List of reptiles of China

Note that this list only includes non-avian reptiles. For birds, visit list of birds of China.

Zhou's box turtle is a critically endangered species that is endemic to China.

China has around 403 different species of reptiles that can be found in many environments including deserts, grasslands, rivers, and forests. ^[1] It is the country with the seventh largest amount of different reptile species. ^[2]

Turtles and tortoises

Geoemydid turtles

Box turtles

• Amboina box turtle (Cuora amboinensis)
• Yellow-headed box turtle (Cuora aurocapitata)
• Vietnamese three-striped box turtle (Cuora cyclornata)
• Chinese box turtle (Cuora flavomarginata)
• Indochinese box turtle (Cuora galbinifrons)
• McCord's box turtle (Cuora mccordi)
• Keeled box turtle (Cuora mouhotii)
• Pan's box turtle (Cuora pani)
• Golden coin turtle (Cuora trifasciata)
• Yunnan box turtle (Cuora yunnanensis)
• Zhou's box turtle (Cuora zhoui)

Eyed turtles

• Burmese eyed turtle (Morenia ocellata)
• Beale's eyed turtle (Sacalia bealei)
• Four-eyed turtle (Sacalia quadriocellata)

Leaf turtles

• Asian leaf turtle (Cyclemys dentata)
• Black-breasted leaf turtle (Geoemyda spengleri)

Pond turtles

• Chinese broad-headed pond turtle (Chinemys megalocephala)
• Yellow pond turtle (Mauremus mutica)
• Red-necked pond turtle (Mauremys nigricans)
• Chinese pond turtle (Mauremys reevesii)
• Chinese stripe-necked turtle (Mauremys sinensis)

Roofed turtles

• Burmese roofed turtle (Batagur trivittata)

Miscellaneous and monotypic

• Big-headed turtle (Platysternon megacephalum)

Sea turtles

• Loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta)
• Green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas)
• Leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea)
• Hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata)
• Olive ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea)

Softshell turtles

• Wattle-necked softshell turtle (Palea steindachneri)
• Cantor's giant softshell turtle (Pelochelys cantorii)
• Hunan softshell turtle (Pelodiscus axenaria)
• Amur softshell turtle (Pelodiscus maackii)
• Lesser Chinese softshell turtle (Pelodiscus parviformis)
• Chinese softshell turtle (Pelodiscus sinensis)
• Yangtze giant softshell turtle (Rafetus swinhoei)

Tortoises

• Russian tortoise (Agrionemys horsfieldii)
• Elongated tortoise (Indotestudo elongata)
• Impressed tortoise (Manouria impressa)

A Russian tortoise, a common choice as a house pet.

Snakes

Blindsnakes

• Diard's blindsnake (Argyrophis diardii)
• White-headed blindsnake (Indotyphlops albiceps)
• Brahminy blind snake (Indotyphlops braminus)
• Indotyphlops lazelli
• Striped blindsnake (Ramphotyphlops lineatus)

Boas

• Dwarf sand boa (Eryx miliaris)
• Tartar sand boa (Eryx tataricus)

Cat snakes

• Square-headed cat snake (Boiga kraepelini)

Cobras

• Chinese cobra (Naja atra)
• Monocled cobra (Naja kaouthia)

Coral snakes

• Speckled coral snake (Calliophis maculiceps)
• Kellogg's coral snake (Sinomicrurus kelloggi)
• Sinomicrurus hatori
• MacClelland's coral snake (Sinomicrurus macclellandi)
• Taiwanese coral snake (Sinomicrurus sauteri)

Green snakes

• Greater green snake (Cyclophiops major)

Kraits

• Northeastern hill krait (Bungarus bungaroides)
• Banded krait (Bungarus fasciatus)
• Many-banded krait (Bungarus multicinctus)

Lamprophiid snakes

• Common mock viper (Psammodynastes pulverulentus)
• Psammophis indochinensis
• Steppe ribbon racer (Psammophis lineolatus)

