Reptiles Database

Xenochrophis piscator SCHNEIDER, 1799

           
 

Higher Taxa

Colubridae, Natricinae, Serpentes (snakes

Subspecies

Common Name

E: Asiatic Water Snakes
G: Gewöhnliche Fischnatter, Fischernatter

Synonym

Hydrus Piscator SCHNEIDER 1799: 247
Natrix piscator — MERREM 1820: 122
Tropidonotus quincunciatus SCHLEGEL 1837: 307
Col. quincunciatus SCHLEGEL 1837 (fide DUMÉRIL et al. 1854)
Tropidonotus quincunciatus — DUMÉRIL, BIBRON & DUMÉRIL 1854: 592
Tropidonotus quincunciatus — GÜNTHER 1859: 224
Tropidonotus piscator — BOULENGER 1893: 230
Natrix piscator — STEJNEGER 1907: 288
Tropidonotus piscator — WALL 1908: 317
Nerodia (Tropidonotus) piscator — WALL 1921: 91
Xenochrophis piscator MALNATE & MINTON 1965
Amphiesma flavipunctatum HALLOWELL 1861: 503
Natrix piscator — SMITH 1943
Natrix piscator — TWEEDIE 1954
Xenochrophis piscator — COX et al. 1998: 43
Xenochrophis piscator — CHAN-ARD et al. 1999: 190

Location

Afghanistan, Pakistan,
Sri Lanka, India (Maharashtra, Arunachal Pradesh (Siddi (=Gandhigram), Deban – Changlang district, Van Vihar, Chessa, Chimpu, Itanagar – Papum Pare district) [A. Captain, pers. comm.]),
Burma, Thailand, Laos [HR 30: 175], Vietnam,
West Malaysia, Singapore,
China (Chekiang, Jiangxi, Fujian, Guangdong, Nan Ao Island, Hainan, Guangxi, Yunnan),
Taiwan,
Indonesia (Sumatra, Java, Borneo, Celebes = Sulawesi)

for Xenochrophis piscator melanzostus: Indonesia (Borneo [?], Java, Sulawesi [?]; Sumatra); India (Andaman and Nicobar Islands).

for Xenochrophis piscator piscator (Schneider, 1799): Bangladesh; Bhutan; India; Nepal (elevation below 700 m),Myanmar; Pakistan; People's Republic of China (including Hainan); Sri Lanka; Taiwan; Thailand.

Type locality: “East indies

Holotype

Comment

It seems not to be clear whether X. piscator includes X. flavipunctatum;
see discussion in Zhao & Adler. Xenochrophis piscator melanozostus is now included in X. flavipunctatum. DUMÉRIL et al. 1854 give Hydrus palustris SCHNEIDER 1792 as orginal name. Not listed by DAS 1999 for the Andaman Islands and Nicobar Islands who listed X. melanozostus instead (for both islands).

Synonymy partly after STEJNEGER 1907.

