Dendrelaphis marenae


Dendrelaphis marenae, also known commonly as Gaulke's bronze-back tree snake and Maren's bronzeback, is a species of snake in the subfamily Ahaetuliinae of the family Colubridae. The species is native to Southeast Asia.

Etymology

The species Dendrelaphis marenae is named after German herpetologist Dr. Maren Gaulke, honoring her scientific contributions to the field of herpetology in the Philippines. She also helped collect some of the initial specimens.

Taxonomy

Dendrelaphis marenae belongs to the genus Dendrelaphis, which contains 48 other described species.
Dendrelaphis is one of five genera belonging to the vine snake subfamily Ahaetuliinae, of which Dendrelaphis is most closely related to Chrysopelea, as shown in the cladogram below:

Distribution

Dendrelaphis marenae is found in Indonesia and the Philippines.

Habitat

The preferred natural habitat of Dendrelaphis marenae is forest, at elevations up to.

Behavior

Dendrelaphis marenae is diurnal and fully arboreal.

Diet

Dendrelaphis marenae preys predominately upon frogs.

Reproduction

Dendrelaphis marenae is oviparous. Clutch size is two to ten eggs.