Miscellaneous and monotypic

• Blyth's reticulated snake (Blythia reticulata)
• Collared reed snake (Calamaria pavimentata)
• Bearded snake (Fimbrios klossi)
• Gonyosoma frenatum
• King cobra (Ophiophagus hannah)
• Bailey's snake (Thermophis baileyi)

Natricine snakes

• Buff striped keelback (Amphiesma stolatum)
• Grass snake (Natrix natrix)
• Dice snake (Natrix tessellata)
• Maki's keelback (Hebius miyajimae)
• Sauter's keelback (Hebius sauteri)

Odd-scaled snakes

• Bourret's odd-scaled snake (Achalinus ater)
• Formosan odd-scaled snake (Achalinus formosanus)
• Hainan odd-scaled snake (Achalinus hainanus)
• Hunan odd-scaled snake (Achalinus hunanensis)
• Zong's odd-scaled snake (Achalinus jinggangensis)
• Sichuan odd-scaled snake (Achalinus meiguensis)
• Black odd-scaled snake (Achalinus niger)
• Boulenger's odd-scaled snake (Achalinus rufescens)
• Peters's odd-scaled snake (Achalinus spinalis)

A Formosan odd-scaled snake (Achalinus formosanus) in Taiwan.

Pipe snakes

• Red-tailed pipe snake (Cylindrophis ruffus)

Pitvipers

• Sharp-nosed pit viper (Deinagkistrodon acutus)
• Mamushi (Gloydius blomhoffii)
• Jenkins' mountain pitviper (Ovophis jenkinsi)
• Taiwan mountain pitviper (Ovophis makazayazaya)
• Mountain pitviper (Ovophis monticola)
• Jerdon's pit viper (Protobothrops jerdonii)
• Brown-spotted pitviper (Protobothrops mucrosquamatus)
• Taiwan pit viper (Trimeresurus gracilis)
• Bamboo pit viper (Trimeresurus gramineus)
• Trimeresurus loong
• Mangshan pitviper (Trimeresurus mangshanensis)
• Motuo bamboo pitviper (Trimeresurus medoensis)
• Stejneger's pit viper (Trimeresurus stejnegeri)

A bamboo pit viper (Trimeresurus gramineus) perched on a branch in a Cuiheng zoo.

Pythons

• Burmese python (Python bivittatus)

Ratsnakes

• Korean ratsnake (Elaphe anomala)
• Twin-spotted ratsnake (Elaphe bimaculata)
• King ratsnake (Elaphe carinata)
• David's ratsnake (Elaphe davidi)
• Amur rat snake (Elaphe schrenckii)
• Beauty rat snake (Elaphe taeniura)
• Elaphe zoigeensis
• Mandarin ratsnake (Euprepiophis mandarinus)

Sea kraits

• Banded sea krait (Laticauda colubrina)
• Blue-lipped sea krait (Laticauda laticaudata)
• Black-banded sea krait (Laticauda semifasciata)

Sea snakes

• Beaded sea snake (Aipysurus eydouxii)
• Golden sea snake (Aipysurus laevis)
• Stokes' seasnake (Astrotia stokesii)
• Turtlehead sea snake (Emydocephalus ijimae)
• Dwarf sea snake (Hydrophis caerulescens)
• Shaw's sea snake (Hydrophis curtus)
• Annulated sea snake (Hydrophis cyanocinctus)
• Striped sea snake (Hydrophis fasciatus)
• Graceful small-headed sea snake (Hydrophis gracilis)
• Spine-bellied sea snake (Hydrophis hardwickii)
• Plain sea snake (Hydrophis inornatus)
• Jerdon's sea snake (Hydrophis jerdonii)
• Slender-necked sea snake (Hydrophis melanocephalus)
• Ornate reef sea snake (Hydrophis ornatus)
• Hydrophis parviceps
• Spiny-headed seasnake (Hydrophis peronii)
• Yellow-bellied sea snake (Hydrophis platurus)
• Yellow sea snake (Hydrophis spiralis)
• Stokes's sea snake (Hydrophis stokesii)
• West coast black-headed sea snake (Hydrophis torquatus)
• Viperine sea snake (Hydrophis viperinus)
• Jerdon's sea snake (Kerilia jerdonii)
• Shaw's sea snake (Lapemis curtus)
• Anomalous sea snake (Hydrophis anomalus)

