''Rhabdops olivaceus'', the olive trapezoid snake or olive forest snake, is a snake endemic to the Western Ghats of India. Following the

description Description is the pattern of narrative development that aims to make vivid a place, object, character, or group. Description is one of four rhetorical modes (also known as ''modes of discourse''), along with exposition, argumentation, and narr ...

of populations in Goa, northernmost Karnataka, and southern Maharashtra as a new species, ''

Rhabdops aquaticus ''Rhabdops aquaticus'', also known as the water rhabdops and aquatic rhabdops, is a nonvenomous aquatic species of snake. It is endemic to the Western Ghats in southern Maharashtra, northern Karnataka, and Goa states, India India, off ...

'', the known range of ''Rhabdops olivaceus'' is from

Parambikulam Tiger Reserve Parambikulam Tiger Reserve, which also includes the erstwhile Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary, is a protected area lying in Palakkad district and Thrissur district of Kerala state, South India. The Wildlife Sanctuary, which had an area of ...

in Kerala north to

Kottigehara {{Infobox settlement , name = Kottigehara , other_name = , nickname = , settlement_type = Village , image_skyline = File:Kottigehara 2018.jpg , image_alt = , ...

in Karnataka, and possibly slightly further. This species is found in damp steamsides within rainforests and is distributed from Palghat in Kerala to the Malanad area of Karnataka. It is a docile, placid snake and is said to be semiaquatic, feeding on small, soft-bodied animals. In habits, it is more frequently seen during the rains, both day or night.

References

olivaceus Snakes of Asia Reptiles of India Endemic fauna of the Western Ghats Reptiles described in 1863 Taxa named by Richard Henry Beddome {{Colubrids-stub