''Lycodon'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

colubrid Colubridae (, commonly known as colubrids , from la, coluber, 'snake') is a family of snakes. With 249 genera, it is the largest snake family. The earliest species of the family date back to the Oligocene epoch. Colubrid snakes are found on ever ...

snake Snakes are elongated, Limbless vertebrate, limbless, carnivore, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other Squamata, squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping Scale (zoology), scales. Ma ...

s, commonly known as wolf snakes. The

New Latin New Latin (also called Neo-Latin or Modern Latin) is the revival of Literary Latin used in original, scholarly, and scientific works since about 1500. Modern scholarly and technical nomenclature, such as in zoological and botanical taxonomy ...

name ''Lycodon'' is derived from the

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

words λύκος (''lykos'') meaning wolf and οδόν (''odon'') meaning tooth, and refers to the fang-like anterior

maxilla The maxilla (plural: ''maxillae'' ) in vertebrates is the upper fixed (not fixed in Neopterygii) bone of the jaw formed from the fusion of two maxillary bones. In humans, the upper jaw includes the hard palate in the front of the mouth. The t ...

ry and

mandibular In anatomy, the mandible, lower jaw or jawbone is the largest, strongest and lowest bone in the human facial skeleton. It forms the lower jaw and holds the lower teeth in place. The mandible sits beneath the maxilla. It is the only movable bone ...

teeth. They are nonvenomous, but many members of this genus strongly resemble the venomous

kraits ''Bungarus'' is a genus of venomous elapid snakes, the kraits ("krait" is pronounced , rhyming with "kite"), found in South and Southeast Asia. The genus ''Bungarus'' has 16 species. Distribution Kraits are found in tropical Asia, from near Ir ...

in appearance, an example of

Batesian mimicry Batesian mimicry is a form of mimicry where a harmless species has evolved to imitate the warning signals of a harmful species directed at a predator of them both. It is named after the English naturalist Henry Walter Bates, after his work on bu ...

Species

The genus ''Lycodon'' comprises 73 recognized

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

. *''

Lycodon albofuscus The dark wolf snake (''Lycodon albofuscus'') is a species of snake in the family colubridae. It is found in Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right ...

'' *''

Lycodon alcalai ''Lycodon alcalai'', also known commonly as Alcala's wolf snake, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to the Philippines. Etymology The specific name ''alcalai'' was chosen to honor the Philippine naturalis ...

'' *''

Lycodon anakradaya ''Lycodon'' is a genus of colubrid snakes, commonly known as wolf snakes. The New Latin name ''Lycodon'' is derived from the Greek words λύκος (''lykos'') meaning wolf and οδόν (''odon'') meaning tooth, and refers to the fang-like ant ...

'' *''

Lycodon anamallensis ''Lycodon anamallensis'' , also known commonly as the Russell's wolf Snake or southern Wolf snake is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to South Asia. Geographic range ''L. anamallensis'' is found in South India ...

'' *''

Lycodon aulicus ''Lycodon aulicus'', commonly known as the Indian wolf snake, is a species of nonvenomous snake found in South Asia and Southeast Asia. Early naturalists have suggested its resemblance to the venomous Common Krait, common krait as an instance of ...

'' *''

Lycodon banksi ''Lycodon'' is a genus of colubrid snakes, commonly known as wolf snakes. The New Latin name ''Lycodon'' is derived from the Greek words λύκος (''lykos'') meaning wolf and οδόν (''odon'') meaning tooth, and refers to the fang-like ant ...

'' Luu et al., 2018 *'' Lycodon bibonius'' *'' Lycodon butleri'' *''

Lycodon capucinus ''Lycodon capucinus'', also known as the Oriental wolf snake, is a species of colubrid snake, which is commonly found in the Indo-Australian Archipelago. Named after their enlarged front teeth, which gives them a muzzled appearance similar to can ...

'' *''

Lycodon cardamomensis ''Lycodon cardamomensis'', also known as the Cardamom Mountains wolf snake, is a species of nonvenomous colubrid snake found in south-western Cambodia and eastern Thailand. Etymology ''Lycodon cardamomensis'' is named for the Cardamom hills in s ...

'' *'' Lycodon carinatus'' *'' Lycodon cathaya'' *'' Lycodon cavernicolus'' *'' Lycodon chapaensis'' (

Angel In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles include ...

& Bourret, 1933) *'' Lycodon chithrasekarai'' Wickramasinghe et al., 2020 *'' Lycodon chrysoprateros'' *'' Lycodon davidi'' *''

Lycodon davisonii Blanford's bridle snake (''Lycodon davisonii''), also known commonly as Blanford's bridal snake, is a species of harmless snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to Asia. Blanford's bridle snake is so named because its slim body r ...

'' *''

Lycodon deccanensis ''Lycodon deccanensis'', the Deccan wolf snake, is a species of nocturnal, non-venomous colubrid snake species endemic to southern India. It was previously mistaken for another related species, ''Lycodon travancoricus'', but later taxonomic stu ...

