Large-eyed green tree snake

The large-eyed green tree snake (Rhamnophis aethiopissa), also known commonly as the splendid dagger-tooth tree snake, is a species of venomous snake in the subfamily Colubrinae of the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to Africa. There are three recognized subspecies.

Large-eyed green tree snake
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Colubridae
Genus:	Rhamnophis
Species:	R. aethiopissa
Binomial name
Rhamnophis aethiopissa Günther, 1862
Synonyms
Rhamnophis æthiopissa Günther, 1862 Crypsidomus aethiops Boettger, 1888 Rhamnophis æthiops — Boulenger, 1896 Thrasops splendens Andersson, 1901 Rhamnophis aethiopissa — Loveridge, 1929 Thrasops aethiopissa — J. Trape & Roux-Estève, 1995 Rhamnophis aethiopissa — Rödel & Mahsberg, 2000

Geographic range

R. aethiopissa is found in Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, and Zambia.

Habitat

The preferred natural habitats of R. aethiopissa are forest and savanna, at altitudes from sea level to 1,040 m (3,410 ft).

Description

R. aethiopissa may attain a total length (including tail) of 1.5 m (4.9 ft). The dorsal scales, which are smooth, are arranged in 17 rows at midbody.

Behavior

R. aethiopissa is arboreal and diurnal.

Diet

R. aethiopissa preys upon frogs, lizards, birds, and small mammals.

Reproduction

R. aethiopissa is oviparous. Eggs are laid in leaf litter, and clutch size may be as many as 17 eggs.

Subspecies

The following three subspecies are recognized as being valid, including the nominotypical subspecies.

• Rhamnophis aethiopissa aethiopissa Günther, 1862
• Rhamnophis aethiopissa ituriensis Schmidt, 1923
• Rhamnophis aethiopissa elgonensis Loveridge, 1929

Venom

Rhamnophis aethiopissa is a rear-fanged colubrid, i.e., it has venom, which it may be able to inoculate by biting. Because very little is known about this species and its venom, it is necessary to be very cautious when working with it. This species has an almost identical defence mechanism to the boomslang (Dispholidus typus) and twig snakes (genus Thelotornis) as it also inflates its throat to make itself look bigger. It is believed that the species of the genus Rhamnophis evolved between the boomslang and the species of the genus Thrasops in terms of their fangs and means of envenomation.

Further reading

• Chippaux J-P, Jackson K (2019). Snakes of Central and Western Africa. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. 448 pp. ISBN 978-1421427195. (Thrasops aethiopissa, p. 371).
• Günther A (1862). "On new Species of Snakes in the Collection of the British Museum". Annals and Magazine of Natural History, Third Series 9: 124–132 + Plates IX–X. (Rhamnophis æthiopissa, new species, p. 129 + Plate X).
• Loveridge A (1929). "East African Reptiles and Amphibians in the United States National Museum". Bulletin of the United States National Museum (151): 1–135. (Rhamnophis aethiopissa elgonensis, new subspecies, pp. 24–26).
• Schmidt KP (1923). "Contributions to the Herpetology of the Belgian Congo Based on the Collection of the American Museum Congo Expedition, 1909–1915. Part II.—Snakes". Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 49 (1): 1–146. (Rhamnophis ituriensis, new species, pp. 81–83, Figure 4).
• Spawls S, Howell K, Hinkel H, Menegon M (2018). Field Guide to East African Reptiles, Second Edition. London: Bloomsbury Natural History. 624 pp. ISBN 978-1472935618. (Rhamnophis aethiopissa, p. 502).