Venom: Rear-fanged venomous snake. Venom use is established for the genus; human medical significance and individual toxin activities are separate questions. The 2018 study directly examined B. cynodon and B. dendrophila, but not every Philippine Boiga species.
Abstract; genus-wide venom ecology and sampled species
Venom effects and medical significance are different from toxicity rankings. Do not handle a snake on the basis of this summary.
The diagnosis describes 19 dorsal scale rows, an enlarged vertebral row and two dark lines along the underside. Colour varies geographically, so colour descriptions from Java or mainland Asia should not be assumed to describe Philippine animals. Its atlas account links 2 named island or island-group records to the source literature.
OccurrenceConfirmed
Islands named2
Natural history5 sourced topics
References4
Literature updated 2026-10-07 · Editorial review pending
Reserved for a contributor imageCredit and usage rights will accompany the image.
The illustrated collection
Adult & juvenile
Adult · study plate
Boiga drapiezii
Image to follow
Reserved for a contributor imageCredit and usage rights will accompany the image.
Juvenile · study plate
Boiga drapiezii
Image to follow
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
Appearance & identification
The diagnosis describes 19 dorsal scale rows, an enlarged vertebral row and two dark lines along the underside. Colour varies geographically, so colour descriptions from Java or mainland Asia should not be assumed to describe Philippine animals.
Literature documented · Diagnosis; Comment: geographic colour variation
Species-level database summary; literature review, not expert validation.
The cited account does not establish population-wide variation or the conditions at every Philippine locality.
Reproduction
The species account records egg-laying reproduction. A verified Philippine clutch-size range, incubation interval and breeding calendar are not established here.
Reproductive mode reported for this named species.
Mode alone does not establish litter or clutch size, seasonal timing, or captive husbandry requirements.
Ecology & habitat
The species account characterises this snake as tree-dwelling. That broad ecological category does not establish canopy height, forest dependence or tolerance of habitat disturbance.
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
Boiga drapiezii is retained in the atlas’s dated checklist under Colubridae. The authority is (BOIE 1827). 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
Where this species is recorded
PhilippinesN ↑
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
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 (Java, Kalimantan, Borneo, Mentawai Archipelago, Natuna Archipelago, Sumatra, Ambon ?);
Brunei Darussalam;
Malaysia (Malaya and East Malaysia, Pulau Pangkor);
Philippines (Sulu Archipelago, Luzon);
Singapore; Vietnam, Myanmar,
Thailand (Kanchanaburi)
Type locality: Java
The atlas records Boiga drapiezii from these named Philippine areas: Luzon, Sulu. These are literature areas rather than a continuous range boundary.
Venomous · rear-fanged · 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.
2018 Philippine synopsis treatment plus current RDB listing
Islands named
Luzon, Sulu
Range noteCountry/island text is not a range polygon or locality record.
Source distribution statement
Indonesia (Java, Kalimantan, Borneo, Mentawai Archipelago, Natuna Archipelago, Sumatra, Ambon ?);
Brunei Darussalam;
Malaysia (Malaya and East Malaysia, Pulau Pangkor);
Philippines (Sulu Archipelago, Luzon);
Singapore; Vietnam, Myanmar,
Thailand (Kanchanaburi)
Type locality: Java
Knowledge coverage
EndemismResearch pending
EcologyLiterature documented
VenomVenomous · rear-fanged Effects not yet summarised in this atlasDetailed research: Research pending
ConservationResearch pending
Names through time
Nomenclatural trail
Dipsas drapiezii H. BOIE in F. BOIE 1827: 549
Triglyphodon drapiezii — DUMÉRIL et al. 1854: 1097
Dipsas drapiezii var. bancana PETERS 1867: 26
Dipsas drapiezii — MÜLLER 1887: 275
Dipsadomorphus drapiezii — BOULENGER 1896
Boiga drapiezii — BARBOUR 1912
Boiga schultzei TAYLOR 1923
Dipsadomorphus drapiezii — BRONGERSMA 1933: 4
Boiga drapiezii — TWEEDIE 1950
Boiga drapiezii — TAYLOR 1965: 867
Boiga drapiezii — MANTHEY & GROSSMANN 1997: 322
Boiga drapiezii — COX et al. 1998: 73
Boiga drapiezii — GROEN 2008
Boiga drapiezii — COX et al. 2012: 114
Boiga drapiezii — WALLACH et al. 2014: 103
Boiga drapiezii — WEINELL et al. 2020
Taxonomic and source notes
LEVITON (1968b) recognized B. drapiezii and B. schultzei and could not determinate their true relationships. Both taxa were kept at a specific rank pending a better definition of B. drapiezii. RASMUSSEN (1979), ALCALA (1986) and GREENE (1989) regard B. schultzei a valid species, and this arrangement is followed here, with Boiga drapiezii considered monotypic. The species is predominantly green in Thailand and Malaysia and rarely brown (maybe 20%). On Java it is always brown (G. VOGEL, pers. comm.)
Habitat: fully arboreal (Harrington et al. 2018).
References attached to this record
2026
The Reptile Database — species checklist, 17 June 2026
Explicit genus-wide venom ecology; directly samples B. cynodon and B. dendrophila. Species-specific toxin activity is not extrapolated across the genus.
Boiga drapiezii — 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.