Colubridae · Philippine record
Ahaetulla prasina(BOIE 1827)
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.
Green is not the only colour: grey, yellow and brown forms are reported. Colour alone is therefore insufficient for distinguishing this vine snake. Its atlas account links 7 named island or island-group records to the source literature.
Literature updated 2026-10-07 · Editorial review pending
Explore the island records ↓Species portrait
Ahaetulla prasina
Image to followThe illustrated collection
Adult · study plate
Ahaetulla prasina
Image to followJuvenile · study plate
Ahaetulla prasina
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
Green is not the only colour: grey, yellow and brown forms are reported. Colour alone is therefore insufficient for distinguishing this vine snake.
Literature documented · Comment: colour variation
Species-level database summary; literature review, not expert validation.
The cited account does not establish population-wide variation or the conditions at every Philippine locality.
Daytime activity is reported in the species account. This is a broad activity description, without a Philippine seasonal activity dataset.
Literature documented · Comment: Behavior
Species-level database summary; literature review, not expert validation.
The cited account does not establish population-wide variation or the conditions at every Philippine locality.
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 species account characterises this snake as tree-dwelling. That broad ecological category does not establish canopy height, forest dependence or tolerance of habitat disturbance.
Literature documented · Comment: Habitat
Species-level database summary; literature review, not expert validation.
The cited account does not establish population-wide variation or the conditions at every Philippine locality.
The atlas records Ahaetulla prasina from these named Philippine areas: Luzon, Palawan, Mindanao, Panay, Cebu, Calamian, Sulu. 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.
Ahaetulla prasina is retained in the atlas’s dated checklist under Colubridae. The authority is (BOIE 1827). Earlier names and the original source notes are preserved below for comparison.
Literature documented · Checklist identity and nomenclatural trail
Checklist verified 2026-09-05; 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.
Myanmar (= Burma), Thailand (incl. Phuket), Cambodia; Laos; Vietnam (Hoa Binh), Malaysia (incl. Pulau Tioman, Pulau Pangkor, Johor: Pulau Besar), Singapore, China (Guizhou, Fujian, Yunnan to SE Xizang = Tibet), Indonesia (Borneo, Celebes = Sulawesi, Anamba Archipelago, Bali, Bangka, Belitung, Butung, Java, Kalimantan, Lombok, Mentawai Archipelago, Natuna Archipelago, Nias, Riau Archipelago, Sangihe Archipelago, Sebuku, Simeulue, Sula Archipelago, Sulawesi, Sumatra, Sumbawa, Ternate, We); Bangladesh; Bhutan; Brunei Darussalam; Hong Kong; Philippines (including Palawan: Calamian Islands, Panay, Cebu); medioxima: China preocularis: Philippines (Sulu Archipelago, Panay, Luzon, Mindanao). Tye locality: Bunawan, Agusan Province, Mindanao Island; type in Carnegie Museum. suluensis: Philippines, Sulu Archipelago Type locality: Java
The atlas records Ahaetulla prasina from these named Philippine areas: Luzon, Palawan, Mindanao, Panay, Cebu, Calamian, Sulu. 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.
Living with wildlife
Mildly 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.
