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Enhydris enhydris (SCHNEIDER, 1799)

IUCN Red List - Enhydris enhydris - Least Concern, LC
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Higher TaxaHomalopsidae, Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Rainbow Mud Snake, Rainbow Water Snake, Striped Water Snake, Smooth Water Snake
G: Gestreifte Wassertrugnatter 
SynonymHydrus enhydris SCHNEIDER 1799: 245
Homalopsis enhydris — CANTOR 1847
Hypsirhina enhydris — DUMÉRIL & BIBRON 1854: 946
Hypsirhina enhydris — JAN 1863
Enhydris enhydris — BARBOUR 1912
Hypsirhina enhydris enhydris — BOURRET 1934
Enhydris caerulea LATREILLE in SONNINI & LATREILLE 1801
Hydrus atrocaeruleus SHAW 1802
Coluber pythonissa DAUDIN 1803
Homalopsis aer H. BOIE 1826 (nomen nudum)
Homalopsis aer BOIE 1827
Hypsirhina aer — WAGLER 1830
Coluber (Homalopsis) aer — EYDOUX & GERVAIS 1837: 9
Hypsirhina bilineata GRAY 1842
Hypsirhina enhydris var. bilineata — VOLZ 1904
Hypsirhina furcata GRAY 1842
Enhydris enhydris — SMITH 1943: 383
Enhydris enhydris — MANTHEY & GROSSMANN 1997: 348
Enhydris enhydris — COX et al. 1998: 40
Enhydris enhydris — MURPHY 2007: 113
Enhydris enhydris — NGUYEN et al. 2009
Enhydris enhydris — MURPHY & VORIS 2014: 16
Enhydris enhydris — WALLACH et al. 2014: 270 
DistributionSE China
Indonesia (Bangka, Belitung, Java, Kalimantan, Sulawesi ?, Sumatra, We);
Bangladesh; Cambodia; C/E India (Telangana, Nagaland etc.); Laos;
Malaysia (Malaya and East Malaysia, Borneo, Pulau Tioman [HR 31: 114]);
Myanmar (Burma); Nepal; Bhutan, Pakistan;
Singapore (?); Sri Lanka; Pulau Bangka,
Thailand; Vietnam

Type locality: “Indiae orientalis”  
Reproductionovovivparous 
TypesHolotype: iconotype, based on illustration of Mutta Pam in Russell (1796), Indian Serpents, p. 35, pl. 30 
DiagnosisDiagnosis (genus): Dorsal scales in 21 rows at mid-body, reduced to 17 or 19 posteriorly, prefrontal and internasal usually contacting loreal, second pair of chin shields larger than gulars. Myrrophis may be most easily confused with these snakes. Myrrophis chinensis has 23 rows of dorsal scales, and M. bennettii has 21 dorsal scale rows, reduced to 17 or 15 rows at posterior body, but second pair of chin shields about the same size as the gulars. The hemipenis extends to the seventh or eighth subcaudal in Enhydris and to the tenth subcaudal in both species of Myrrophis (Murphy & Voris 2014: 15)


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CommentDistribution: Not in Pakistan fide KHAN 2002 (pers. comm.). Not listed for Sri Lanka by JANZEN et al. 2007. The latest record of this species from Sulawesi is from MEYER 1887. DE LANG & VOGEL (2005) thus consider this species as doubtful for this island. Possibly in Bhutan (Lenz 2012).

Habitat: freshwater

Diet: mostly fish

Type species: Hydrus enhydris SCHNEIDER 1799 is the type species of the genus Enhydris LATREILLE in SONNINI & LATREILLE 1801. 
EtymologyBot genus and species were named after the Greek “enhydris”, meaning water snake. 
References
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