Rhabdophis helleri

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.

Etymology

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

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.

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

Description

A medium-sized snake, R. helleri may attain a total length (including tail) of . It has 163–172 ventrals.

Reproduction

R. helleri is oviparous.

Venom

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

References

Further reading

• , (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).
• (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).