Biology:Oligodon

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Short description: Genus of snakes

Oligodon
Oligodon affinis.jpg
Western kukri snake Oligodon affinis
Scientific classification e
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Colubridae
Subfamily: Colubrinae
Genus: Oligodon
Fitzinger, 1826[1]
Type species
Oligodon bitorquatus
Species

84 known species[2]

Oligodon is genus of colubrid snakes that was first described by Austrian zoologist Leopold Fitzinger in 1826.[1] This genus is widespread throughout central and tropical Asia. The snakes of this genus are commonly known as kukri snakes.[3]

Description

The species in the genus Oligodon are egg eaters and are usually under 90 cm (35 in) in total length (including tail). Different species display widely variable patterns and colorations. They subsist mostly by scavenging the eggs of birds and reptiles. Besides eggs, species of this genus also feeds on lizards, frogs, and small rodents.

Oligodon is a rear-fanged snake genus. All member species have a set of enlarged teeth placed in the back of the upper jaws, as well as functional Duvernoy's glands. They are not dangerous to humans, though. Bites by some species have been reported to bleed excessively, suggesting presence of anticoagulants in the Duvernoy's gland secretions.[4] Species of Oligodon are mostly nocturnal, and live on the floor of mature forests.

The common name of the genus comes from the kukri, a distinctively shaped Nepalese knife, which is similar in shape to the broad, flattened, curved hind teeth of Oligodon species. These teeth are specially adapted for their main diet of eggs; the teeth cut open eggs as they are being swallowed by the snake, allowing for easier digestion.

Species

There are 84 recognized species in the genus Oligodon according to Reptile Database as of April 2023[2]

The source column gives direct links to the sources used:

EX - Extinct, EW - Extinct in the Wild
CR - Critically Endangered, EN - Endangered, VU - Vulnerable
NT - Near Threatened, LC - Least Concern
DD - Data Deficient, NE - Not Evaluated

Nota bene: A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Oligodon.

