabdophis subminiatus subminiatus siamensis [sic] — DEUVE 1961: 14
Rhabdophis siamensis — DAVID & VOGEL 2021
Rhabdophis siamensis — POYARKOV et al. 2023 
DistributionThailand, Vietnam, China (Yunnan), Cambodia

Type locality: “Siam”

laobaoensis: Vietnam; Type locality: “Lao Bao (Chaîne Annamitique altitude 300 m)”, now Lao Bao, Truong Son Range, Quang Tri Province, Vietnam.  
Reproductionoviparous 
TypesLectotype: ZMB 30222, adult female, designated by David & Vogel 2021.
Holotype: MNHN 0121 [laobaoensis] 
DiagnosisDiagnosis (genus): parallel and keeled dorsal scales; 15, 17, 19 or 21 rows of dorsal scales at midbody; large cephalic scales; large eyes with round pupil; divided anal plate and paired subcaudal scales; maxillary teeth separated from a pair of fangs [DORIA et al. 2013].


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CommentSynonymy: Pope Pope 1935: 132, Smith 1943 and others considered this species a synonym of Rhabdophis subminiatus until it was revalidated by David & Vogel 2021.

Mildly venomous: Out of 53 patients bitten by this species, 8 patients experienced wound swelling, bleeding at the bite site (8). Coagulopathy, thrombocytopenia, and systemic bleeding occurred in 9, 5, and 3 patients, respectively (Tongpoo et al. 2025).

Distribution: For a map see David & Vogel 2021: 110 (Fig. 9). 
EtymologyNamed after the type locality in Thailand, formerly “Siam”. 
References
  • Barnes, C. H., Abdulaziz, U. Z., Kaenphet, A., & Kanlayanapaphon, C. 2024. Snake diversity, occupancy, and detection on Thailand's largest university campus. Ecology and Evolution, 14(9), e70317 - get paper here
  • Dau V, Hoang T, Nguyen T, Pham A 2024. New records and an updated list of reptiles from Thanh Hoa Province, Vietnam. Biodiversity Data Journal 12: e134976 - get paper here
  • David, Patrick & Gernot Vogel 2021. TAXONOMIC COMPOSITION OF THE Rhabdophis subminiatus (SCHLEGEL, 1837) SPECIES COMPLEX (REPTILIA: NATRICIDAE) WITH THE DESCRIPTION OF A NEW SPECIES FROM CHINA. Taprobanica 10 (2): 89–120 - get paper here
  • Deuve, J. 1961. Liste annotee des Serpents du Laos. Bull. Soc. Sci. Nat. Laos 1:5-32.
  • Hauser, Sjon; Ton Smits, Johan van Rooijen 2022. Records of Body Bending Behavior (‘Liana Crypsis’) in Five Snake Species in Thailand and One in Spain Russian Journal of Herpetology 28 (2): 65-75 - get paper here
  • JANZEN, P. 2022. Amphibians and Reptiles of Thailand Part 4: The northern part of the Thai Peninsula and again the Namtok Samlan NP. Sauria 44 (1): 13-32 - get paper here
  • Mell,R. 1931. List of Chinese snakes. Lingnan Sci. Jour., Canton, 8 [1929]: 199-219.
  • Pham A, Dao QT, Tran A, Le M, Nguyen T 2026. New records and an updated list of snakes from Ha Tinh Province, Vietnam. Biodiversity Data Journal 14: e177493 - get paper here
  • Poyarkov, Nikolay A.; Tan Van Nguyen, Evgeniy S. Popov,Peter Geissler, Parinya Pawangkhanant, Thy Neang, Chatmongkon Suwannapoom, Natalia B. Ananjeva, and Nikolai L. Orlov 2023. RECENT PROGRESS IN TAXONOMIC STUDIES, BIOGEOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS, AND REVISED CHECKLIST OF REPTILES IN INDOCHINA. Russian Journal of Herpetology 30 (5): 255-576 (also as vol 28 (3A): 1 – 110 [2021]) - get paper here
  • Tongpoo, A., Tansuwannarat, P., Saowaprut, P., Vasaruchapong, T., Likitrujanont, N., Rittilert, P., ... & Trakulsrichai, S. 2025. Clinical characteristics and outcomes of bites from rhabdophis siamensis: a retrospective study. Clinical Toxicology, 1-7 - get paper here
  • Wang K, Lyu ZT, Wang J, Qi S, Che J 2022. Updated Checklist and Zoogeographic Division of the Reptilian Fauna of Yunnan Province, China. Biodiversity Science 30 (4): 21326, 1–31 - get paper here
 
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