Myanmar (= Burma), Thailand (incl. Phuket), Cambodia; Laos; Vietnam (Hoa Binh), Malaysia (incl. Pulau Tioman, Pulau Pangkor, Johor: Pulau Besar), Singapore, China (Guizhou, Fujian, Yunnan to SE Xizang = Tibet), Indonesia (Borneo, Celebes = Sulawesi, Anamba Archipelago, Bali, Bangka, Belitung, Butung, Java, Kalimantan, Lombok, Mentawai Archipelago, Natuna Archipelago, Nias, Riau Archipelago, Sangihe Archipelago, Sebuku, Simeulue, Sula Archipelago, Sulawesi, Sumatra, Sumbawa, Ternate, We); Bangladesh; Bhutan; Brunei Darussalam; Hong Kong; Philippines (including Palawan: Calamian Islands, Panay, Cebu); medioxima: China preocularis: Philippines (Sulu Archipelago, Panay, Luzon, Mindanao). Tye locality: Bunawan, Agusan Province, Mindanao Island; type in Carnegie Museum. suluensis: Philippines, Sulu Archipelago Type locality: Java
Names through time
Coluber Nasutus SHAW 1802 Coluber mycterizans — RAFFLES 1822 Dryophis prasinus BOIE 1827 Dryophis prasina — REINWARDT in BOIE 1827 Tragops prasinus — WAGLER 1830 Dryinus prasinus — CANTOR 1847 Drynius [sic] prasinus — KELAART 1854: 138 (in error ?) Tragops prasinus — DUMÉRIL & BIBRON 1854: 824 Tragops xanthozonius — DUMÉRIL & BIBRON 1854: 826 (not of BOIE) Tragops prasinus — PETERS 1867: 25 Tragops prasinus — THEOBALD 1868: 52 Tragops prasinus — ANDERSON 1871: 185 Tragops prasinus — FISCHER 1885: 3 Dryophis prasinus — BOULENGER 1897: 507 Dryophis prasinus flavescens WALL 1910: 834 Dryophis xanthozona — HOLTZINGER-TENEVER 1919 Passerita prasina — STEJNEGER 1923 Passerita prasina — MERTENS 1930 Dryophis prasinus chinensis MELL 1930 Ahaetulla prasina — STEJNEGER 1933 Passerita prasina — SMITH 1930 Dryophis prasinus chinensis — BOURRET 1934: 138 Dryophis prasinus — SMITH 1943: 375 Dryophis prasinus — HENDRICKSON 1966: 67 Ahaetulla prasina — MANTHEY & GROSSMANN 1997: 311 Ahaetulla prasina — COX et al. 1998: 69 Ahaetulla prasina — GAULKE 1999 Ahaetulla prasinus — SHARMA 2004 Ahaetula [sic] prasina — WONING 2004 Ahaetulla cf. prasina prasina — KOCH 2012 Ahaetulla prasina — COX et al. 2012: 96 Ahaetulla prasina — WALLACH et al. 2014: 20 Ahaetulla prasina — WANG et al. 2022 Ahaetulla flavescens — MALSAWMDAWNGLIANA et al. 2022 Ahaetulla prasina preocularis (TAYLOR 1922) Dryophis preocularis TAYLOR 1922: 222 Ahaetulla prasina preocularis — MCLEOD et al. 2011 Ahaetulla prasina preocularis — DEVAN-SONG & BROWN 2012 Ahaetulla prasina preocularis — BROWN et al. 2012 Ahaetulla prasina preocularis — BROWN et al. 2013 Ahaetulla prasina preocularis — SUPSUP et al. 2016 Ahaetulla prasina preoccularis [sic] — SANGUILA et al. 2016 Ahaetulla prasina preocularis — SUPSUP et al. 2017 Ahaetulla prasina preocularis — GOJO-CRUZ et al. 2018 Ahaetulla prasina preocularis — PITOGO et al. 2021 Ahaetulla prasina preocularis — MENESES et al. 2022 Ahaetulla prasina medioxima LAZELL 2002: 37 Ahaetulla prasina medioxima — O’SHEA 2018: 131 Ahaetulla prasina suluensis GAULKE 1994 Ahaetulla prasina suluensis — O’SHEA 2018: 131
Synonymy partly after STEJNEGER 1933. Highly variable species with green, grey, yellow, and brownish color phases. Tang et al. 2023 found genetic variants explaining some of the color variation. Distribution: not in Hong Kong fide Francis 2021. Not in India fide Mohapatra et al. 2024 (ZSI checklist) where it is replaced by other species of Ahaetulla. Behavior: diurnal. Venomous. Mildly venomous but usually harmless for humans. Illustration: cover picture of The EMBO Journal (20 July 2011). Genome: Tang et al. 2023, Wang et al. 2026. 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
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.