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Lycodon rufozonatus CANTOR, 1842

IUCN Red List - Lycodon rufozonatus - Least Concern, LC
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Higher TaxaColubridae, Colubrinae, Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes)
SubspeciesLycodon rufozonatus walli (STEJNEGER 1907)
Lycodon rufozonatus rufozonatus (CANTOR 1842) 
Common NamesE: Red-banded Snake
G: Grosszahnnatter
Russian: Краснопоясный динодон
Chinese: 赤链蛇 
SynonymLycodon rufo-zonatus CANTOR 1842: 483
Lycodon rufozonatus — GÜNTHER 1864: 319
Dinodon rufozonatus — PETERS 1881
Dinodon cancellatum DUMÉRIL & BIBRON 1854: 447
Coronella striata HALLOWELL 1857: 152
Eumesodon striatus — COPE 1860: 263
Dinodon rufozonatus var. Formosona BOETTGER 1885
Lycodon rufozonatus — GÜNTHER 1888: 171
Dinodon rufozonatus — BOULENGER 1893: 361
Dinodon rufozonatum — STEJNEGER 1907: 358
Dinodon rufozonatum — BARBOUR 1912: 130
Dinodon rufozonatum williamsi SCHMIDT 1925: 2
Dinodon rufozonatum williamsi — MELL 1931 [1929]
Dinodon rufozonatum yunnanense MELL 1931
Dinodon rufozonatum rufozonatum — MAKI 1931: 118
Dinodon rufozonatum — POPE 1935: 201
Dinodon cf. rufozonatum — ZIEGLER 2002: 228
Dinodon rufozonatum meridionale — ORLOV 2004: 181
Dinodon rufozonatum — SZCZERBAK 2003
Lycodon rufozonatus — SILER et al. 2013 (by implication)
Dinodon rufozonatum — WALLACH et al. 2014: 236
Lycodon rufozonatus — WANG et al. 2022
Lycodon rufozonatum — WALLACH 2025

Lycodon rufozonatus walli (STEJNEGER 1907)
Dinodon rufozonatum walli STEJNEGER 1907: 364
Dinodon rufozonatum walli — MAKI 1931
Dinodon rufozonatus — GORIS & MAEDA 2004: 222 
DistributionJapan (Tsushima, Ryukyu, incl. Senkaku group),
Taiwan, Korea, Laos, N Vietnam,
E China (Tianjin, Henan, Guangxi, Beijing, Shaanxi, Guangdong, Shandong, Anhui, Jiangxi, Fujian, Jiangsu, Shanghai, Hunan, Zhejiang, Hubei, Sichuan, Hebei, Gansu, Yunnan, Hainan, Guizhou, Jilin, Liaoning, Chongqing, Shanxi, Heilongjiang),
Russia (S Primorskye Kray)

walli: Japan (Ryukyu islands). type locality: Ishigaki Shima, Yaeyama group;

williamsi: Hunan;

Type locality: Chusan, Zhejiang, China.  
Reproductionoviparous 
TypesHolotype: nondesignated (T.E. Cantor, July 1840– March 1841, via the British East India Comp.), location unknown, fide Wallach et al. 2014: 229.
Holotype: USNM 34007 [walli]
Holotype: AMNH [williamsi] 
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 1102 characters), are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. 
CommentSubspecies: Dinodon rufozonatum meridionale has been elevated to species status. D. r. walli has fewer ventrals (178-195) and fewer dark cross-bars on body and tail (22-32 on body, 15-20 on tail); a pale inverted V on the nape, underside more or less mottles with brown (STEJNEGER 1907).

Behavior: nocturnal.

Type species: Lycodon rufo-zonatus CANTOR 1842 is the type species of the genus Dinodon DUMÉRIL 1853. Note, however, that Dinodon has been synonymized with Lycodon by SILER et al. 2013 and GUO et al. 2013.

The main diagnostic differences between the two genera are the arrangement of the maxillary teeth: in Dinodon, the teeth were considered to be divided into three groups by two distinct interspaces, while in Lycodon there are only two groups (Boulenger, 1894). However, several authors questioned the validity of these characters. See Guo et al. 2013 for a discussion. 
EtymologyNamed after Latin rufus (red) and zonatus (banded), literally meaning "red-banded snake."

The subspecies epithet, walli, is named after Dr. Frank Wall (1868-1950), a military physician and herpetologist. 
References
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