| Ahaetulla sahyadrensis | |
|---|---|
 | |
| In Kerala. | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Colubridae |
| Subfamily: | Ahaetuliinae |
| Genus: | Ahaetulla |
| Species: | A. sahyadrensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Ahaetulla sahyadrensis Mallik, Srikanthan, Pal, Princia D'Souza, Shanker, and Ganesh, 2020 | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Ahaetulla sahyadrensis is a species of tree snake endemic to the Western Ghats of India. [1] [2] [3] It is also reported from Bangladesh. [4]
It was formerly considered conspecific with A. pulverulenta (now considered to be restricted to Sri Lanka), and was described as a subspecies of it (A. p. indica) by Paulus Edward Pieris Deraniyagala in 1955. However, a 2020 study recovered it as a distinct species. In addition, a now-defunct subspecies of Ahaetulla prasina , A. p. indica, was described by Rudolf Mell in 1931. Thus, the combination Ahaetulla pulverulenta indica would be a homonym to Ahaetulla prasina indica. To solve this, a new replacement name, A. sahyadrensis, was erected in 2020. [1]
This species is the most widespread of all vine snakes endemic to the Western Ghats, ranging from Gujarat south to Kerala and Tamil Nadu. [1] It is also reported from Bangladesh. [5]
It is found in moist deciduous and evergreen forests from just above sea level up to 1500 msl. They are usually found in the vicinity of perennial streams. [1]