AMBIGUITY IN VARIETY

Tropidolaemus subannulatus typically reach total lengths of almost a meter, but some Philippine specimens are small, seldom reaching a total length of 60 centimeters for females, with males attaining only about a third of that measurement. Ground color is green to dark green with narrow crossbars of russet edged with white, although in some populations, these crossbars are diminished into short, vertical dashes. A post-ocular (behind the eyes) stripe of russet and white is also present. The ventrals have pairs of whitish spots that encircle a smaller red dot. Dark green individuals have the russet stripes substituted with purplish-brown. In Negros and Calamian populations, the ground color is bluish-green with the russet bands replaced with chalky blue edged with pale blue instead of white. Incidentally, these blue animals also grow larger and more robustly than any other population in the Philippines; it is likely that these snakes are distinct and may prove to be an independent species, pending further investigation. A rare color variation is one where the ground color is yellow, with very thin purplishbrown and pale yellow banding. Like many other arboreal vipers, the tails of Tropidolaemus are differently colored, due to their use in caudal luring wherein the tails are waved to fool potential prey into thinking that these are worms or caterpillars. I am yet, however, to observe this behavior in captive snakes.