NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Specklebelly Keelback
Rhabdophis chrysargos (Schlegel, 1837)
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
The specklebelly keelback (Rhabdophis chrysargos) is a species of colubrid snake found in southeast Asia.
Food: Lizards, small mammals and birds
Size: Up to 600 mm
Distribution: the Philippines (Palawan), Borneo, Sumatra, Java, Bali
Habitat: Various forest
Venom: Harmless
Wikipedia contributors, Rhabdophis chrysargos; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T07:51:47.659794+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Rhabdophis chrysargos (Schlegel, 1837)
- Name authority
- (Schlegel, 1837)
- Common name
- Specklebelly Keelback
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Colubridae
- Genus
- Rhabdophis
- 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
- subfamilyNatricinae
- genusRhabdophis
- speciesRhabdophis chrysargos (Schlegel, 1837)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Rhabdophis. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Bavi KeelbackRhabdophis callichroma (Bourret, 1934) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Boettger’s KeelbackRhabdophis callistus (Günther, 1873) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Günther's KeelbackRhabdophis chrysargoides (Günther, 1858) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Orange-collared KeelbackRhabdophis himalayanus (Günther, 1864) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Leonard's KeelbackRhabdophis leonardi (Wall, 1923) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Zigzag-lined Water SnakeRhabdophis lineatus (Peters, 1861) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Hubei KeelbackRhabdophis nuchalis (Boulenger, 1891) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Tiger KeelbackRhabdophis tigrinus (Boie, 1826) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Taiwan KeelbackRhabdophis swinhonis (Günther, 1868) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Sri Lankan Keelback Blossom kraitRhabdophis ceylonensis (Günther, 1858) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Orangeneck KeelbackRhabdophis flaviceps (Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Green KeelbackRhabdophis plumbicolor (Cantor, 1839) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Tropidonotus chrysargos Schlegel, 1837 Schlegel, 1837 | synonym |
| Tropidonotus junceus Cantor, 1847 Cantor, 1847 | synonym |
| Tropidonotus maculatus var. torquatus Mocquard, 1890 Mocquard, 1890 | synonym |
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=Rhabdophis&species=chrysargos 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:4RW4R. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.