NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Chinese Leopard Snake
Elaphe bimaculata Schmidt, 1925
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
Elaphe bimaculata, the twin-spotted ratsnake or Chinese leopard snake, is a small ratsnake (60–80 cm) found in China. It occurs as both blotched and striped phase, with the blotched type being the more common or "typical" phase. Some specimens even exhibit a pattern of half blotched, half striped where the anterior half is usually blotched and the posterior half striped. They are found in many habitats ranging from the edge of forest to cultivated areas and seem to like cooler temperatures and higher humidity. This secretive snake prefers smaller food items such as young to half grown mice. E. bimaculata has been known to breed at different times of the year, usually with 3-10 eggs being laid in late spring; eggs require 35–48 days of incubation. A period of 2–3 months hibernation is typical. Females are known to grow larger and heavier than males.
Wikipedia contributors, Elaphe bimaculata; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T09:32:17.449731+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Elaphe bimaculata Schmidt, 1925
- Name authority
- Schmidt, 1925
- Common name
- Chinese Leopard Snake
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Colubridae
- Genus
- Elaphe
- 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
- subfamilyColubrinae
- genusElaphe
- speciesElaphe bimaculata Schmidt, 1925
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Elaphe. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Elaphe climacophora (Boie, 1826) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Steppes RatsnakesElaphe dione (Pallas, 1773) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Japanese Four-lined RatsnakeElaphe quadrivirgata (Boie, 1826) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Amur RatsnakesElaphe schrenckii Strauch, 1873 | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Zoige RatsnakeElaphe zoigeensis Huang, Ding, Burbrink, Yang, Huang, Ling, Chen & Zhang, 2012 | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Four-lined snake (or ratsnake)Elaphe quatuorlineata (Lacépède, 1789) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Blade-teethed Rat SnakeElaphe xiphodonta Qi, Shi, Ma, Gao, Bu, Grismer, LI & Wang, 2021 | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Elaphe anomala (Boulenger, 1916) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Taiwan Stink SnakeElaphe carinata (Günther, 1864) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Pere David's Rat SnakeElaphe davidi (Sauvage, 1884) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Blotched rat snakeElaphe sauromates (Pallas, 1811) | 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.
- https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Elaphe&species=bimaculata 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:38YKL. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.