Rhabdophis helleri

Rhabdophis helleri
In Hong Kong
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Colubridae
Genus:	Rhabdophis
Species:	R. helleri
Binomial name
Rhabdophis helleri (Schmidt, 1925)
Synonyms[1]
Natrix helleri Schmidt, 1925 Natrix subminiata helleri — Mell, 1931 Rhabdophis subminiatus var. helleri — Deuve, 1961 Rhabdophis subminiata helleri — Taylor, 1965 Rhabdophis helleri — Liu et al., 2021

Rhabdophis helleri, also known commonly as Heller’s red-necked keelback, is a venomous species of keelback snake in the subfamily Natricinae of the family Colubridae. The species is native to South Asia.[1]

Etymology

The specific name, helleri, is in honor of American zoologist Edmund Heller.[1]

Geographic range

R. helleri is found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, China (Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hong Kong, Sichuan, Yunnan), India (Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Mizoram, Sikkim, Tripura), Myanmar, Nepal, and northern Vietnam.[1]

Type locality: Tengyueh, 5500 feet elevation, Province of Yunnan, China, 25°01'N, 98°30'E.[1]

Description

A medium-sized snake, R. helleri may attain a total length (including tail) of 1.3 m (4.3 ft). It has 163–172 ventrals.[1]

Reproduction

R. helleri is oviparous.[1]

Venom

The venom of R. helleri can cause severe coagulopathy, but no human fatalities have been reported.[1]

Feeding

Eating an Asian common toad

References

1. Rhabdophis helleri at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 23 December 2018.

Further reading

• David P, Vogel G (2021). "Taxonomic composition of the Rhabdophis subminiatus (Schlegel, 1837) species complex (Reptilia: Natricidae) with the description of a new species from China". Taprobanica 10 (2): 89–120. (Rhabdophis helleri, pp. 102–105, Figures 5–6).
• Deuve J (1961). "Liste annotée des serpents du Laos ". Bulletin de la Société des Sciences Naturelles du Laos 1: 5–32. (Rhabdophis subminiatus var. helleri, new combination, p. 14). (in French).
• Mell R (1931) ("1929"). "List of Chinese Snakes". Lignan Science Journal 8: 199–219. (Natrix subminiata helleri, new combination).
• Schmidt KP (1925). "New Reptiles and a New Salamander from China". American Museum Novitates (157): 1–5. (Natrix helleri, new species, p. 3).