Material Examined : 17 speciemens, including 8 adults, 5 sub-adults and 4 juveniles.

Description & Scalation : Head flattened, slightly broader than neck; body slender; eye entirely black with vertically elliptic pupil. Snout broad and projecting beyond lower jaw; rostral higher than wide, well visible from above; internasal much shorter than prefrontal; loreal longer than high in contact with internasal, not touching eye. 1 preocular extending upper surface of the head, touching the frontal; 2 postoculars; temporals 2+2 or 2+3 or 2+1; Scales smooth, in 17:17:15 rows; supralabials 9-11 ( 3rd just touching 4th and 5th in contact with the eye ); infralabials 9-11, first 4 or 5 touching the first pair of genials; ventrals 193-208, angulate laterally; subcaudals 67-78, paired ( a adult from Middle Andaman had 109 ventrals and 60 subcaudals ); anal divided.

Coloration : Adults uniform dark brown or purpulish-brown above, or dark brown with indistinct white raticulations; white or creamish below. Lip scales yellowish. Juveniles “milky” white or creamish above with bold brown raticulations on whole body and tail, these markings gradually darken with age.

Natural History : Terrestrial and semi-arboreal, seen climbing walls at night. Nocturnal in its habits. Mostly seen in the vicinity of human habitations, also commonly seen near forest streams, paddy fields, forested tracks, abandoned huts. I have observed adult specimens, in pairs, under the logs in the month of June. Mainly feeds on geckos, frogs, skinks and small lizards, often enters houses in search of geckos. Bites repeatedly when handled. Lays about 3-11 eggs. Grows up to 70cm.

Comments - Previously known as, Lycodon capucinus. This species is revalidated by Vogal & Harikrishnan, 2013.

Distribution - India : Endemic to Andaman and Little Andaman ( Central Nicobar Islands, as per R.Whitaker & A.Captain, 2004 ).

External link : http://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Lycodon&species=hypsirhinoides