Red whip snake – Dryophiops rubescens (Gray, 1835) from Sabah/Borneo – around 100m ASL

Dryophiops rubescens is an arboreal colubrid described by John Edward Gray in 1835 and the type species of the genus Dryophiops. It inhabits lowland forest and forest edge across mainland Southeast Asia including Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and parts of Indonesia with a recent confirmed record from Vietnam. The species is diurnal slender and laterally compressed with a long head large eyes and horizontal pupils and it lays eggs. Typical coloration ranges from grey to reddish brown with dark and pale flecks and a dark postocular stripe; the common name keel bellied whipsnake reflects keeled ventral scutes used in field identification. Diet consists mainly of arboreal lizards and frogs and documented prey includes flying dragons of the genus Draco. The specific epithet rubescens is Latin for becoming red or reddish and was chosen for the ruddy brown colour.