Not listed by VIJAYAKUMAR & DAVID 2006 for the Nicobar Islands

References
  • Baig, KJ, Masroor, R., and Arshad, M. 2008. Biodiversity and ecology of the herpetofauna of Cholistan Desert, Pakistan. Russian Journal of Herpetology 15 (3): 193-205
  • Boulenger, G.A. 1893. Catalogue of the snakes in the British Museum (Nat. Hist.) I. London (Taylor & Francis), 448 pp.
  • Boulenger, George A. 1890. The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma. Reptilia and Batrachia. Taylor & Francis, London, xviii, 541 pp.
  • Chan-ard,T.; Grossmann,W.; Gumprecht,A. & Schulz,K. D. 1999. Amphibians and reptiles of peninsular Malaysia and Thailand - an illustrated checklist [bilingual English and German]. Bushmaster Publications, Würselen, Gemany, 240 pp.
  • Cox, Merel J.; Van Dijk, Peter Paul; Jarujin Nabhitabhata & Thirakhupt,Kumthorn 1998. A Photographic Guide to Snakes and Other Reptiles of Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. Ralph Curtis Publishing, 144 pp.
  • Das, I. 1999. Biogeography of the amphibians and reptiles of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India. In: Ota,H. (ed) Tropical Island herpetofauna..., Elsevier, pp. 43-77
  • Das, I. & De Silva, A. 2005. Photographic guide to snakes and other reptiles of Sri Lanka. New Holland Publishers, 144 pp.
  • David,P. & Vogel,G. 1996. The snakes of Sumatra. An annotated checklist and key with natural history notes. Bücher Kreth, Frankfurt/M.
  • de Silva, A. 1998. Snakes of Sri Lanka: a checklist and an annotated bibliography. Dept. Wildlife Conservation/GEF/UNDP/FAO, Colombo.
  • Dutt, Kalma 1970. Chromosome Variation in Two Populations of Xenochrophis piscator Schn. from North and South India (Serpentes, Colubridae). Cytologia 35: 455-464
  • Günther,A. 1859. On the geographical distribution of reptiles. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. (3) 3: 221-237
  • Hallowell, E. 1861. Report upon the Reptilia of the North Pacific Exploring Expedition, under command of Capt. John Rogers, U. S. N. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 12 [1860]: 480 - 510
  • Janzen, P.; Klaas, P. & Ziesmann, S. 2007. Sri Lankas Schlangenfauna. Draco 7 (30): 56-64
  • Joseph, P.; Mathew, J.P.; Thomas, V.C. 2005. Morphological variables and osteology of vertebrae and ribs in Natrix piscator (Schneider), Naja naja (Linn.) and Eryx johnii. Uttar Pradesh Journal of Zoology 25 (2): 183-194
  • Karns, D.R.; Murphy, J.C.; Voris, H.K. & Suddeth, J.S. 2005. Comparison of Semi-aquatic Snake Communities Associated with the Khorat Basin, Thailand. The Natural History Journal of Chulalongkorn University 5(2): 73-90
  • Kopstein, F. 1938. Ein Beitrag zur Eierkunde und zur Fortpflanzung der Malaiischen Reptilien. Bull. Raffl. Mus. No 14: 81-167
  • Kramer, E. 1977. Zur Schlangenfauna Nepals. Rev. suisse Zool., 84 (3): 721-761.
  • Lazell,J.; Kolby, J.; Lin, Y. M.; Zhuang, D. H. & Lu, W. 1999. Reptiles and amphibians from Nan Ao Island, China. Postilla 217
  • Mahony, S. and A. H. M. Ali Reza. 2007. A herpetological collection from the Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh, with two new species records for the country. Hamadryad 32 (1): 45-56
  • Merrem, B. 1820. Versuch eines Systems der Amphibien I (Tentamen Systematis Amphibiorum). J. C. Kriegeri, Marburg, 191 pp.
  • Schlegel, H. 1837. Essai sur la physionomie des serpens. Partie Générale: xxviii +251 S. + Partie Descriptive: 606 S. + xvi. La Haye (J. Kips, J. HZ. et W. P. van Stockum)
  • Schneider, J. G. 1799. Historiae Amphibiorum narturalis et literariae. Fasciculus primus, continens Ranas. Calamitas, Bufones, Salamandras et Hydros. Jena, 266 S.
  • Sharma, R. C. 2004. Handbook Indian Snakes. AKHIL BOOKS, New Delhi, 292 pp.
  • Singh, L.; Sharma, T.; Ray-Chaudhuri, S.P. 1968. W chromosome in the Indian water snake (checkered keel back) Natrix piscator (Colubridae). Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences 24(1):79-80
  • Smith, M.A. 1943. The Fauna of British India, Ceylon and Burma, Including the Whole of the Indo-Chinese Sub-Region. Reptilia and Amphibia. 3 (Serpentes). Taylor and Francis, London. 583 pp.
  • Stejneger, L. 1910. The batrachians and reptiles of Formosa. Proc. US Natl. Mus. 38: 91-114
  • Stejneger, LEONHARD H. 1907. Herpetology of Japan and adjacent territory. Bull. US Natl. Mus. 58: xx, 1-577
  • Taylor,E.H. 1965. The serpents of Thailand and adjacent waters. Univ. Kansas Sci. Bull. 45 (9): 609-1096
  • Teo, R.C.H. & Rajathurai, S. 1997. Mammals, reptiles and amphibians in the Nature Reserves of Singapore - diversity, abundance and distribution. Proc. Nature Reserves Survey Seminar. Gardens’ Bulletin Singapore 49: 353-425
  • Tweedie, M.W.F. 1954. Notes on Malayan reptiles, No.3. Bull. Raffl. Mus. No 25: 107-117
  • Voris, H.K. 2006. Assessment of Biodiversity among Southeast Asian Amphibians and Reptiles. The Natural History Journal of Chulalongkorn University 6(1): 1-10
  • Wall, F. 1907. Notes on Snakes collected in Fyzabad. J. Bombay nat. Hist. Soc. 18: 101-129
  • Wall, FRANK 1921. Ophidia Taprobanica or the Snakes of Ceylon. Colombo Mus. (H. R. Cottle, govt. printer), Colombo. xxii, 581 pages
  • Wall,F. 1908. Notes on a collection of snakes from the Khasi Hills, Assam. J. Bombay nat. Hist. Soc. 18: 312-337
  • Whitaker, Romulus and Ashok Captain 2004. Snakes of India. Draco Books, 500 pp.
  • Zhao,E. & Adler,K. 1993. Herpetology of China. SSAR, Oxford/Ohio, 1-522
  • Ziegler, T. 2002. Die Amphibien und Reptilien eines Tieflandfeuchtwald-Schutzgebietes in Vietnam. Natur und Tier Verlag (Münster), 342 pp.
  • Zug, G. R., J. H. Blackburn III, S. W. Kyi. 2006. Checkered keelbacks (Xenochrophis - Reptilia: Serpentes: Natricidae) at the Moyingyi Wetland Bird Sanctuary, Myanmar. Hamadryad 30(1 & 2):157-166.


 
 
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