Slug snakes

• Atayal slug-eating snake (Pareas atayal)
• Boulenger's slug snake (Pareas boulengeri)
• Keeled slug-eating snake (Pareas carinatus)
• Chinese slug snake (Pareas chinensis)
• Formosan slug snake (Pareas formosensis)
• Hampton's slug snake (Pareas hamptoni)
• Taiwan slug snake (Pareas komaii)
• Spotted slug snake (Pareas margaritophorus)
• Common slug snake (Pareas monticola)
• Xiaoheishan slug-eating snake (Pareas nigriceps)
• Stanley's slug snake (Pareas stanleyi)

Sunbeam snakes

• Xenopeltis hainanensis
• Xenopeltis unicolor

This closeup clearly shows the characteristic iridescent highly polished scales of Xenopeltis unicolor.

Vipers

• Fea's viper (Azemiops feae)
• White-headed Fea viper (Azemiops kharini)
• Russell's viper (Daboia russelii)
• Eastern Russell's viper (Daboia siamensis)
• Common European viper (Vipera berus)
• Meadow viper (Vipera ursinii)

Wart snakes

• Little wart snake (Acrochordus granulatus)

Water snakes

• Rainbow water snake (Enhydris enhydris)
• Rice paddy snake (Hypsiscopus plumbea)
• Bennett's mud snake (Myrrophis bennettii)
• Chinese water snake (Myrrophis chinensis)
• Bocourt's water snake (Subsessor bocourti)

Worm-eating snakes

• Mountain worm-eating snake (Trachischium monticola)
• Yellowbelly worm-eating snake (Trachischium tenuiceps)

Crocodilians

Alligators

A pair of Chinese alligators in the Shanghai Zoo.

• Chinese alligator (Alligator sinensis)

Crocodiles

• † Saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) ^{[note 1]}

Lizards

Agamid lizards (flying)

• Blanford's flying lizard (Draco blanfordii)
• Spotted flying dragon (Draco maculatus)

Agamid lizards (non-flying)

A blue-crested lizard (Calotes mystaceus).