'' *'' Lycodon dumerili'' *'' Lycodon effraenis'' *''

Lycodon fasciatus ''Lycodon fasciatus'', commonly known as the banded wolf snake, is a species of colubrid snake. Distribution It is found in India (Assam), Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Tibet, SW China (from Yunnan and Guangxi to Hubei, northw ...

'' *'' Lycodon fasciolatus'' *'' Lycodon fausti'' *'' Lycodon ferroni'' *'' Lycodon flavicollis'' *'' Lycodon flavomaculatus'' *'' Lycodon flavozonatus'' *'' Lycodon futsingensis'' *''

Lycodon gammiei ''Lycodon gammiei'', commonly known as Gammie's wolf snake or the Sikkim false wolf snake, is a species of nonvenomous snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to India. Etymology The specific name, ''gammiei'', is in honor of ...

'' *'' Lycodon gibsonae'' *'' Lycodon gongshan'' *'' Lycodon gracilis'' *''

Lycodon hypsirhinoides ''Lycodon hypsirhinoides'' is a species of snake in the family colubridae. It is found in India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most po ...

'' *'' Lycodon jara'' *'' Lycodon kundui'' *'' Lycodon laoensis'' *'' Lycodon liuchengchaoi'' *'' Lycodon mackinnoni'' *'' Lycodon meridionale'' *'' Lycodon muelleri'' *''

Lycodon multifasciatus ''Lycodon multifasciatus'' is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. Distribution It is found in Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pa ...

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Lycodon multizonatus ''Lycodon multizonatus'', the Luding wolf snake or Luding kukri snake, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. Distribution It is found in China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asi ...

'' *'' Lycodon nympha'' *'' Lycodon obvelatus'' *'' Lycodon ophiophagus'' *'' Lycodon orientalis'' *'' Lycodon paucifasciatus'' *'' Lycodon philippinus'' *'' Lycodon pictus'' *'' Lycodon rosozonatus'' *''

Lycodon rufozonatus ''Lycodon rufozonatus'' is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is native to East Asia. It is medium-sized, nocturnal, and is considered non-venomous. Two subspecies are recognised, one of which, ''L. r. walli'', is restricte ...

'' *''

Lycodon ruhstrati ''Lycodon ruhstrati'', also known as Ruhstrat's wolf snake, the mountain wolf snake, or the Formosa wolf snake, is a species of non-venomous colubrid snake found in Taiwan, southern and eastern China, and northern Vietnam. Taxonomy The specifi ...

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Lycodon sealei ''Lycodon sealei'', Seale's banded Asian wolf snake, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. Distribution It is found in Indonesia, Brunei, Malaysia, and the Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially ...

'' *'' Lycodon semicarinatus'' *''

Lycodon septentrionalis The white-banded wolf snake (''Lycodon septentrionalis''), also known as the northern large-toothed snake, is a species of colubrid snake found in Asia. Description The snake has relatively small eyes and its snout is slightly depressed, and not ...

'' *'' Lycodon serratus'' *'' Lycodon sidiki'' *'' Lycodon solivagus'' *'' Lycodon stormi'' *'' Lycodon striatus'' *'' Lycodon subannulatus'' *''

Lycodon subcinctus ''Lycodon subcinctus'', commonly known as the white-banded wolf snake or Malayan banded wolf snake, is a species of snake of the family Colubridae. This snake has banded pattern that resembles a Krait. Geographic range The snake is found in Asi ...

'' *'' Lycodon synaptor'' *'' Lycodon tessellatus'' *'' Lycodon tiwarii'' *''

Lycodon travancoricus ''Lycodon travancoricus'', commonly known as the Travancore wolf snake, is a species of colubrid snake endemic to south India. Description ''Lycodon travancoricus'' is dark brown or black dorsally, with white crossbands and white lineolations ...

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Lycodon tristrigatus ''Lycodon tristrigatus'', the three-banded bridled snake, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. Distribution It is found in Indonesia, Brunei, and Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal ...

'' *'' Lycodon truongi'' *''

Lycodon zawi ''Lycodon zawi'', commonly known as Zaw's wolf snake, is a species of nonvenomous snake in the Family (biology), family Colubridae. The species is native to South Asia and Southeast Asia Etymology The Specific name (zoology), specific name, '' ...

'' "''Lycodon zawi'' ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org. *'' Lycodon zayuensis'' *''

Lycodon zoosvictoriae Lycodon zoosvictoriae, , commonly known as Zoos Victoria’s wolf snake, is a species of wolf snake. It was discovered in Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is ...

'' ''

Nota bene (, or ; plural form ) is a Latin phrase meaning "note well". It is often abbreviated as NB, n.b., or with the ligature and first appeared in English writing . In Modern English, it is used, particularly in legal papers, to draw the atten ...

'': A

binomial authority In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than ''Lycodon''.

References

Colubrids Snake genera Taxa named by Leopold Fitzinger {{Colubrids-stub