Non-venomousNon-venomous does not mean safe to handle
Known venom effects
Not applicable · non-venomous
Size & venom sources
Length: Snout–vent length excludes the tail. The survey separately gives tails of 1.0–1.5 cm; these unpaired ranges are not added to invent total-length limits.
Venom: Genus-level classification: the taxonomic literature characterises Calamaria reed snakes as nonvenomous. This is not a species-specific venom assay.
Venom effects and medical significance are different from toxicity rankings. Do not handle a snake on the basis of this summary.
Shelters in decaying logs and beneath leaf litter. Sibuyan surveys also captured animals in pitfall traps. Its atlas account links 9 named island or island-group records to the source literature.
OccurrenceConfirmed
Islands named9
Natural history5 sourced topics
References5
Literature updated 2026-10-07 · Editorial review pending
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.
Philippine distribution
The atlas records Calamaria gervaisii from these named Philippine areas: Luzon, Mindoro, Mindanao, Panay, Negros, Cebu, Basilan, Polillo, Tablas. 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.
Taxonomic context
Calamaria gervaisii is retained in the atlas’s dated checklist under Colubridae. The authority is DUMÉRIL, BIBRON & DUMÉRIL 1854. 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
9 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, Polillo, Mindoro, Tablas, Panay, Negros, Cebu, Mindanao, Basilan)
Type locality: see comment
The atlas records Calamaria gervaisii from these named Philippine areas: Luzon, Mindoro, Mindanao, Panay, Negros, Cebu, Basilan, Polillo, Tablas. These are literature areas rather than a continuous range boundary.
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.
Range noteCountry/island text is not a range polygon or locality record.
Source distribution statement
Philippines (Luzon, Polillo, Mindoro, Tablas, Panay, Negros, Cebu, Mindanao, Basilan)
Type locality: see comment
Knowledge coverage
EndemismResearch pending
EcologyLiterature documented
VenomNon-venomous Not applicable · non-venomousDetailed research: Research pending
ConservationResearch pending
Names through time
Nomenclatural trail
Calamaria gervaisii DUMÉRIL, BIBRON & DUMÉRIL 1854: 76
Calamaria Gervaisi —JAN 1865
Calamaria mindorensis BOULENGER 1895: 4481
Calamaria gervaisii iridescens TAYLOR 1917: 360
Calamaria gervaisii gervaisii — TAYLOR 1922: 187
Calamaria gervaisii iridescens — TAYLOR 1922: 188
Calamaria mindorensis — TAYLOR 1922: 190
Calamaria tropica TAYLOR 1922: 194
Calamaria polillensis TAYLOR 1923
Calamaria hollandi TAYLOR 1923
Calamaria gervaisi hollandi — LEVITON 1963
Calamaria gervaisii — INGER & MARX 1965: 106
Calamaria gervaisii — MANTHEY & GROSSMANN 1997: 328
Calamaria gervaisii — INGER & VORIS 2001
Calamaria gervaisi iridescens — ALCALA et al. 2004
Calamaria gervaisii — GAULKE 2011: 254
Calamaria gervaisii — WALLACH et al. 2014: 136
Taxonomic and source notes
Synonymy after INGER & MARX 1965. The type locality of C. gervaisii is “Java” which is erroneous according to MARX 1955. He thinks that it came from Luzon.
Distribution: not on Borneo fide Stuebing et al. 2014.
References attached to this record
2026
The Reptile Database — species checklist, 17 June 2026
Introduction explicitly characterises Calamaria as nonvenomous. Used only for that genus-level classification, not to transfer measurements or ecology of C. andersoni to Philippine species.
Calamaria gervaisii — 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.