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Demansia psammophis (SCHLEGEL, 1837)

IUCN Red List - Demansia psammophis - Least Concern, LC
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Higher TaxaElapidae (Hydrophiinae), Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Yellow-faced Whipsnake, Yellow-Faced Whip Snake 
SynonymElaps psammophis SCHLEGEL 1837: 455
Pseudelaps psammophidius DUMÉRIL, BIBRON & DUMÉRIL 1854: 1234 (nom. nov.)
Diemenia psammophis BOULENGER 1896
Diemenia psammophis — DE ROOIJ 1917: 266
Demansia psammophis psammophis — ORANGE 1994
Demansia psammophis psammophis — WELCH 1994: 53
Demansia psammophis — COGGER 2000: 641
Demansia psammophis — WALLACH et al. 2014: 214
Demansia psammophis — EIPPER & EIPPER 2024: 122 
DistributionAustralia (SE Western Australia east through the Great Victoria Desert to E Australia)

Type locality: Australia  
Reproductionoviparous 
TypesLectotype: MNHN-RA 7666, female, paralectotype: MNHN-RA-2012.406 (formerly MNHN-RA 7663A), designated by Nankivell et al. 2023. 
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 5992 characters), are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. 
CommentSynonymy: WALLACH et al. 2014 list Demansia psammophis cupreiceps (STORR 1978) as a synonym of D. reticulata. Some recent authors argue that cupreiceps should be a subspecies of reticulata but the issue is not conclusively settled (G. Shea, pers. comm., 19 Nov 2019).

Subspecies: Demansia psammophis reticulata (GRAY, 1842) is now treated as valid species.

Possibly mildly venomous, but not life-threatening.

Distribution: see map in Nankivell et al. 2023: Figure 5. 
EtymologyNamed after Greek ψαμμο (psammo) = "sand" + Classical Greek ὄϕις (ophis) = "snake", thus sand-snake. 
References
  • Aplin, K.P. and L.A. Smith 2001. Checklist of the frogs and reptiles of Western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum Supplement No. 63: 51–74 - get paper here
  • Bowles, F.D. 2000. A short note on the herpetofauna of Brisbane and its suburbs. Herpetological Bulletin (73): 27-29 - get paper here
  • Bush, B. & Maryan, B. 2006. Snakes and Snake-like Reptiles of Southern Western Australia. Snakes Harmful & Harmless, Stoneville, Perth, Western Australia, 40 pp. - get paper here
  • Cogger, H. G. 2014. Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia, 7th ed. CSIRO Publishing, xxx + 1033 pp. - get paper here
  • Cogger, H.G. 2000. Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia, 6th ed. Ralph Curtis Publishing, Sanibel Island, 808 pp.
  • Covacevich, J. & C. Limpus 1972. Observations on Community Egg-Laying by the Yellow-Faced Whip Snake, Demansia psammophis (Schlegel) 1837 (Squamata: Elapidae) Herpetologica 28 (3): 208-210. - get paper here
  • de Rooij, N. DE 1917. The Reptiles of the Indo-Australian Archipelago. Il. Ophidia. Leiden (E. J. Brill), xiv + 334 S. - get paper here
  • Dittmer, D. E., Chapman, T. L. & Bidwell, J. R. 2020. In the shadow of an iconic inselberg: Uluru’s shadow influences climates and reptile assemblage structure at its base. J. Arid Environ. 181, 104179 (2020) - get paper here
  • Duméril, A. M. C., Bibron, G. & DUMÉRIL, A. H. A., 1854. Erpétologie générale ou histoire naturelle complète des reptiles. Tome septième. Deuxième partie, comprenant l'histoire des serpents venimeux. Paris, Librairie Encyclopédique de Roret: i-xii + 781-1536 - get paper here
  • Eipper T & Eipper S 2024. SNAKES OF AUSTRALIA. Princeton University Press, Princeton and Oxford, 368 pp. - get paper here
  • Gray, J. E. 1842. Description of some hitherto unrecorded species of Australian reptiles and batrachians. Zoological Miscellany 2: 51—57 (London: Treuttel, Würtz & Co) - get paper here
  • Guibé, J. & Roux-Estève, R. 1972. Les types de Schlegel (Ophidiens) présents dans les collections du Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle de Paris. Zoologische Mededelingen 47: 129-134 - get paper here
  • Kay, G.M.; D. Michael; M. Crane; S. Okada; C. MacGregor; D. Florance; D. Trengove; L. McBurney; D. Blair; D.B. Lindenmayer. 2013. A list of reptiles and amphibians from Box Gum Grassy Woodlands in south-eastern Australia. Check List 9 (3):476-481 - get paper here
  • Michael, D. 2025. Field Guide to the Reptiles of Albury Wodonga. Charles Sturt University - get paper here
  • Michael, D.R.; D.B. Lindenmayer; M. Crane; C. MacGregor; R. Montague-Drake; L. McBurney. 2011. Reptilia, Murray catchment, New South Wales, southeastern Australia. Check List 7 (1):25-29 - get paper here
  • NANKIVELL, J. H., MARYAN, B., BUSH, B. G., & HUTCHINSON, M. N. 2023. Whip it into shape: Revision of the Demansia psammophis (Schlegel, 1837) complex (Squamata: Elapidae), with a description of a new species from central Australia. Zootaxa 5311 (3), 301-339 - get paper here
  • NORVAL, GERRUT; ROBERT D. SHARRAD & MICHAEL G. GARDNER. 2021. DEMANSIA PSAMMOPHIS (Yellow-faced Whip Snake), NOTECHIS SCUTATUS (Tiger Snake), POGONA BARBATA (Eastern Bearded Dragon). ECTOPARASITES. Herpetological Review 52 (2): 421–422. - get paper here
  • Orange P 1994. A note regarding colour change in Demansia psammophis psammophis (Serpentes: Elapidae). Herpetofauna (Sydney) 24 (2): 41
  • O’Shea, M. 2018. The Book of Snakes. Ivy Press / Quarto Publishing, London, - get paper here
  • Schlegel, H. 1837. Essai sur la physionomie des serpens. Partie Descriptive. La Haye (J. Kips, J. HZ. et W. P. van Stockum), 606 S. + xvi - get paper here
  • Schwaner T D; Miller B 1984. Range extensions of reptiles in South Australia. Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia 108 (3-4): 215-216 - get paper here
  • Shea, G.M. & Scanlon 2007. Revision of the small tropical whipsnakes previously referred to Demansia olivacea (Gray, 1842) and Demansia torquata (Guenther, 1862) (Squamata: Elapidae). Rec. Austral. Mus. 59 (2-3): 117-142 - get paper here
  • Shine, R. 1980. Ecology of eastern Australian whipsnakes of the genus Demansia. Journal of Herpetology 14 (4): 381-389 - get paper here
  • Storniolo, F., Mangiacotti, M., Scali, S., Zuffi, M. A. L., & Sacchi, R. 2025. A comparative phylogenetic approach for the evolution of melanism in elapid snakes supports the Bogert's rule. Journal of Zoology 326: 289-297 - get paper here
  • Storr G M 1978. Whip snakes (Demansia, Elapidae) of Western Australia. Rec. West. Aust. Mus. 6 (3): 287-301 - get paper here
  • Swan, G.; Sadlier, R.; Shea, G. 2017. A field guide to reptiles of New South Wales. Reed New Holland, 328 pp.
  • 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.
  • Wilson, S. & Swan, G. 2010. A complete guide to reptiles of Australia, 3rd ed. Chatswood: New Holland, 558 pp.
 
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