Image Common name Species Authority Geographic range Conservation status Source
Western Kukri WG.jpg Western kukri snake, Malabar brown kukri snake O. affinis Günther, 1862 India (Kerala, Tamil Nadu) LC IUCN RDB
Oligodon albocinctus.jpg Light-barred kukri snake O. albocinctus (Cantor, 1839)[5] Nepal, Bangladesh, India (Assam, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh), Myanmar, Vietnam, China (Tibet, Yunnan) RDB
Northern short-headed snake O. ancorus (Girard, 1858) Philippines (Mindoro, Luzon) NT IUCN RDB
Annam kukri snake O. annamensis Leviton, 1953 Vietnam (Lam Dang Province) DD IUCN RDB
Spotted kukri snake, ringed kukri snake O. annulifer (Boulenger, 1893) Brunei, Malaysia (Sabah, Sarawak) LC IUCN RDB
BandedKukriSnake-June2015-01.JPG Russet kukri snake, common kukri snake, banded kukri O. arnensis (Shaw, 1802) Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, India (West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab), Pakistan, Nepal RDB
Oligodon barroni, Barron's kukri snake - Tha Yang District, Phetchaburi (28042483455).jpg Barron's kukri snake O. barroni (M.A. Smith, 1916) Thailand, Southern Vietnam, Cambodia, South Laos LC IUCN RDB
Javanese mountain kukri snake, Boie's kukri snake O. bitorquatus F. Boie, 1827 Indonesia (Java, possibly South Sumatra and Sumbawa) LC IUCN RDB
Double-striped kukri snake O. bivirgatus T. Qian, S. Qi, J. Shi, Y. Lu, R.W. Jenkins, Y. Mo & P. Li, 2021 China (Hainan) RDB
Oligodon brevicauda by Sandeep Das.jpg Short-tailed kukri snake, shorthead kukri snake O. brevicauda Günther, 1862 India (Tamil Nadu, Kerala) VU IUCN RDB
Templeton's kukri snake O. calamarius (Linnaeus, 1758) Sri Lanka EN RDB
Assam kukri snake O. catenatus (Blyth, 1854) India, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, South China (Guangdong, Guangxi) RDB
Chinese kukri snake O. chinensis (Günther, 1888) southern China, northern Vietnam LC IUCN RDB
Oligodon churahensis (10.3897-evolsyst.5.72564) Figure 6 (cropped).jpg Churah Valley kukri snake O. churahensis Mirza, Bhardwaj & Patel, 2021 India (Himachal Pradesh) [6]
Black cross-barred Kukri snake Oligodon cinereus.jpg Black cross-barred kukri snake, ashy kukri snake, golden kukri snake, Günther's kukri snake O. cinereus (Günther, 1864) India (Assam, Arunachal Pradesh), Bangladesh, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Myanmar, Thailand, peninsular Malaysia, China (Yunnan, Hong Kong, Hainan, Guangxi, Fujian, Guangdong) LC IUCN RDB
O. condaoensis S.N. Nguyen, V.D.H. Nguyen, S.H. Le & R. Murphy, 2016 S Vietnam (Hon Ba Island) RDB
Pegu kukri snake O. cruentatus (Günther, 1868) Myanmar LC IUCN RDB
O. culaochamensis S.N. Nguyen et al., 2017 Vietnam RDB
North-east Indian kukri snake, Cantor's kukri snake O. cyclurus (Cantor, 1839)[7] India (Assam), Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, China (Yunnan), Nepal, Bangladesh LC IUCN RDB
Gray's kukri snake, Bengalese kukri snake O. dorsalis (Gray & Hardwicke, 1835) India (Assam), Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand RDB
Eberhardt's kukri snake O. eberhardti Pellegrin, 1910 Vietnam, China (Guangxi, Fujian), possibly Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar LC IUCN RDB
Nagarkot kukri snake O. erythrogaster Boulenger, 1907 Central and East Nepal, India (Sikkim) RDB
Red-striped kukri snake, Namsang kukri snake O. erythrorhachis Wall, 1910 India (Arunachal Pradesh) VU IUCN RDB
Jewelled kukri snake, Everett's kukri snake[8] O. everetti Boulenger, 1893 Indonesia (Kalimantan), Malaysia (Sabah) LC IUCN RDB
Banded Kukri Snake (Oligodon fasciolatus) (7783163348).jpg Small-banded kukri snake, fasciolated kukri snake O. fasciolatus (Günther, 1864) Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam LC IUCN RDB
Forbes' kukri snake[9] O. forbesi (Boulenger, 1883) Indonesia (Selaru and Yamdena in Tanimbar Islands) NT IUCN RDB
Taiwan kukri snake, Formosa kukri snake O. formosanus (Günther, 1872) Vietnam, Taiwan, South Japan (Ryukyu Islands, primarily Okinawa, Miyako and Yaeyama Islands), South China (Chekiang, Jiangxi, Fujian, Guangdong, Nan Ao Island, Hainan, Guangxi, Hong Kong, Zhejiang, Yunnan) RDB
Hampton's kukri snake O. hamptoni Boulenger, 1918 Myanmar DD IUCN RDB
Inornate kukri snake, unicolored kukri snake O. inornatus (Boulenger, 1914) Cambodia, North and East Thailand LC IUCN RDB
Grey kukri snake, Joynson's kukri snake O. joynsoni (M.A. Smith, 1917) northern Thailand, possibly Laos, Myanmar, China (Yunnan) LC IUCN RDB
Walnut kukri snake O. juglandifer (Wall, 1909) India (Sikkim), West Bhutan VU IUCN RDB
O. kampucheaensis[10] Neang, Grismer & Daltry, 2012 Cambodia RDB
Oligodon kheriensis.jpg coral red kukri snake O. kheriensis[11] Acharji & Ray, 1936 India (Uttar Pradesh), Southwest Nepal RDB
Lacroix kukri snake[12] O. lacroixi Angel & Bourret, 1933 China (Sichuan, Yunnan), Vietnam VU IUCN RDB
Medog kukri snake O. lipipengi Jiang, Wang, Li, Ding, Ding & Che, 2020 China (Tibet) RDB
O. lungshenensis Zheng & Huang, 1978 China (Chongqing, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hunan) NT IUCN RDB
Angel's kukri snake O. macrurus (Angel, 1927) Vietnam DD IUCN RDB
Barred short-headed snake, spotted kukri snake O. maculatus (Taylor, 1918) Philippines (Mindanao) LC IUCN RDB
Arakan kukri snake, McDougall's kukri snake O. mcdougalli Wall, 1905 Myanmar LC IUCN RDB