• Armored pricklenape (Acanthosaura armata)
• Brown pricklenape (Acanthosaura lepidogaster)
• Emma Gray's forest lizard (Calotes emma)
• Indo-Chinese forest lizard (Calotes jerdoni)
• Medog bloodsucker (Calotes medogensis)
• Blue-crested lizard (Calotes mystaceus)
• Oriental garden lizard (Calotes versicolor)
• Japalura andersoniana
• Three-keeled mountain lizard (Japalura tricarinata)
• Diploderma batangensis
• Diploderma brevicauda
• Short-legged japalure (Diploderma brevipes)
• Banded japalure (Diploderma fasciata)
• Dymond's japalure (Diploderma dymondi)
• Sichuan japalure (Diploderma flaviceps)
• Graham's japalure (Diploderma grahami)
• Emerald mountain dragon (Diploderma iadinum)
• Smooth-venter mountain dragon (Diploderma laeviventre)
• Diploderma luei
• Ota's japalure (Diploderma makii)
• Diploderma micangshanensis
• Ryukyu japalure (Diploderma polygonatum)
• Diploderma slowinskii
• Japalura tree dragon (Diploderma splendidum)
• Taiwan japalure (Diploderma swinhonis))
• Chinese japalure (Diploderma varcoae)
• Sail mountain lizard (Diploderma vela)
• Diploderma yulongense
• Yunnan japalure (Diploderma yunnanense)
• Diploderma zhaoermii
• Badakhshana rock agama (Laudakia badakhshana)
• Himalayan agama (Laudakia himalayana)
• Papenfuss' rock agama (Laudakia papenfussi)
• Anan's rock agama (Laudakia sacra)
• Mongolian rock agama (Laudakia stoliczkana)
• Kashmir rock agama (Laudakia tuberculata)
• Wu's rock agama (Laudakia wui)
• Reeves' butterfly lizard (Leiolepis reevesii)
• Small forest lizard (Oriocalotes paulus)
• Yarkand toad-headed agama (Phrynocephalus axillaris)
• Phrynocephalus erythrurus
• Forsyth's toadhead agama (Phrynocephalus forsythii)
• Shanxi toadhead agama (Phrynocephalus frontalis)
• Spotted toadhead agama (Phrynocephalus guttatus)
• Sunwatcher toadhead agama (Phrynocephalus helioscopus)
• Secret toadhead agama (Phrynocephalus mystaceus)
• Przewalski's toadhead agama (Phrynocephalus przewalskii)
• Phrynocephalus putjatai
• Roborowski's toadhead agama (Phrynocephalus roborowskii)
• Theobald's toad-headed agama (Phrynocephalus theobaldi)
• Variegated toadhead agama (Phrynocephalus versicolor)
• Qinghai toadhead agama (Phrynocephalus vlangalii)
• Chinese water dragon (Physignathus cocincinus)
• Vietnam false bloodsucker (Pseudocalotes brevipes)
• Kakhyen Hills spiny lizard (Pseudocalotes kakhienensis)
• Kingdonward's bloodsucker (Pseudocalotes kingdonwardi)
• Burmese false bloodsucker (Pseudocalotes microlepis)
• Green fan-throated lizard (Ptyctolaemus gularis)
• Brilliant ground agama (Trapelus agilis)
• Steppe agama (Trapelus sanguinolentus)

A male Japalura tree dragon.

Geckos

• Kaspischer even-fingered gecko (Alsophylax pipiens)
• Xinjiang even-fingered gecko (Alsophylax przewalskii)
• Frontier bow-fingered gecko (Altiphylax stoliczkai)
• Cayu bent-toed gecko (Cyrtodactylus cayuensis)
• Cyrtodactylus tibetanus
• Cyrtodactylus wayakonei
• Cyrtodactylus zhaoermii
• Cyrtopodion medogense
• Common four-clawed gecko (Gehyra mutilata)
• Adler's gecko (Gekko adleri)
• Shanxi gecko (Gekko auriverrucosus)
• Gray's Chinese gecko (Gekko chinensis)
• Tokay gecko (Gekko gecko)
• Gekko guishanicus
• Hokou gecko (Gekko hokouensis)
• Schlegel's Japanese gecko (Gekko japonicus)
• Botel gecko (Gekko kikuchii)
• Kwangsi gecko (Gekko kwangsiensis)
• Libo's gecko (Gekko liboensis)
• Mell's gecko (Gekko melli)
• Reeves's Tokay gecko (Gekko reevesii)
• Yunnan gecko (Gekko scabridus)
• Gekko similignum
• Gekko subpalmatus
• Peking gecko (Gekko swinhonis)
• Mingtao's gecko (Gekko taibaiensis)
• Gekko tesselatus
• Gekko wenxianensis
• Vietnamese leopard gecko (Goniurosaurus araneus)
• Goniurosaurus bawanglingensis
• Goniurosaurus hainanensis
• Kadoories's cave gecko (Goniurosaurus kadoorieorum)
• Guangxi cave gecko (Goniurosaurus kwangsiensis)
• Goniurosaurus liboensis
• Lichtenfelder's gecko (Goniurosaurus lichtenfelderi)
• Goniurosaurus luii
• Yingde leopard gecko (Goniurosaurus yingdeensis)
• Zhe-long's leopard gecko (Goniurosaurus zhelongi)
• Zhou's leopard gecko (Goniurosaurus zhoui)
• Hemidactylus aquilonius
• Oriental leaf-tailed gecko (Hemidactylus bowringii)
• Common house gecko (Hemidactylus frenatus)
• Indo-Pacific gecko (Hemidactylus garnotii)
• Flat-tailed house gecko (Hemidactylus platyurus)
• Stejneger's leaf-toed gecko (Hemidactylus stejnegeri)
• Changning slender gecko (Hemiphyllodactylus changningensis)
• Dushan slender gecko (Hemiphyllodactylus dushanensis)
• Hong Kong slender gecko (Hemiphyllodactylus hongkongensis)
• Hemiphyllodactylus huishuiensis
• Jinping slender gecko (Hemiphyllodactylus jinpingensis)
• Longling slender gecko (Hemiphyllodactylus longlingensis)
• Indopacific tree gecko (Hemiphyllodactylus typus)
• Asian slender gecko (Hemiphyllodactylus yunnanensis)
• Zug's slender gecko (Hemiphyllodactylus zugi)
• Mourning gecko (Lepidodactylus lugubris)
• Transcaspian bent-toed gecko (Mediodactylus russowii)
• Tenuidactylus dadunensis
• Yangihissar gecko (Tenuidactylus elongatus)
• Przewalski's wonder gecko (Teratoscincus przewalskii)
• Teratoscincus roborowskii
• Common wonder gecko (Teratoscincus scincus)

