Dendrelaphis tristis

{{Speciesbox

| image =Bronzeback sal.jpg

| status = LC

| status_system = IUCN3.1

| status_ref = {{cite iucn |author1=Wickramasinghe, L.J.M. |author2=Ganesh, S.R. |year=2021 |title=Dendrelaphis tristis |volume=2021 |page= e.T172608A1351149 |url=https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/172608/1351149 |access-date=17 June 2024}}

| genus = Dendrelaphis

| species = tristis

| authority = (Daudin, 1803)

}}

File:Bronzeback bySaptarshiGayen.jpg

Dendrelaphis tristis (Common bronzeback or Daudin's bronzeback) is a species of colubrid tree-snake found in South Asia. It is not venomous, and harmless to humans.

Taxonomy

Dendrelaphis tristis belongs to the genus Dendrelaphis, which contains 48 other described species.{{EMBL genus|genus=Dendrelaphis}}.

Dendrelaphis is one of five genera belonging to the vine snake subfamily Ahaetuliinae, of which Dendrelaphis is most closely related to Chrysopelea, as shown in the cladogram below:{{Cite journal |last1=Mallik |first1=Ashok Kumar |last2=Achyuthan |first2=N. Srikanthan |last3=Ganesh |first3=Sumaithangi R. |last4=Pal |first4=Saunak P. |last5=Vijayakumar |first5=S. P. |last6=Shanker |first6=Kartik |date=27 July 2019 |title=Discovery of a deeply divergent new lineage of vine snake (Colubridae: Ahaetuliinae: Proahaetulla gen. nov.) from the southern Western Ghats of Peninsular India with a revised key for Ahaetuliinae |journal=PLOS ONE |language=en |volume=14 |issue=7 |pages=e0218851 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0218851 |pmid=31314800 |pmc=6636718 |issn=1932-6203 |bibcode=2019PLoSO..1418851M |doi-access=free}}

{{clade|style=font-size:85%;line-height:85%

|label1=Ahaetuliinae

|1={{clade

|label1=sharp-nosed snakes

|1={{clade

|1=Ahaetulla

|2=Proahaetulla }}

|2=Dryophiops }}

|label2=broad-nosed snakes

|2={{clade

|label1=Dendrelaphis

|1={{clade

|1=Dendrelaphis marenae

|2=Dendrelaphis haasi }}

|2=Dendrelaphis pictus }}

|2={{clade

|1={{clade

|1=Dendrelaphis ngansonensis

|2=Dendrelaphis cyanochloris }}

|2=Dendrelaphis striatus }} }}

|2=Dendrelaphis formosus }}

|2={{clade

|1={{clade

|1=Dendrelaphis tristis

|2=Dendrelaphis subocularis }}

|2=Dendrelaphis schokari }}

|2={{clade

|1=Dendrelaphis fuliginosus

|2=Dendrelaphis caudolineatus }} }} }}

|2=Chrysopelea }} }} }}

Distribution

Dendrelaphis tristis is found in Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar, Pakistan, and Bhutan,{{EMBL species|genus=Dendrelaphis|species=tristis}} although its presence is uncertain in Myanmar, Bhutan, and Pakistan.

Habitat

It is diurnal and fully arboreal. It lives in various types of forests, from dry deciduous to semi-evergreen, and has even been reported in urban gardens and parks.

Description

Dendrelaphis tristis is a long, slender snake with a pointed head and a bronze-coloured line running right down its back. It is camouflaged among the leaves because of its uniform ruddy brown skin.{{Citation needed|reason=This description information found in the article is probably good, but just needs a citation|date=June 2024}}

Diet

Its diet includes geckos, garden lizards, frogs, and small birds. It is not venomous, and harmless to humans.

Reproduction

The snake has oviparous (egg laying) reproduction, and lays 6-8 eggs in April in tree hollows and rotting vegetation.

Gallery

File:Bronzeback head sal.jpg

File:The Common Indian Bronzeback (Dendrelaphis tristis).jpg|Head seen dorso-laterally

File:Dendrelaphis tristis at Kaludiya pokuna.jpg|In Sri Lanka

File:Tree snake eating frog, Kerala.jpg|Bronzeback eating a frog

File:Common Bronzeback photographed at Bardiya National Park.jpg |Common Bronzeback at Bardiya National Park, Nepal

Dendrelaphis tristis

Taxonomy

Distribution

Habitat

Description

Diet

Reproduction

Gallery

References

Further reading