Ecology & habitat
Uses streambanks in selectively logged forest. Resting snakes occupied fern fronds, fern axils and low sapling branches.
Evidence & scope
Literature documented · p. 104; Fig. 76
Northeast Mindanao field series.
Cyclocoridae · Philippine record
Oxyrhabdium modestum(DUMÉRIL 1853)
Uses streambanks in selectively logged forest. Resting snakes occupied fern fronds, fern axils and low sapling branches. Its atlas account links 8 named island or island-group records to the source literature.
Literature updated 2026-10-07 · Editorial review pending
Explore the island records ↓Species portrait
Oxyrhabdium modestum
Image to followThe illustrated collection
Adult · study plate
Oxyrhabdium modestum
Image to followJuvenile · study plate
Oxyrhabdium modestum
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.
A closer look
Uses streambanks in selectively logged forest. Resting snakes occupied fern fronds, fern axils and low sapling branches.
Literature documented · p. 104; Fig. 76
Northeast Mindanao field series.
Forages on the ground beside water. Juveniles sleep in low vegetation at night.
Literature documented · p. 104, species account
Age-specific observations.
Resting observations do not imply exclusively daytime activity.
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 Oxyrhabdium modestum from these named Philippine areas: Mindanao, Samar, Leyte, Negros, Bohol, Basilan, Dinagat, Camiguin Sur. 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.
Oxyrhabdium modestum is retained in the atlas’s dated checklist under Cyclocoridae. The authority is (DUMÉRIL 1853). 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.
Philippines (Basilan, Bohol, Dinagat, Leyte, Mindanao, Negros, Samar, Camiguin Sur) Type locality: see comment (in error)
The atlas records Oxyrhabdium modestum from these named Philippine areas: Mindanao, Samar, Leyte, Negros, Bohol, Basilan, Dinagat, Camiguin Sur. 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
Synopsis of the Snakes of the Philippines: A Synthesis of Data from Biodiversity Repositories, Field Studies, and the Literature ↗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 ↗
Oxyrhabdium modestum — 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.
Philippines (Basilan, Bohol, Dinagat, Leyte, Mindanao, Negros, Samar, Camiguin Sur) Type locality: see comment (in error)
Names through time
Sténognathe modestus DUMÉRIL 1853: 72 Stenognathus modestus — DUMÉRIL & BIBRON 1854: 504 Stenognathus modestus — GÜNTHER 1873: 169 Geophis schadenbergi FISCHER 1885: 93 Geophis modestus — BOETTGER 1896: 77 (part.) Oxyrhabdium modestum — BOULENGER 1893: 302 Oxyrhabdium modestum — LEVITON 1964: 410 Oxyrhabdium modestum — HALLERMANN 2007 Oxyrhabdium modestum — WALLACH et al. 2014: 517
Synonymy: GÜNTHER 1873 and LEVITON 1964 list Rhabdosoma leporinum as a synonym of Stenognathus modestus DUMÉRIL & BIBRON. Phylogenetics: The genus Oxyrhabdium has not been unambiguously assigned to any particular snake family although Zaher et al. 2019 showed that it (as represented by DNA sequences from O. leporinum) is more closely related to Psammophiidae and Prosymnidae than to any other family. Distribution: the original type locality, “Java” is in error. Type species: Sténognathus modestus DUMÉRIL & BIBRON 1854 is the type species of the genus Oxyrhabdium BOULENGER 1893.
Uetz, P.; Freed, P.; Aguilar, R.; Reyes, F.; Kudera, J.; Hošek, J. (eds.)
Leviton, A. E.; Siler, C. D.; Weinell, J. L.; Brown, R. M.
Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences 64(14): 399–568
Sanguila, M. B.; Cobb, K. A.; Siler, C. D.; Diesmos, A. C.; Alcala, A. C.; Brown, R. M.
ZooKeys 624: 1–132
Publisher-supplied full text on ResearchGate consulted; species accounts on pp. 96 and 104. Historical conservation categories not adopted as current.
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.