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Characteristics: An endemic pit viper with its characteristic green colouration and triangular head. Its green coat is camouflaged by yellow mottles outlined by black. Its camouflage often allows it to go unnoticed even to a trained eye until it gives itself away by moving. It has an extremely prehensile tail which proves vital for it s arboreal nature. Behaviour: Highly active by day and may adapt a nocturnal lifestyle if the conditions determine so. Due to its effective camouflage it is seldom roused by human contact. If it by chance gets discovered it usually makes every attempt to escape and avoid confrontation. However if cornered or handled may get roused and strike. Larger specimens seldom hesitate to bite if required to do so.

Food: Lizards and tree frogs account for a major proportion of its diet and preys upon rodents as well. This snake usually waits motionless until a suitable prey approaches or ambushes its prey. The prey is killed by its venom and often held in its mouth until dead. Breeding: Viviparous and the brood varies from 5 to 26. It appears that this snake does not have a particular breeding season. Little is known about its gestation period. Growth: Neonates measure around 175mm and at this stage males are slightly longer that the females. Little is known about its rate of growth. The average length of this snake is around 70cm with larger specimens reaching 1.1m in length. Venom: Venom quite potent and occasionally can prove fatal. Therefore treatment and medical assistance is recommended.

Identification: At a distancethis snake can be identified by its green colouration with greenquadrant shaped patches with black outlines. Upon close rangeprominent divided Supraocular shields, prominent Intranasalshields, lack of large shields upon the top of its head and thepresence of a loreal pit would indicate this species.

Lepidosis:

• Rostral: Small and elongated.
• Nasal: Hexagonal and touches the first two pairs of Supralabials and the large Intranasal shields.
• Supraoculars: Large prominent and divided.
• Intranasals: Prominent and the combined structure is as large as the Supraocular structure. In some aberrant individuals may touch the third Supralabial pair.
• Supralabials: Ten pairs, of which none touch the eye. The second pair is elongated and touches the loreal pit while the third and fourth pairs are the largest and touch the "Infraocular" shield directly below the eye.
• Preoculars: Out of the three present the lower two border the loreal pit.
• Infralabials: Three to four pairs.
• Sublinguals: On undivided pair.

• Ventrals: 145 to 170 rows and span the entire body width of the snake.
• Costals: Nearly uniform in size except for the the Ultimate row showing only a small variation from the Vertebral row.
• Subcaudals: 53 to 67
• Anal: Undivided

Dentition:

• Maxillary: 2 (large fangs)
• Palatine: 5
• Pterygoid:11 to 12
• Mandibular: 12 to 13

Distribution: Endemic to Sri Lanka

Common in the forests of the central hills ofthe island at an altitude of over 1000m. Occasionally recorded atsea level.

References:

WALL, Frank: Snakes of Ceylon (1921)

Acknowledgements:

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