The rice paddy snake (''Hypsiscopus plumbea''), also known as grey water snake, Boie's mud snake, yellow or orange bellied water snake, lead water snake or plumbeous water snake is a

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 ...

of mildly

venom Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a sti ...

ous, rear-fanged

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 ...

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;;;;; ...

. It is somewhat common, and is one of the most widespread species of water snake in Asia.

Taxonomy

The species epithet, ''plumbea'', means 'lead-like' and refers to the snake's greyish upper body. DNA evidence suggests that this taxon might be a species complex.

Description

The rice paddy snake is a relatively small snake, reaching a total length (including tail) of up to , although sources vary. This snake feeds readily on small fish, frogs, and occasionally small lizards. It has

countershading Countershading, or Thayer's law, is a method of camouflage in which an animal's coloration is darker on the top or upper side and lighter on the underside of the body. This pattern is found in many species of mammals, reptiles, birds, fish, and ...

coloration, which is dark brown to grey in the upper part of its body, and light colored white to yellowish color at the bottom of its body. In some populations, the upper part may be greenish, and dark spots along the vertebral line may also occur. The head isIt is mainly nocturnal.

Distribution and habitat

The rice paddy snake is found in the Andaman Islands (India), Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, southern China, and Taiwan. The rice paddy snake is a common and abundant species associated with a variety of wet

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

s. File:Hypiscopus plumbea, Rice paddy snake 1.jpg, ''Hypiscopus plumbea'' at Nong Phai District,

Phetchabun Province Phetchabun ( th, เพชรบูรณ์, ) is one of Thailand's seventy-six provinces (''changwat'') lies in lower northern Thailand. Neighbouring provinces are (from north clockwise) Loei, Khon Kaen, Chaiyaphum, Lopburi, Nakhon Sawan, Phic ...

, Thailand File:Enhyd plumbe 120607-0067 krw.jpg, ''Hypiscopus plumbea''
from Karawang, West

Java Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's List ...

File:Vietnamese Centipede imported from iNaturalist photo 84659836 on 24 September 2022.jpg, Plumbeous water snake being eaten by Scolopendra dehaani, a species of large centipede.

References

20: 508–566. (''Homalopsis plumbea'', new species, p. 550). * Boulenger, G.A. (1896). ''Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume III., Containing the Colubridæ (Opisthoglyphæ and Proteroglyphæ), ...'' London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiv + 727 pp. + Plates I-XXV. (''Hypsirhina plumbea'', pp. 5–6). * Das, Indraneil. (2006). ''A Photographic Guide to Snakes and Other Reptiles of Borneo''. Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis Books. 144 pp. . (''Enhydris plumbea'', p. 34). *Ghodke, Sameer; Harry V. Andrews. (2002). ''Enhydris plumbea'' (Boie, 1827) (Serpentes: Colubridae: Homalopsinae), a new record for India. ''Hamadryad'' 26 (2): 373–375.

001 001, O01, or OO1 may refer to: *1 (number), a number, a numeral *001, fictional British agent, see 00 Agent *001, former emergency telephone number for the Norwegian fire brigade (until 1986) *AM-RB 001, the code-name for the Aston Martin Valkyrie ...

* Gray, J.E. (1842). Monographic Synopsis of the Water Snakes, or the Family Hydridae. ''Zoological Miscellany'' 1842: 59–68. (''Hypsirhina plumbea'', p. 66). * Smith, M.A. (1943). ''The Fauna of British India, Ceylon and Burma, Including the Whole of the Indo-Chinese Sub-region. Reptilia and Amphibia. Vol. III.—Serpentes.'' London: Secretary of State for India. (Taylor and Francis, printers). xii + 583 pp. (''Enhydris plumbea'', pp. 382–383, Figure 122). * Stejneger, Leonard. (1907). ''Herpetology of Japan and Adjacent Territory''. United States National Museum Bulletin 58. Washington, District of Columbia: Smithsonian Institution. xx + 577 pp. (''Enhydris plumbea'', pp. 300–302, Figures 260–262). *Voris, Harold K.; Karns, Daryl R. (1996). Habitat utilization, movements, and activity patterns of ''Enhydris plumbea'' (Serpentes: Homalopsinae) in a rice paddy wetland in Borneo. ''Herpetological Natural History'' 4 (2): 111–126. Colubrids Reptiles of Cambodia Snakes of China Reptiles of India Snakes of Indonesia Reptiles of Laos Snakes of Malaysia Snakes of Myanmar Reptiles of Taiwan Snakes of Thailand Snakes of Vietnam Reptiles described in 1827 Taxa named by Friedrich Boie Reptiles of Borneo {{Colubrids-stub

Taxonomy

Description

Distribution and habitat

References

Further reading