NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Golden Flying Snake
Chrysopelea ornata (Shaw, 1802)
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
Chrysopelea ornata (Thai: งูเขียวพระอินทร์) is a species of mildly venomous opisthoglyphous (rear-fanged) colubrid snake found in both South Asia and Southeast Asia. It is commonly known as the golden tree snake, ornate flying snake, and golden flying snake. Along with the other species in the genus Chrysopelea, the golden tree snake is unusual, as it is capable of a type of gliding "flight" (more of a controlled "throwing" or "falling") — mainly utilised during the pursuit of prey animals — from tree-to-tree. This action is also used to great effect for the snake to flee its own potential predators (such as birds or other reptiles). Currently, three subspecies are recognised. The snake's striking looks, and potential for gliding, have made it a coveted choice for captivity.
Wikipedia contributors, Chrysopelea ornata; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T08:21:19.140415+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Chrysopelea ornata (Shaw, 1802)
- Name authority
- (Shaw, 1802)
- Common name
- Golden Flying Snake
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Colubridae
- Genus
- Chrysopelea
- 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
- genusChrysopelea
- speciesChrysopelea ornata (Shaw, 1802)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Chrysopelea. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| (Paradise Flying SnakeChrysopelea paradisi Boie, 1827 | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Moluccan Flying SnakeChrysopelea rhodopleuron Boie, 1827 | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Banded Flying SnakeChrysopelea pelias (Linnaeus, 1758) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Indian Flying SnakeChrysopelea taprobanica Smith, 1943 | 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 |
|---|---|
| Chrysopelea ornata sinhaleyus Deraniyagala, 1945 Deraniyagala, 1945 | synonym |
| Coluber ornatus Shaw, 1802 Shaw, 1802 | synonym |
| Coluber ibibiboca Daudin, 1802 Daudin, 1802 | synonym |
| Chrysopelea ornata lankavae Deraniyagala, 1945 Deraniyagala, 1945 | synonym |
| Chrysopelea ornata ornatissima Werner, 1925 Werner, 1925 | ambiguous 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=Chrysopelea&species=ornata 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:5Z397. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.