Elaphe moellendorffi

Elaphe moellendorffi
A juvenile flower snake
Conservation status
Vulnerable  (IUCN 3.1) [1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Colubridae
Genus:	Elaphe
Species:	E. moellendorffi
Binomial name
Elaphe moellendorffi (Boettger, 1886)
Synonyms [2]
Cynophis moellendorffi Boettger, 1886 Coluber moellendorffi — Boulenger, 1894 Elaphe moellendorffi — Stejneger, 1907 Amblycephalus moellendorffi — Deuve, 1961 Orthriophis moellendorffi — Utiger et al., 2002 Elaphe moellendorffi — Chen et al., 2017

Elaphe moellendorffi, commonly called the flower snake, Moellendorf's rat snake, and Moellendorff's trinket snake, is a species of snake in the subfamily Colubrinae of the family Colubridae. The species is native to southeastern Asia.

Etymology

The specific name, moellendorffi, is in honor of German malacoligist Otto Franz von Möllendorff. ^[3]

Geographic distribution

Elaphe moellendorffi is found in China (Guangdong, Guangxi) and Vietnam (Hòa Bình). It may possibly also occur in Laos. ^[2]

Habitat

The preferred natural habitats of Elaphe moellendorffi are limestone caves and rocky areas of shrubland and forest, at elevations of 30–300 m (98–984 ft). ^[1]

Description

Elaphe moellendorffi is a large snake. Adults may attain a total length (including tail) of 1.66 m (5.4 ft). ^[4]

A subadult Elaphe moellendorffi

Behavior

Elaphe moellendorffi is terrestrial ^[1] and partly arboreal. ^[2]

Diet

Elaphe moellendorffi preys upon frogs, lizards, rodents, bats, and birds. ^[1]

Reproduction

Elaphe moellendorffi is oviparous. ^[2] Clutch size is seven to ten eggs. ^[1]

References

1. Zhou, Z.; Lau, M.; Nguyen, T.Q. (2012). "Elaphe moellendorffi ". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2012: https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2012-1.RLTS.T192040A2031924.en. Accessed on 08 November 2025.
2. Species Elaphe moellendorffi at The Reptile Database
3. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael 92011. The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN   978-1-4214-0135-5. (Elaphe moellendorffi, p. 81).
4. Boulenger (1894).

Further reading

• Boettger O (1886). "Diagnoses Reptilium Novorum ab ill. viris O. Herz et Consule Dr. O. Fr. de Moellendorf in Sina meridionali reportorum ". Zoologischer Anzeiger9: 519–520. (Cynophis moellendorffi, new species, p. 520). (in Latin).
• Boulenger GA (1894). Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume II., Containing the Conclusion of the Colubridæ Aglyphæ. London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xi + 382 pp. + Plates I–XX. (Coluber moellendorffi, p. 56).
• Chen, Xin; Lemmon, Alan R.; Lemmon, Emily Moriarty; Pyron, R. Alexander; Burbrink, Frank T. (2017). "Using phylogenomics to understand the link between biogeographic origins and regional diversification in ratsnakes". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution111: 206–218.