Rhabdophis leonardi

Rhabdophis leonardi
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Colubridae
Genus:	Rhabdophis
Species:	R. leonardi
Binomial name
Rhabdophis leonardi (Wall, 1923)
Synonyms[2]
Natrix leonardi Wall, 1923 Natrix swinhonis leonardi Wall, 1923 Natrix nivalis Schmidt, 1925 Tropidonotus nuchalis var. collaris C. Vogt, 1927

Rhabdophis leonardi, also known commonly as the Burmese keelback and Leonard's keelback, is a species of snake in the subfamily Natricinae of the family Colubridae. The species is native to Southeast Asia.

Etymology

The specific name, leonardi, is in honor of P.M.R. Leonard of the Burma Frontier Service, who collected the holotype.[3]

Geographic range

R. leonardi is found in south central China, Laos, and Myanmar.[2]

Habitat

The preferred natural habitat of R. leonardi is grassland, at altitudes of 1,250–2,850 m (4,100–9,350 ft), but it has also been found in cropland.[1]

Diet

R. leonardi preys upon earthworms and the larvae of fireflies.[1]

Reproduction

R. leonardi is oviparous.[1][2] Clutch size is 9–19 eggs.[1]

References

1. Rao D-q, Li P, Jiang J (2012). "Rhabdophis leonardi ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2012: e.T191965A2021966. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
2. Rhabdophis leonardi at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 23 December 2018.
3. Beolens B, Watkins M, Grayson M (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Rhabdophis leonardi, p. 155).

Further reading

• Wall F (1923). "Notes on a collection of Snakes from Sinlum Kaba". Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 29 (2): 466–468. (Natrix leonardi, new species, p. 466).