A Tokay gecko, one of the most well-known species of geckos.

Glass lizards

• Burmese glass lizard (Dopasia gracilis)
• Hainan glass lizard (Dopasia hainanensis)
• Hart's glass lizard (Dopasia harti)
• Ludovic's glass lizard (Dopasia ludovici)

Miscellaneous and monotypic

• Chinese crocodile lizard (Shinisaurus crocodilurus)
• Asian grass lizard (Takydromus sexlineatus)
• Viviparous lizard (Zootoca vivipara)

Skinks

Plestiodon elegans , near Ho Chung, Sai Kung District, New Territories, Hong Kong.

• Asymblepharus alaicus
• Ladak ground skink (Asymblepharus ladacensis)
• Sikkim ground skink (Asymblepharus sikimmensis)
• Chinese short-limbed skink (Ateuchosaurus chinensis)
• Longtail mabuya (Eutropis longicaudata)
• East Indian brown mabuya (Eutropis multifasciata)
• Short-limbed supple skink (Lygosoma quadrupes)
• Gail's eyelid skink (Plestiodon capito)
• Chinese skink (Plestiodon chinensis)

  

• Shanghai skink (Plestiodon elegans)
• Ladakh ground skink (Scincella ladacensis)
• Plestiodon liui
• Pope's skink (Plestiodon popei)
• Hong Kong skink (Plestiodon quadrilineatus)
• Vietnam skink (Plestiodon tamdaoensis)
• Plestiodon tunganus
• Barbour's ground skink (Scincella barbouri)
• Doria's ground skink (Scincella doriae)
• Scincella huanrenensis
• Modest ground skink (Scincella modesta)
• Scincella monticola
• Scincella potanini
• Scincella przewalskii
• Reeves' smooth skink (Scincella reevesii)
• Scincella schmidti
• Scincella tsinlingensis
• Sphenomorphus courcyanus
• Sphenomorphus incognitus
• Indian forest skink (Sphenomorphus indicus)
• Spotted forest skink (Sphenomorphus maculatus)
• Christmas Island grass-skink (Subdoluseps bowringii)
• Berdmore's water skink (Tropidophorus berdmorei)
• Tropidophorus guangxiensis
• Hainan water skink (Tropidophorus hainanus)
• Chinese water skink (Tropidophorus sinicus)

References

1. "Number of vertebrate species in China in 2012, by type" Accessed 2014-06-24
2. Countries with the most reptile species. Mongabay.com. 2004 data. Retrieved 24 April 2013.

1. Likely extirpated