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Colubridae · Philippine record

Philippine Whip Snake

Dryophiops philippinaBOULENGER 1896

Length
64.9–94.6 cmTotal length · measured series
Venom status
Venom classification not yet addedHuman effects: atlas summary awaiting completion
Known venom effects
Effects not yet summarised in this atlas
Size & venom sources

Length: Three Sibuyan specimens. A measured sample, not the species maximum.

p. 972, Identification

Venom effects and medical significance are different from toxicity rankings. Do not handle a snake on the basis of this summary.

The sampled snakes were slender, cream-brown above and pale to bright yellow below, with 15 midbody scale rows. Its atlas account links 4 named island or island-group records to the source literature.

OccurrenceConfirmed
Islands named4
Natural history5 sourced topics
References4

Literature updated 2026-10-07 · Editorial review pending

Explore the island records ↓

Species portrait

Dryophiops philippina

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The illustrated collection

Adult & juvenile

Adult · study plate

Dryophiops philippina

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Juvenile · study plate

Dryophiops philippina

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Reserved for a contributor imageCredit and usage rights will accompany the image.

Life stages will be labelled from the contributor’s information. Images alone do not establish identification or a locality record.

Media provenance

Every image carries its source.

Contributor images are forthcoming. Photographs and illustrations will retain their individual credits, permissions and evidence notes.

A closer look

Natural history & identification

Behaviour

Three Sibuyan snakes climbed tree trunks between 20:00 and 22:00, apparently searching for prey.

Evidence & scope

Literature documented · p. 972, Remarks

Three encounters.

Prey capture was not documented.

Morphology & colour

The sampled snakes were slender, cream-brown above and pale to bright yellow below, with 15 midbody scale rows.

Evidence & scope

Literature documented · p. 972; Fig. 31

Sibuyan specimens.

Not a complete diagnostic character set.

Reproduction

The species account records egg-laying reproduction. A verified Philippine clutch-size range, incubation interval and breeding calendar are not established here.

Evidence & scope

Literature documented · Reproduction field

Reproductive mode reported for this named species.

Mode alone does not establish litter or clutch size, seasonal timing, or captive husbandry requirements.

Philippine distribution

The atlas records Dryophiops philippina from these named Philippine areas: Luzon, Mindoro, Panay, Sibuyan. These are literature areas rather than a continuous range boundary.

Evidence & scope

Literature documented · Existing checklist occurrence statement and distribution review

The original evidence level is retained.

A country listing cannot establish an island or a precise locality.

Taxonomic context

Dryophiops philippina is retained in the atlas’s dated checklist under Colubridae. The authority is BOULENGER 1896. Earlier names and the original source notes are preserved below for comparison.

Evidence & scope

Literature documented · Checklist identity and nomenclatural trail

Checklist verified 2026-09-05; not a newly revised taxonomic backbone.

Historical names can cover different biological concepts; synonyms should not be used to transfer records automatically.

Across the archipelago

Where this species is recorded

Philippines
Dryophiops philippina — all named islandsLuzonMindoroPanaySibuyan

Documented islands: gold · island groups: dashed circles

Island-level records · not continuous habitat coverage. Dashed circles locate groups, not individual observations.

Philippine distribution

Documented places

4 named islands / island groups

Select an island to read its distribution record and sources. Uncoloured islands are not evidence of absence.

Distribution record & sources

Philippines (Luzon, Mindoro, Sibuyan, Bataan, Panay) Type locality: Cape Engano, Luzon, Philippines (designated by LEVITON 1964)

References attached to this species account. Island-specific evidence is shown separately where available.

The Reptile Database — species checklist, 17 June 2026 ↗

Synopsis of the Snakes of the Philippines: A Synthesis of Data from Biodiversity Repositories, Field Studies, and the Literature ↗

Amphibian and reptile diversity along a ridge-to-reef elevational gradient on a small isolated oceanic island of the central Philippines ↗

Dryophiops philippina — The Reptile Database species account ↗

Living with wildlife

Give this snake space.

Venom classification not yet added · Effects not yet summarised in this atlas

Observe from a distance. Do not handle, corner or capture a snake to identify it. An incomplete venom account is not evidence that a species is safe to handle.

After a suspected snakebite, keep the person still and arrange urgent medical care. Avoid tight tourniquets, cutting, suction and unproven remedies. Do not wait to identify the snake before seeking help.

WHO guidance on snakebite first aid

Species record

Taxonomy, occurrence & evidence.

Identity

Accepted name
Dryophiops philippina
Common names
Philippine Whip Snake
Authority
BOULENGER 1896
Year described
1896
Taxonomic status
Accepted species
Family
Colubridae
Genus
Dryophiops
Species epithet
philippina
Persistent ID
PH-SERP-0DE1E9A62A
Checklist checked
2026-09-05

Philippine occurrence

Status
Present
Confidence
Confirmed
Basis
2018 Philippine synopsis treatment plus current RDB listing
Islands named
Luzon, Mindoro, Panay, Sibuyan

Range noteCountry/island text is not a range polygon or locality record.

Source distribution statement

Philippines (Luzon, Mindoro, Sibuyan, Bataan, Panay) Type locality: Cape Engano, Luzon, Philippines (designated by LEVITON 1964)

Knowledge coverage

EndemismResearch pending
EcologyLiterature documented
VenomVenom classification not yet added
Effects not yet summarised in this atlas
Detailed research: Research pending
ConservationResearch pending

Names through time

Nomenclatural trail

Dryophiops philippina BOULENGER 1896: 195 Dryophiops philippina — BROWN & ALCALA 1970: 114 Dryophiops philippina — GAULKE et al. 2003 Dryophiops philippina — GAULKE 2011: 279 Dryophiops philippina — WALLACH et al. 2014: 249

References attached to this record

2026

The Reptile Database — species checklist, 17 June 2026

Uetz, P.; Freed, P.; Aguilar, R.; Reyes, F.; Kudera, J.; Hošek, J. (eds.)

Open source ↗
2018

Synopsis of the Snakes of the Philippines: A Synthesis of Data from Biodiversity Repositories, Field Studies, and the Literature

Leviton, A. E.; Siler, C. D.; Weinell, J. L.; Brown, R. M.

Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences 64(14): 399–568

DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.11512589

Open source ↗
2022

Amphibian and reptile diversity along a ridge-to-reef elevational gradient on a small isolated oceanic island of the central Philippines

Meneses, C. G.; Siler, C. D.; Alviola, P. A.; Balatibat, J. B.; Gonzalez, J. C. T.; Natividad, C. A.; Brown, R. M.

Check List 18(5): 941–984

DOI: 10.15560/18.5.941

Full species accounts consulted. Tentative Sibuyan taxon assignments are not transferred to confirmed species claims.

Open source ↗
n.d.

Dryophiops philippina — The Reptile Database species account

Uetz, P.; Hallermann, J. et al. (editors)

Public species fields consulted for bounded biological summaries. Primary sources quoted within the database were not independently examined unless explicitly stated. The catalogue name may differ from the current source title.

Open source ↗