Colubridae · Global account with Philippine editorial coverage
Sibynophis geminatus(BOIE, 1826)
Sibynophis geminatus is a Colubridae snake included in the Philippine checklist. Its atlas account links 1 named island or island-group record to the source literature.
Literature updated 2026-10-07 · Editorial review pending
Explore the island records ↓Species portrait
Sibynophis geminatus
Image to followThe illustrated collection
Adult · study plate
Sibynophis geminatus
Image to followJuvenile · study plate
Sibynophis geminatus
Image to followLife stages will be labelled from the contributor’s information. Images alone do not establish identification or a locality record.
Media provenance
Contributor images are forthcoming. Photographs and illustrations will retain their individual credits, permissions and evidence notes.
One species · Across borders
Explore the recorded countries and islands. Select a highlighted area to see its distribution evidence.
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Shading identifies recorded countries or named islands, not continuous habitat coverage. Uncoloured areas do not establish absence.
Natural Earth · 1:50m · public domain. Small islands may lack an outline.
Explore the distribution
Select a highlighted area to see its status, island records and sources. Each country and island links to the same shared species collection.
Use “Worldwide records” to include distant introduced and uncertain records in the map view.
Borneo evidence is Sarawak, Malaysia, not an Indonesian Borneo record.
A closer look
The species account records egg-laying reproduction. A verified Philippine clutch-size range, incubation interval and breeding calendar are not established here.
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.
The atlas records Sibynophis geminatus from these named Philippine areas: Sulu. These are literature areas rather than a continuous range boundary.
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.
Sibynophis geminatus is retained in the atlas’s dated checklist under Colubridae. The authority is (BOIE 1826). Earlier names and the original source notes are preserved below for comparison.
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
Documented islands: gold · island groups: dashed circles
Island-level records · not continuous habitat coverage. Dashed circles locate groups, not individual observations.
Philippine distribution
Select an island to read its distribution record and sources. Uncoloured islands are not evidence of absence.
Thailand, Malaysia (East Malaysia, Borneo: Sarawak), Indonesia (Nias, Mentawai, Sumatra, Riau Archipelago, Bangka, Billiton, Java, Bali, Lombok, Natuna islands), Philippines (Sulu Archipelago) David & Vogel: Indonesia: Bali, Java, Lombok, Sumatra Type locality: Java
The atlas records Sibynophis geminatus from these named Philippine areas: Sulu. These are literature areas rather than a continuous range boundary.
The Reptile Database — species checklist, 17 June 2026 ↗Existing checklist occurrence statement and distribution review
References attached to this species account. Island-specific evidence is shown separately where available.
The Reptile Database — species checklist, 17 June 2026 ↗
Sibynophis geminatus — The Reptile Database species account ↗
Living with wildlife
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 aidSpecies record
Range noteCountry/island text is not a range polygon or locality record.
Thailand, Malaysia (East Malaysia, Borneo: Sarawak), Indonesia (Nias, Mentawai, Sumatra, Riau Archipelago, Bangka, Billiton, Java, Bali, Lombok, Natuna islands), Philippines (Sulu Archipelago) David & Vogel: Indonesia: Bali, Java, Lombok, Sumatra Type locality: Java
Names through time
Coluber geminatus H. BOIE 1826: 211 Lycodon melanocephalus GRAY 1834 (fide MANTHEY 1983) Enicognathus ornatus SCHLEGEL (fide VOGEL, pers. comm.) Ablabes melanocephalus — GÜNTHER 1858 (fide MANTHEY 1983) Herpetodryas geminatus — SCHLEGEL 1837: 194 (partim) Enicognathus geminatus — DUMÉRIL, BIBRON & DUMÉRIL 1854: 333 (partim) Enicognathus geminatus — JAN 1866 Polyodontophis geminatus — BOULENGER 1893: 185 (partim) Polyodontophis geminatus — BOULENGER 1897: 506 Polyodontophis geminatus — DE ROOIJ 1917: 54 Polyodontophis geminatus — LIDTH DE JEUDE 1922: 240 Sibynophis geminatus — BARBOUR 1912 Sibynophis geminatus geminatus — MERTENS 1930 Sibynophis geminatus insularis — MERTENS 1930 (fide MANTHEY 1983) Herpetodryas prionotus LANTOR 1893 (fide MANTHEY 1983) Sibynophis melanocephalus — TAYLOR 1965 (fide MANTHEY 1983) Sibynophis geminatus — MANTHEY & GROSSMANN 1997: 391 Sibynophis geminatus — WALLACH et al. 2014: 673 Sybinophis geminatus — KADAFI et al. 2020 (in error)
Type species: Coluber geminatus H. BOIE 1826 is the type species of the genus Sibynophis FITZINGER 1843; originally described as a subgenus within Lygophis. See Leviton & Munstermann 1956 for a list of diagnostic characters of Sibynophis. Type genus: Sibynophis is the type genus of the family Sibynophiidae DUNN 1928, which, according to ZAHER et al. 2012 and CHEN et al. 2013 contains Sibynophis and Scaphiodontophis. Because Sibynophiidae Dunn, 1928, has priority over Scaphiodontophiinae Pyron et al., 2011, ZAHER et al. 2012 synonymize the latter into the former. However, Zaher et al. 2019 show that Scaphiodontophis is more distantly related to Sibynophis and thus use the term Sibynophiidae (while Zheng & Wiens, 2016 used Sibynophiinae). Distribution: Contrary to previous authors, who recognized only a single species in the range of Sibynophis geminatus, Taylor (1965: 698) considered this species to be restricted to Java, whereas Sibynophis melanocephalus, long considered a synonym of S. geminatus, occured from Thailand to Sumatra and Borneo. We follow Morgan (1973), who demonstrated that the two forms, which are sympatric on Sumatra without evidence of intergradation, are distinct and valid species.
Uetz, P.; Freed, P.; Aguilar, R.; Reyes, F.; Kudera, J.; Hošek, J. (eds.)
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.