Laotian Wolf Snake is a species of Lycodon genus found in Oriental region. In India its distribution is restricted to far North-east (Arunachal Pradesh) only but widely distributed in many east Asian countries. India is its western most limit. Morphologically it can be identified easily by checking black dorsal body banded with yellow and white bands.
🗒 Synonyms
| synonym | Lycodon laoensis Boulenger 1893 |
| synonym | Lycodon laoensis Cox et al. 1998 |
| synonym | Lycodon laoensis Günther 1864 |
| synonym | Lycodon laoensis Lanza 1999 |
| synonym | Lycodon laoensis Manthey & Grossmann 1997 |
| synonym | Lycodon laoensis Sang et al. 2009 |
| synonym | Lycodon laoensis Smith 1943 |
| synonym | Lycodon laoensis Wallach et al. 2014 |
| synonym | Ophites laoensis Zhao & Adler, 1993 |
🗒 Common Names
| English |
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📚 Overview
Summary
Reptile group
snakes
Diagnostic Keys
Head:
Supralabials 9 or 10; 3rd to 5th in contact with eyes; preocular 1, separates prefrontal from eyes; loreal 1, does not or slightly touches internasals; postocular 2; temporals 2+3.
Dorsal:
Smooth scales with 17: 17: 15 rows.
Ventral:
163-187; anal divided.
Sub Caudal:
60-76; always divided in zig-zag manner.
indiansnakes.org
| Attributions | indiansnakes.org |
| Contributors | |
| Status | UNDER_CREATION |
| Licenses | CC_BY |
| References |
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No Data
📚 Nomenclature and Classification
References
eng: Laotian Wolf Snake
Curated from The Reptile Database
| Attributions | Curated from The Reptile Database |
| Contributors | |
| Status | UNDER_CREATION |
| Licenses | CC_BY |
| References |
No Data
📚 Natural History
Reproduction
Reproductive mode (Reptiles)
Oviparous
Oviparous. Female lays up to 5 eggs in narrow places like holes, cracks, under heavy objects, cavities of woods etc. during summer months.
indiansnakes.org
| Attributions | indiansnakes.org |
| Contributors | |
| Status | UNDER_CREATION |
| Licenses | CC_BY |
| References |
Morphology
Dorsal -
Body slender; covered with subequal, smooth & shiny scales of bluish-black or jet black color. About 25 bands prominently marked with yellow color on top and white on flank found from neck to end of the tail where they usually become narrow and have only yellow color. These bands are narrowest on top while broadest while touching the belly.
Ventral -
Belly color Glossy white without any pattern. Subcaudal scales paired in zig-zag manner, their color is same like ventral scales always.
Head -
Head broader than neck; covered with smooth and shiny scales. Eyes entirely black with vertically elliptical pupil. Well defined collar always present in this species which extends to posterior of upper lip.
Tail -
Smooth scales having yellow color narrow bands. Tail length is normal as typical range with pointed tip.
indiansnakes.org
| Attributions | indiansnakes.org |
| Contributors | |
| Status | UNDER_CREATION |
| Licenses | CC_BY |
| References |
Behaviour
Laotian Wolf Snake is a nocturnal species which shows activity from ground to heights (up to 30ft) with excellent climbing tendency. Behavior shy, alert and usually non-offensive. On threatening prefers to escape but of further disturbance it makes coil of body with head under it.
indiansnakes.org
| Attributions | indiansnakes.org |
| Contributors | |
| Status | UNDER_CREATION |
| Licenses | CC_BY |
| References |
Trophic Strategy
Feeds on geckos, skinks, frogs, small rodents etc. as preferred diet. Occasionally takes insects and earthworms also.
indiansnakes.org
| Attributions | indiansnakes.org |
| Contributors | |
| Status | UNDER_CREATION |
| Licenses | CC_BY |
| References |
No Data
📚 Habitat and Distribution
General Habitat
Distributed in variety of forests including grasslands, dipterocarp savannah, mixed and moist deciduous forests, semi-rainforest etc. Found in both dense and open forest of both hills (3000ft) and plains. Hides under derbies, tree bark at heights, tree holes, cracks, small animal holes etc.
indiansnakes.org
| Attributions | indiansnakes.org |
| Contributors | |
| Status | UNDER_CREATION |
| Licenses | CC_BY |
| References |
Description
In India it has been recorded from Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh only. Likely to be occur in similar forest range of North-east region. Also found in Cambodia, China, India, Laos (also the Type locality of this species), Malaysia and Vietnam
indiansnakes.org
| Attributions | indiansnakes.org |
| Contributors | |
| Status | UNDER_CREATION |
| Licenses | CC_BY |
| References |
No Data
📚 Occurrence
No Data
📚 Demography and Conservation
Conservation Status
IUCN: Least concern
indiansnakes.org
| Attributions | indiansnakes.org |
| Contributors | |
| Status | UNDER_CREATION |
| Licenses | CC_BY |
| References |
Protection Legal Status
Wildlife Protection Act (1972): Schedule 4
indiansnakes.org
| Attributions | indiansnakes.org |
| Contributors | |
| Status | UNDER_CREATION |
| Licenses | CC_BY |
| References |
No Data
📚 Uses and Management
📚 Information Listing
References
- Uetz, P., Freed, P. & Hošek, J. (eds.), The Reptile Database, http://www.reptile-database.org, accessed 11/12/2018
Overview > Diagnostic > Diagnostic Keys
- Whitaker R., Captain A. (2004) Snakes of India, The Field Guide. Draco Books
- Slowinski J. B., Pawar S. S., Win H., Thin T., Gyi S. W., Oo S. L., Tun H. (2001) A new Lycodon (Serpentes: Colubridae) from Northeast India and Myanmar (Burma). Proc. Cal. Acad. Sci. 52: 397-405
- Boulenger G. A. (1893) Catalogue of the snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Vo1. 1, London: Taylor and Francis.
- Günther A. (1864) The reptiles of British India. London: Published for the Ray Society by Robert Hardwicke
- Daltry J. C., Wüster W. (2002) A new species of Wolf Snake (Serpentes: Colubridae: Lycodon) from the Cardamom Mountains, Southwestern Cambodia. Herpetologica, 58 (4), 498–504
- Smith M. A. (1943) The fauna of British India, Ceylon and Burma including the whole of The Indo-Chinese Sub-region, Reptilia and Amphibia. Vol 3 Serpentes. Taylor & Francis, London.
- Wallach V., Williams K. L., Boundy J. (2014) Snakes of the World: A catalogue of living and extinct species. Taylor and Francis, CRC Press, 1237 pp.
- Siler C. D., Oliveros C. H., Santanen A., Brown R. M. (2013) Multilocus phylogeny reveals unexpected diversification patterns in Asian wolf snakes (genus Lycodon). The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters, 42 (3), pp 262–277
Information Listing > References
- Uetz, P., Freed, P. & Hošek, J. (eds.), The Reptile Database, http://www.reptile-database.org, accessed 11/12/2018
No Data
🐾 Taxonomy
| Root | Root |
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Reptilia |
| Order | Squamata |
| Family | Colubridae |
| Genus | Lycodon |
| Species | Lycodon laoensis Günther 1864 |
📊 Temporal Distribution
📷 Related Observations
