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Colubridae · Philippine record

(Brown or) Red Whip Snake

Dryophiops rubescens(GRAY 1834)

Length
Length not yet addedAtlas entry awaiting completion
Venom status
Venom classification not yet addedHuman effects: atlas summary awaiting completion
Known venom effects
Effects not yet summarised in this atlas

A slender whip snake with an elongated head and brown, spotted coloration. Palawan field observations document its use of trees and low shrubs.

OccurrenceConfirmed
Islands named2
Natural history6 sourced topics
References4

Literature updated 2026-10-07 · Editorial review pending

Explore the island records ↓

Species portrait

Dryophiops rubescens

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The illustrated collection

Adult & juvenile

Adult · study plate

Dryophiops rubescens

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Juvenile · study plate

Dryophiops rubescens

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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

Distribution

Recorded on Palawan and Coron. Palawan observations include El Nido (2016) and Puerto Princesa (2017).

Evidence & scope

Literature documented · pp. 6–7

Island-level evidence does not define continuous occupancy.

Ecology & habitat

Recorded in beach forest at El Nido and lowland secondary forest with dense undergrowth at Puerto Princesa.

Evidence & scope

Literature documented · p. 6, habitats and records

Two Palawan observations, 2016 and 2017.

These are occupied sites, not a habitat-preference experiment.

Behaviour

One animal was on a tree at 10:00; another rested on a shrub 1.2 m above ground at 08:50.

Evidence & scope

Literature documented · p. 6, records i–ii

Palawan, two morning encounters.

No complete daily activity pattern is inferred.

Morphology & colour

The photographed animals had slender bodies, elongated heads, dark spots and a brown stripe passing through the eye.

Evidence & scope

Literature documented · p. 7, identification remarks

Photo-based identification supported by scale characters.

Colour alone is not diagnostic.

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.

Taxonomic context

Dryophiops rubescens is retained in the atlas’s dated checklist under Colubridae. The authority is (GRAY 1834). 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 rubescens — all named islandsPalawanCoron

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

Recorded on Palawan and Coron. Palawan observations include El Nido (2016) and Puerto Princesa (2017).

2 named islands / island groups

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

Distribution record & sources

Indonesia (Mentawai Islands, Sumatra, Natuna Islands, Java, Borneo: Kalimantan), Singapore Islands, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Philippines, Malaysia (Malaya and East Malaysia), Pulau Pangkor, Pulau Tioman Type locality: Malay Peninsula

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 ↗

Two new records of Red Whip Snake Dryophiops rubescens in Palawan Province, Philippines ↗

Dryophiops rubescens — 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 rubescens
Common names
(Brown or) Red Whip Snake · Brauner Baumschnüffler
Authority
(GRAY 1834)
Year described
1834
Taxonomic status
Accepted species
Family
Colubridae
Genus
Dryophiops
Species epithet
rubescens
Persistent ID
PH-SERP-1FEE91D282
Checklist checked
2026-09-05

Philippine occurrence

Status
Present
Confidence
Confirmed
Basis
Distribution reviewed against cited source (pp. 6–7). Recorded on Palawan and Coron. Palawan observations include El Nido (2016) and Puerto Princesa (2017).
Islands named
Palawan, Coron

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

Source distribution statement

Indonesia (Mentawai Islands, Sumatra, Natuna Islands, Java, Borneo: Kalimantan), Singapore Islands, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Philippines, Malaysia (Malaya and East Malaysia), Pulau Pangkor, Pulau Tioman Type locality: Malay Peninsula

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

Dipsas rubescens GRAY in GRAY & HARDWICKE 1834 Leptophis rubescens — BLYTH 1855 Dendrophis sumatrana BLEEKER (nomen nudum) 1857 Dendrophis sumatrana — BLEEKER 1858 Chrysopelea rubescens — GÜNTHER 1858 Dryophis rubescens — JAN 1863 Chrysopelea rubescens — STOLICZKA 1870: 195 Dryophiops rubescens — BOULENGER 1896 Dryophiops rubuscens (sic) — LÖNNBERG & RENDAHL 1925 Dryophiops rubescens — MCCLURE 1965 Dryophiops rubescens — TAYLOR 1965: 892 Dryophiops rubescens — MANTHEY & GROSSMANN 1997: 341 Dryophiops rubescens — COX et al. 1998: 67 Dryophiops rubescens — GRISMER et al. 2007 Dryophiops rubescens — WALLACH et al. 2014: 249

Taxonomic and source notes

Type species: Dipsas rubescens GRAY in GRAY & HARDWICKE 1835 is the type species of the genus Dryophiops BOULENGER 1896. Habitat: fully arboreal (Harrington et al. 2018).

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 ↗
2020

Two new records of Red Whip Snake Dryophiops rubescens in Palawan Province, Philippines

Sy, E. Y.; Dichaves, J. A.; Deperalta, J.

Southeast Asia Vertebrate Records 2020: 6–7

Open source ↗
n.d.

Dryophiops rubescens — 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 ↗