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Rhabdophis plumbicolor (CANTOR, 1839)

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Higher TaxaColubridae (Natricinae), Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes)
SubspeciesRhabdophis plumbicolor plumbicolor (CANTOR 1839)
Rhabdophis plumbicolor palabariya (DERANIYAGALA 1955) 
Common NamesE: Lead Keelback, Green Keelback
G: Grüne Kielrückenwassernatter 
SynonymTropidonotus plumbicolor CANTOR 1839: 54
Trigonocephalus ellioti JERDON 1853: 523 (fide SMITH 1943)
Xenodon viridis DUMÉRIL & BIBRON 1854: 765 (fide SMITH 1943)
Amphiesma brachyurum JAN 1865 (fide SMITH 1943)
Tropidonotus plumbicolor — ANDERSON 1871: 176
Tropidonotus plumbicolor — BOULENGER 1890
Macropisthodon plumbicolor — BOULENGER 1893: 267
Macropisthodon plumbicolor — WALL 1921: 128
Macropisthodon plumbicolor — SMITH 1943: 314
Macropisthodon plumbicolor — DAS 1996: 57
Macropisthodon plumbicolor plumbicolor — MURTHY 2010
Macropisthodon plumbicolour — FELLOWS 2015 (in error)
Macropisthodon plumbicolor — WALLACH et al. 2014: 418
Rhabdophis plumbicolor — TAKEUCHI et al. 2018
Rhabdhopis plumbicolor — JIGAR et al. 2022 (in error)

Rhabdophis plumbicolor palabariya DERANIYAGALA 1955
Macropisthodon plumbicolor palabariya DERANIYAGALA 1955
Macropisthodon plumbicolor palabariya — KANDAMBY 1997
Macropisthodon plumbicolor palabariya — JANZEN et al. 2007
Rhabdophis plumbicolor palabariya — TAKEUCHI et al. 2018 (by implication) 
DistributionIndia (Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat, Telangana, Odisha), Sri Lanka, Pakistan (Murray 1884), Myanmar

palabariya: Sri Lanka (endemic)

Type locality: Malwa [Saugor], Central India.  
Reproductionoviparous 
TypesHolotype: iconotype, based on specimen illustrated in Bodleian Library, Oxford.
Holotype: NMSL [palabriya] 
Diagnosis 
CommentDistribution: Possibly in Bhutan (Lenz 2012). Not in Pakistan fide KHAN 2002 (pers. comm.)

Diet: frogs and toads (Yoshida et al. 2020). 
Etymologynamed after its color (Latin “plumbum” = lead), which is misleading because it is mostly green or occasionally brownish. 
References
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