NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Saw-tooth-necked Bronzeback
Dendrelaphis nigroserratus Vogel, Van Rooijen & Hauser, 2012
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
Dendrelaphis nigroserratus (common name: sawtooth-necked bronzeback) is a species of snakes belonging to the bronzebacks (Dendrelaphis). It is found only in western and southwestern Thailand and the adjacent southeastern Myanmar. A specimen has been preserved in the British Natural History Museum, London since the early 20th century. Due to its resemblance to Wall's bronzeback, the scientific name was formerly assigned under Dendrelaphis cyanochloris, the species name for Wall's bronzeback. It was formally described as a distinct species in 2012 by Gernot Vogel, Johan Van Rooijen and Sjon Hauser. According to the World Wide Fund for Nature report, it became one of the 367 important new species discovered in the Greater Mekong during 2012 and 2013. Analayses show its significant differences from the typical Wall's bronzeback, including colouration and scales on the neck. Its most distinctive feature is the presence of sawtooth-shaped scales on the back of its neck. This feature is unique among the bronzeback species, and the reason for its common name. In general, they are also larger, the largest specimen measuring 1.63 m in length.
Wikipedia contributors, Dendrelaphis nigroserratus; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T08:04:23.809155+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Dendrelaphis nigroserratus Vogel, Van Rooijen & Hauser, 2012
- Name authority
- Vogel, Van Rooijen & Hauser, 2012
- Common name
- Saw-tooth-necked Bronzeback
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Colubridae
- Genus
- Dendrelaphis
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classReptilia Laurenti, 1768
- orderSquamata Oppel, 1811
- suborderSerpentes Linnaeus, 1758
- infraorderAlethinophidia Nopcsa, 1923
- familyColubridae
- genusDendrelaphis
- speciesDendrelaphis nigroserratus Vogel, Van Rooijen & Hauser, 2012
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Dendrelaphis. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Ashok’s bronzeback tree snakeDendrelaphis ashoki Vogel & Van Rooijen, 2011 | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Boulenger's BronzebackDendrelaphis bifrenalis (Boulenger, 1890) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Gore's BronzebackDendrelaphis biloreatus Wall, 1908 | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Green treesnakeDendrelaphis calligaster (Günther, 1867) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Dendrelaphis caudolineolatus (Günther, 1869) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Western Ghats Bronze backDendrelaphis chairecacos (Boie, 1827) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Sulu BronzebackDendrelaphis flavescens Gaulke, 1994 | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Montane treesnakeDendrelaphis gastrostictus (Boulenger, 1894) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Giri’s bronzebackDendrelaphis girii Vogel & Van Rooijen, 2011 | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Large-eyed BronzebackDendrelaphis grandoculis (Boulenger, 1890) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Haas’s Bronzeback snakeDendrelaphis haasi Van Rooijen & Vogel, 2008 | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Dendrelaphis hollinrakei Lazell, 2002 | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- VOGEL, GERNOT; JOHAN VAN ROOIJEN & SJON HAUSER. (2012). A new species of Dendrelaphis Boulenger, 1890 (Squamata: Colubridae) from Thailand and Myanmar. Zootaxa 3392: 35–46. Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:34M47. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.