Thai National Parks

Species of Thailand

Rice paddy snake

Hypsiscopus plumbea, Heinrich Boie, 1827

(In Thai: งูปลิง, ngu pling)

The rice paddy snake (Hypsiscopus plumbea) is a species of mildly venomous, rear-fanged, colubrid snake endemic to South Asia.

Geographic range

H. plumbea is found in India, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, southeastern China, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Habitat

The rice paddy snake is a common and abundant species associated with all sorts of wet habitats.

Taxonomy

DNA evidence suggests that this taxon might be a species complex.

Description

The rice paddy snake is a relatively small snake, reaching a total length (including tail) of up to 72 cm.

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Scientific classification

Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Subphylum
Vertebrata
Class
Reptilia
Order
Squamata
Suborder
Serpentes
Family
Colubridae
Genus
Hypsiscopus
Species
Hypsiscopus plumbea

Common names

  • German: Olivfarbene Wassertrugnatter
  • English:
    • Boie’s mud snake
    • Rice paddy snake
    • Plumbeous water snake
    • Yellow-bellied water snake
  • Thai: งูปลิง, ngu pling

Synonyms

  • Enhydris plumbea, Tanya Chan-Ard et al. (2015)
  • Enhydris plumbea, Van Stanley Bartholomew Wallach et al. (2014)
  • Hypsiscopus plumbea, John C. Murphy & Harold Knight Voris (2014)
  • Enhydris plumbea, David J. Gower et al. (2012)
  • Enhydris plumbea, Thomas Ziegler (2002)
  • Enhydris plumbea, Merel J. Cox et al. (1998)
  • Enhydris plumbea, Ulrich Manthey & Wolfgang Grossmann (1997)
  • Helicops wettsteini, Afrânio Pompílio Gastos do Amaral (1929)
  • Enhydris plumbea, Leonhard Hess Stejneger (1907)
  • Enhydris plumbea, Leonhard Hess Stejneger (1898)

Expand to list more

Species in same genus

Conservation status

Least Concern (IUCN3.1)

Least Concern (IUCN3.1)

Photos

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Hypsiscopus plumbea - Kanchanadit District, Surat Thani

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Thai National Parks

Hypsiscopus plumbea - Kanchanadit District, Surat Thani

Range Map

Distribution map of Rice paddy snake, Hypsiscopus plumbea in Thailand
  • Ao Luek District, Krabi
  • Ban Na San District, Surat Thani
  • Hat Yai District, Songkhla
  • Kanchanadit District, Surat Thani
  • Khanom District, Nakhon Si Thammarat
  • Khao Ang Rue Nai Wildlife Sanctuary
  • Khlong Hoi Khong District, Songkhla
  • Khuan Khanun District, Phatthalung
  • Klaeng District, Rayong
  • Ko Samui District, Surat Thani
  • Mueang Krabi District, Krabi
  • Mueang Narathiwat District, Narathiwat
  • Mueang Trang District, Trang
  • Nong Chik District, Pattani
  • Sirindhorn Peat Swamp Forest
  • Su-ngai Kolok District, Narathiwat
  • Takua Pa District, Phang Nga
  • Tha Chana District, Surat Thani
  • Tha Takiap District, Chachoengsao
  • Thepha District, Songkhla
  • Thung Song District, Nakhon Si Thammarat
  • Thung Yai District, Nakhon Si Thammarat

Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International Thai National Parks

Range map of Hypsiscopus plumbea in Thailand