Dendrelaphis wickrorum

The specific name wickrorum is in honor of prominent herpetologist L. J. Mendis Wickramasinghe and his wife Nethu Wickramasinghe for their remarkable contributions to the field of herpetology in Sri Lanka. It was formerly considered to be Dendrelaphis bifrenalis.{{Cite web|date=2020-06-18|title=A Sri Lankan herp mystery solved: The snake species that was two|url=https://news.mongabay.com/2020/06/a-sri-lankan-herp-mystery-solved-the-snake-species-that-was-two/|access-date=2020-08-11|website=Mongabay Environmental News|language=en-US}}

The species is sympatric with other bronzeback species: D. sinharajensis, D. schokari and D. caudolineolatus in the wet zone. It was formerly confused with Dendrelaphis bifrenalis, but the dry-zone populations of Dendrelaphis bifrenalis are the real ones, and the wet-zone populations are Dendrelaphis wickrorum.

The largest specimen in the type series is a female measuring {{convert|110|cm|in|1|abbr=on}} in total length, whereas the males are shorter, up to {{convert|79|cm|in|1|abbr=on}}. Eyes are slightly larger than more common bronzeback species, Dendrelaphis bifrenalis. A temporal stripe stopping just beyond the neck and a ventrolateral stripe continuing up to the tail. It has a divided nasal. Dorsally olive green and ventrally brownish yellow snake. There is a yellow colour longitudinal ventro-lateral line starts from anterior body continues until tail. Head dark olive green dorsally. A black stripe runs from posterior nasal across eye until the neck.

The snake is found from forest areas of Pundaluoya, Kuda-Waskaduwa, Pinwatta-Panadura and Labugama.

Diurnal and predominantly arboreal that hunts in sub-canopy and the understory.

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{{cite journal |url=http://file.taprobanica.org/10_dendrelpahis_wickrorum_taprobanica_9_1_2020_83_102-3051a-3349_578.pdf |first=A. Dineth |last=Danushka |display-authors=etal |title=A new species of Dendrelaphis Boulenger, 1890 (Reptilia: Colubridae) from the wet zone of Sri Lanka with a redescription of Dendrelaphis bifrenalis (Boulenger, 1890) |journal=Taprobanica |year=2020 |volume=9 |issue=1 |pages=83–102 |doi=10.47605/tapro.v9i1.224 |s2cid=229592621 |accessdate=22 May 2020 |archive-date=18 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200618190424/http://file.taprobanica.org/10_dendrelpahis_wickrorum_taprobanica_9_1_2020_83_102-3051a-3349_578.pdf |url-status=dead }}

{{NRDB species |genus=Dendrelaphis |species=wickrorum |accessdate=1 September 2020}}

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wickrorum

Category:Snakes of Asia

Category:Reptiles of Sri Lanka

Category:Endemic fauna of Sri Lanka

Category:Reptiles described in 2020