Viperidae · Philippine record
Tropidolaemus philippensis(GRAY 1842)
Venom: Basic classification explicitly recorded in the species account. Detailed effects and medical significance have not yet been summarised here.
Species account, Comments
Venom effects and medical significance are different from toxicity rankings. Do not handle a snake on the basis of this summary.
The southern Philippine member of the temple-pitviper complex, treated as a distinct species in the revision by Vogel, David, Lutz, van Rooijen and Vidal.
Literature updated 2026-10-07 · Editorial review pending
Explore the island records ↓Species portrait
Tropidolaemus philippensis
Image to followThe illustrated collection
Adult · study plate
Tropidolaemus philippensis
Image to followJuvenile · study plate
Tropidolaemus philippensis
Image to followLife stages will be labelled from the contributor’s information. Images alone do not establish identification or a locality record.
Media provenance
Contributor images are forthcoming. Photographs and illustrations will retain their individual credits, permissions and evidence notes.
A closer look
A green to turquoise pitviper with dark, open-centred markings. The 2007 diagnosis gives 18–19 midbody scale rows and 7–8 upper-lip scales on each side.
Literature documented · pp. 31–33: diagnosis
Small study sample; these are diagnostic characters, not a colour-only identification rule.
Recorded from southern and western Mindanao in the 2007 revision.
Literature documented · pp. 31–33: range and examined material
The named specimens underpin the regional account.
The species account records live-bearing reproduction, using the term ovoviviparous. A verified Philippine litter-size range and reproductive calendar are not established here.
Literature documented · Reproduction field
Reproductive mode reported for this named species.
Mode alone does not establish litter or clutch size, seasonal timing, or captive husbandry requirements.
The atlas records Tropidolaemus philippensis from these named Philippine areas: Mindanao. These are literature areas rather than a continuous range boundary.
Literature documented · Existing checklist occurrence statement and distribution review
The original evidence level is retained.
A country listing cannot establish an island or a precise locality.
Tropidolaemus philippensis is retained in the atlas’s dated checklist under Viperidae. The authority is (GRAY 1842). Earlier names and the original source notes are preserved below for comparison.
Literature documented · Checklist identity and nomenclatural trail
Checklist verified 2026-09-06; not a newly revised taxonomic backbone.
Historical names can cover different biological concepts; synonyms should not be used to transfer records automatically.
Across the archipelago
Documented islands: gold · island groups: dashed circles
Island-level records · not continuous habitat coverage. Dashed circles locate groups, not individual observations.
Philippine distribution
Select an island to read its distribution record and sources. Uncoloured islands are not evidence of absence.
Philippines (W Mindanao) Type locality: “The Philippines”
Recorded from southern and western Mindanao in the 2007 revision.
Revision of the Tropidolaemus wagleri-complex (Serpentes: Viperidae: Crotalinae). I. Definition of included taxa and redescription of Tropidolaemus wagleri (Boie, 1827) ↗pp. 31–33: range and examined material
The atlas records Tropidolaemus philippensis from these named Philippine areas: Mindanao. These are literature areas rather than a continuous range boundary.
The Reptile Database — species checklist, 17 June 2026 ↗Existing checklist occurrence statement and distribution review
Synopsis of the Snakes of the Philippines: A Synthesis of Data from Biodiversity Repositories, Field Studies, and the Literature ↗Existing checklist occurrence statement and distribution review
References attached to this species account. Island-specific evidence is shown separately where available.
The Reptile Database — species checklist, 17 June 2026 ↗
Tropidolaemus philippensis — The Reptile Database species account ↗
Living with wildlife
Venomous · Effects not yet summarised in this atlas
Observe from a distance. Do not handle, corner or capture a snake to identify it. An incomplete venom account is not evidence that a species is safe to handle.
After a suspected snakebite, keep the person still and arrange urgent medical care. Avoid tight tourniquets, cutting, suction and unproven remedies. Do not wait to identify the snake before seeking help.
WHO guidance on snakebite first aidSpecies record
Range noteCountry/island text is not a range polygon or locality record.
Philippines (W Mindanao) Type locality: “The Philippines”
Names through time
Trimeresurus philippensis GRAY 1842: 48 Trimeresurus hombroni JACQUINOT & GUICHENOT 1848 Tropidolaemus philippinensis — PETERS 1861 (unjustified emendation) Trimeresurus hombroni — BOETTGER 1886 Trimeresurus philippensis — TAYLOR 1922 Trimeresurus philippensis — MASLIN 1942 Tropidolaemus philippinensis — VOGEL et al. 2007 Tropidolaemus philippensis — WALLACH et al. 2014: 748
Venomous! Trimeresurus philippensis (Gray, 1842) was synonymised with Lachesis wagleri by Boulenger (1896: 562). Trimeresurus philippensis was placed in the synonymy of Tropidolaemus wagleri by Leviton (1964). Vogel et al. (2007) recognised Tropidolaemus philippensis as one of three morphologically diagnosable species in the revised T. wagleri complex and provided its taxonomic treatment on pages 31–33. Habitat: fully arboreal (Harrington et al. 2018).
Uetz, P.; Freed, P.; Aguilar, R.; Reyes, F.; Kudera, J.; Hošek, J. (eds.)
Leviton, A. E.; Siler, C. D.; Weinell, J. L.; Brown, R. M.
Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences 64(14): 399–568
Vogel, G.; David, P.; Lutz, M.; van Rooijen, J.; Vidal, N.
Zootaxa 1644(1): 1–40
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.1644.1.1
Primary revision for the Tropidolaemus wagleri complex; treatments of T. subannulatus on pages 23–30 and T. philippensis on pages 31–33.
Uetz, P.; Hallermann, J. et al. (editors)
Public species fields consulted for bounded biological summaries. Primary sources quoted within the database were not independently examined unless explicitly stated. The catalogue name may differ from the current source title.