Bluebelly kukri snake O. melaneus Wall, 1909 India RDB
Abor Hills kukri snake O. melanozonatus Wall, 1922 India, China (Tibet) RDB
Sulu short-headed snake, Meyerink's kukri snake O. meyerinkii (Steindachner, 1891) Philippine Islands (Bongao, Jolo, Papahang, Sibutu, Tawi-Tawi in Sulu Archipelago), possibly Malaysia (Sabah) EN IUCN RDB
Spotted-bellied short-headed snake, Luzon kukri snake O. modestus Günther, 1864 Philippines (Mindanao, Negros, Tablas, Panay, Cebu, possibly Luzon) VU IUCN RDB
Morice's kukri snake[13] O. moricei[14] David, G. Vogel & van Rooijen, 2008 Southern Vietnam DD IUCN RDB
Oligodon mouhoti.jpg Cambodian kukri snake, Mouhot's kukri snake[13] O. mouhoti (Boulenger, 1914) Cambodia, East Thailand LC IUCN RDB
Nikhil's kukri snake O. nikhili Whitaker & Dattatri, 1982 India (Tamil Nadu) DD IUCN RDB
Palawan kukri snake, Palawan short-headed snake O. notospilus Günther, 1873 Philippine Islands (Palawan, Busuanga, Balabac, Mindanao) RDB
Eyed kukri snake, ocellated kukri snake O. ocellatus (Morice, 1875) Cambodia, Lao, southern Vietnam LC IUCN RDB
Striped Kukri Snake (Oligodon octolineatus) (6749975673).jpg Eight-lined kukri snake, eight-striped kukri snake, Grace's kukri snake O. octolineatus (Schneider, 1801) Brunei, Indonesia (Java, Borneo, Sumatra), Malaysia (Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah, Sarawak), Singapore LC IUCN RDB
Ornate kukri snake O. ornatus Van Denburgh, 1909 China (Anhui, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hunan, Jiangxi, Sichuan, Zhejiang), Taiwan, LC IUCN RDB
Perkin's short-headed snake O. perkinsi (Taylor, 1925) Philippines (Palawan, Culion and Calauit Islands) NT IUCN RDB
Petronella's[15] kukri snake O. petronellae Roux, 1917 Indonesia (Sumatra) DD IUCN RDB
Pha-Ngan kukri snake O. phangan Pauwels, Thongyai, Chantong & Sumontha, 2021 Thailand (Surat Thani Province: Pha-Ngan Island) RDB
O. planiceps (Boulenger, 1888) Myanmar LC IUCN RDB
Pulau Weh kukri snake O. praefrontalis F. Werner, 1913 Indonesia (Weh Island) DD IUCN RDB
O. promsombuti Pauwels, Thongyai, Chantong, & Sumontha, 2021 Thailand (Surat Thani Province, Trang Province: Na Yong District) RDB
Bleeker's Kukri Snake O. propinquus Jan, 1862 Indonesia (Java) RDB
False striped kukri snake O. pseudotaeniatus[14] David, G. Vogel & van Rooijen, 2008 Thailand LC IUCN RDB
O. pulcherrimus F. Werner, 1909 Indonesia (Sumatra) VU IUCN RDB
Oligod purpu 110417-14780 tsa.jpg Purple kukri snake, brown kukri snake O. purpurascens (Schlegel, 1837) Brunei, Indonesia (Bali, Java, Kalimantan, Sumatra), Malaysia (Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah, Sarawak), Singapore, Thailand LC IUCN RDB
Long-snouted kukri snake O. rostralis H.N. Nguyen, Tran, L.H. Nguyen, Neang, Yushchenko & Poyarkov, 2020 Vietnam
Oligodon Russelius.jpg Russell's kukri snake O. russelius (Daudin, 1803) India, Nepal
Saint Girons' kukri snake[16] O. saintgironsi[3] David, G. Vogel & Pauwels, 2008 Vietnam, Cambodia DD IUCN RDB
Oligodon subcarinatus.jpg Half-keeled kukri snake, barred kukri snake, banded kukri snake O. signatus (Günther, 1864) Indonesia (Sumatra), Malaysia (Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah, Sarawak), Singapore LC IUCN RDB
Splendid kukri snake O. splendidus (Günther, 1875) Myanmar LC IUCN RDB
Oligodon sublineatus (10.3897-zse.91.4971) Figure 1.jpg Duméril's kukri snake O. sublineatus A.M.C. Duméril, Bibron & A.H.A. Duméril, 1854 Sri Lanka VU IUCN RDB
Striped kukri snake O. taeniatus (Günther, 1861) Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, possibly China (Yunnan) LC IUCN RDB
Russell's kukri aka Variegated kukri (Oligodon taeniolatus).jpg Streaked sukri knake, Loos snake O. taeniolatus (Jerdon, 1853) Afghanistan, India, Iran, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Turkmenistan LC IUCN RDB
Teynié's kukri snake O. teyniei David, Hauser & G. Vogel, 2022 Laos
Mandalay kukri snake, Theobald's kukri snake O. theobaldi (Günther, 1868) Bangladesh, Myanmar LC IUCN RDB
Tillack's kukri snake O. tillacki Bandara, Ganesh, Kanishka, Danushka, Sharma, P. Campbell, Ineich, G. Vogel & Amarasinghe, 2022 India
O. tolaki Amarasinghe, Henkanaththegedara, Campbell, Riyanto, Hallermann & G. Vogel, 2021 Indonesia (Southeast Sulawesi) RDB
O. torquatus (Boulenger, 1888) Myanmar DD IUCN RDB
Travancore kukri snake O. travancoricus Beddome, 1877 India (Kerala, Tamil Nadu) DD IUCN RDB
Three-lined Kukri Snake Oligodon trilineatus (7067734773).jpg Three-lined kukri snake O. trilineatus (A.M.C. Duméril, Bibron & A.H.A. Duméril, 1854) Indonesia (Nias, Siberut, Sumatra) LC IUCN RDB
Langbian kukri snake O. tuani S.N. Nguyen, Le, Vo & R. Murphy, 2022 Vietnam RDB
O. unicolor (Kopstein, 1926) Indonesia (Selaru, Yamdena) NT IUCN RDB
Jerdon's kukri snake O. venustus (Jerdon, 1853) India (Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu) LC IUCN RDB
Dark-spined kukri snake, vertebral kukri snake O. vertebralis (Günther, 1865) Indonesia (Kalimantan), Malaysia (Sabah) DD IUCN RDB
Bleeker's kukri snake O. waandersi (Bleeker, 1860) Indonesia (Java, Sulawesi, Buton, Sula Islands) RDB
Wagner's kukri snake O. wagneri David & G. Vogel, 2012 Indonesia (Nias) RDB
yellow-striped kukri snake O. woodmasoni (Sclater, 1891) India (Nicobar Islands, possibly Andaman Islands) RDB

