← Species collection

Colubridae · Philippine record

Luzon Kukri Snake

Oligodon modestusGÜNTHER 1864

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

Oligodon modestus is a Colubridae snake included in the Philippine checklist. Its atlas account links 5 named island or island-group records to the source literature.

OccurrenceConfirmed
Islands named5
Natural history4 sourced topics
References4

Literature updated 2026-10-07 · Editorial review pending

Explore the island records ↓

Species portrait

Oligodon modestus

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

The illustrated collection

Adult & juvenile

Adult · study plate

Oligodon modestus

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

Juvenile · study plate

Oligodon modestus

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

Behaviour

A Sibuyan individual crawled along a lowland trail during daylight.

Evidence & scope

Literature documented · p. 972, Remarks

One encounter.

Does not establish exclusively daytime activity.

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 Oligodon modestus from these named Philippine areas: Luzon, Mindanao, Panay, Negros, Tablas. 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

Oligodon modestus is retained in the atlas’s dated checklist under Colubridae. The authority is GÜNTHER 1864. 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
Oligodon modestus — all named islandsLuzonMindanaoPanayNegrosTablas

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

5 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, Mindanao, Negros, Tablas, Panay) Type locality: Philippines, restricted to “Negros Oriental Province, Negros Island” (by LEVITON 1963)

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 ↗

Oligodon modestus — 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
Oligodon modestus
Common names
Luzon Kukri Snake
Authority
GÜNTHER 1864
Year described
1864
Taxonomic status
Accepted species
Family
Colubridae
Genus
Oligodon
Species epithet
modestus
Persistent ID
PH-SERP-7BA6BF87F7
Checklist checked
2026-09-05

Philippine occurrence

Status
Present
Confidence
Confirmed
Basis
2018 Philippine synopsis treatment plus current RDB listing
Islands named
Luzon, Mindanao, Panay, Negros, Tablas

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

Source distribution statement

Philippines (Luzon, Mindanao, Negros, Tablas, Panay) Type locality: Philippines, restricted to “Negros Oriental Province, Negros Island” (by LEVITON 1963)

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

Oligodon modestus GÜNTHER 1864: 210 Oligodon modestus — TAYLOR 1922: 147 Oligodon modestum — LEVITON 1963: 473 Oligodon modestum — GAULKE 2001: 28 Oligodon modestum — FERNER et al. 2001 Oligodon modestus — GAULKE 2011: 296 Oligodon modestum — DAVID & VOGEL 2012 Oligodon modestus — WALLACH et al. 2014: 490

Taxonomic and source notes

The original description is available online (see link below). Distribution: “The type, collected by H. Cuming, is reported from "Philippine Islands;" the exact locality is no longer known. A specimen is recorded from southern Negros, taken by A. Everett. Both these specimens are males. I failed to find this species in my collecting in central and northern Negros; if it occurs there, it is probably very rare.” (Taylor 1922)

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.

Oligodon modestus — 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 ↗