Species of Thailand
Ocellated brown snake
Xenelaphis ellipsifer
George Albert Boulenger, 1900
Xenelaphis ellipsifer, the ornate brown snake, or ocellated brown snake, is a large species of snake, up to 2.5 m long, which is found in Malaysia and Indonesia. It has a rounded snout, its head is distinct from its neck, and it has protruding large round eyes. The top of the snake (the dorsum) is orange-red in color, and along the sides of its body are large black-edged squarish brown blotches separated by cream colored spaces. It has a yellow upper lip. X.ellipsifer is an aquatic species, found in forests at 800 – 1000 m above sea level.
The first description of this snake was published in 1900 by George Albert Boulenger, who found a single specimen in a fish trap above the Sarawak River in Malaysia. This snake became the type specimen of the species, and is held at the British Museum in London. Although this is a rare snake which has been described in few published reports, it is classified on the IUCN Red List as a species of least concern, since it is widely distributed in protected areas, and is therefore not under threat.
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Scientific classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Suborder
- Serpentes
- Family
- Colubridae
- Genus
- Xenelaphis
- Species
- Xenelaphis ellipsifer
Synonyms
- Xenelaphis ellipsifer, Van Stanley Bartholomew Wallach et al. (2014)
- Xenelaphis ellipsifer, Rudolf Malkmus et al. (2002)
- Xenelaphis ellipsifer, Ulrich Manthey & Wolfgang Grossmann (1997)
- Xenelaphis ellipsifer, Michael Wilmer Forbes Tweedie (1954)
- Xenelaphis ellipsifer, George Albert Boulenger (1900)
Conservation status
![Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)](/img/species/vulnerability-statuses/lc.png)
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Photos
![](/img/species/place-holder/serpentes.jpg)
Range Map
![Distribution map of Ocellated brown snake, Xenelaphis ellipsifer in Thailand](/img/species/range-maps/xenelaphis-ellipsifer-range-map.jpg)
- Bannang Sata District, Yala