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Fitzinger LJ (1826). Neue Classification der Reptilien nach ihren natürlichen Verwandtschaften. Nebst einer Verwandtschafts-tafel und einem Verzeichnisse der Reptilien-Sammlung des K. K. zoologischen Museums zu Wien. Vienna: J.G. Heubner. five unnumbered + 67 pp. + one plate. (Oligodon, new genus, p. 56). (in German and Latin).
  2. 2.0 2.1 "Search results Genus: Oligodon – Exact match". Reptile Database. http://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/advanced_search?genus=Oligodon&exact%5B0%5D=genus&submit=Search. 
  3. 3.0 3.1 David P; Vogel G; Pauwels OSG (2008). "A new species of the genus Oligodon Fitzinger, 1826 (Squamata: Colubridae) from northern Vietnam, southern China and central Laos". Zootaxa 1939: 19–37. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.1939.1.3. http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/2012/f/z03498p062f.pdf. 
  4. "Defensive hemipenis display in the kukri snake Oligodon cyclurus ". Journal of Herpetology 26 (2): 238–241. 1992. doi:10.2307/1564874. 
  5. Bombay Natural History Society (2005). Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society. Bombay Natural History Society.. p. 21. https://books.google.com/books?id=TNfaAAAAMAAJ. Retrieved 10 June 2019. 
  6. Mirza, Zeeshan A.; Bhardwaj, Virender Kumar; Patel, Harshil (2021). "A New Species of the Genus Oligodon Boie in Fitzinger, 1826 (Reptilia, Serpentes) from the Western Himalayas". Evolutionary Systematics 5 (2): 335–345. (Oligodon churahensis, new species).
  7. Akonda, A.W.; Khan, M.A.; Khan, S.M.M.H.; Haque, M.N.; Khan, M.M.H.; Ahmed, R.; Ameen, M.; Islam, M.A. et al. (2000). Red book of threatened mammals of Bangladesh. IUCN Bangladesh. p. 29. ISBN 978-984-746-004-8. https://books.google.com/books?id=c-VEAAAAYAAJ. Retrieved 10 June 2019. 
  8. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN:978-1-4214-0135-5. (Oligodon everetti, p. 86).
  9. Beolens et al. (2011). p. 91.
  10. Neang T, Grismer LL, Daltry JC (2012). "A new species of kukri snake (Colubridae: Oligodon Fitzinger, 1826) from the Phnom Samkos Wildlife Sanctuary, Cardamom Mountains, southwest Cambodia ". Zootaxa 3388: 41–55.
  11. Acharji MN, Ray HC (1936). "A new species of Oligodon from the United Provinces (India)". Records of the Indian Museum, Calcutta 38: 519–520.
  12. Beolens et al. (2011). p. 149.
  13. 13.0 13.1 Beolens et al. (2011). p. 183.
  14. 14.0 14.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named David2008b
  15. Beolens et al. (2011). pp. 70, 205.
  16. Beolens et al. (2011). p. 231.

External links

Further reading

  • Green, Marc D.; Orlov, Nikolai L.; Murphy, Robert W. (2010). "Toward a Phylogeny of the Kukri Snakes, Genus Oligodon ". Asian Herpetological Research 2 (1): 1-21.
  • Smith MA (1943). The Fauna of British India, Ceylon and Burma, Including the Whole of the Indo-Chinese Sub-region. Reptilia and Amphibia. Vol. III.—Serpentes. London: Secretary of State for India. (Taylor and Francis, printers). xii + 583 pp. (Genus Oligodon, pp. 195–201).


Wikidata ☰ Q2334473 entry