A genus of just one or two species, depending on which authority you believe. These Indian subcontinent snakes are distinguished most noticeably by their upper jaw, which overhangs the lower quite considerably.
According to Daniel, A. fasciolatus becomes tame in captivity and can be handled without difficulty, although it is quite feisty in the wild. As its diet comprises mammals and amphibians, a captive diet of rodents would probably be acceptable. Daniel also records A. ventromaculatus as having lived in captivity for over five years. I am not aware of either of these species having been kept in the UK.
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| A. fasciolatus, Fasciolated Ratsnake | A. ventromaculatus, Gray's Ratsnake |
| Species | Common Name | Origin | Adult size | Notes |
| Argyrogena | ||||
| A. fasciolatus | Fasciolated Ratsnake, Banded Racer | India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal | Up to 120cm: tail 20-25% of SVL | This species is found mainly in jungle but also in open places and urban areas. Daniel calls it comparatively common in the Konkan and southwest Peninsula but rare elsewhere. In behaviour it is not shy and can spread its hood like a cobra, leading it to be often mistaken for one: however, an Indian cobra's upper jaw does not overhang its lower one in nearly the same way. Scalation: 8 supralabials, of which 3rd is divided and 4th and 5th contact the eye: occasionally 4th divided and 4th, 5th and 6th contact the eye: 5th or 6th highest touch temporal. Dorsal rows: Daniel gives the formula 21:23:17. Other: anal plate divided. Coloration: brown or olive-brown; ventrally white or yellow. Young have black and white transverse bands on the anterior of the body that fade away around about the midbody, and a greenish-white ventrum. Reproduction: oviparous, but otherwise little data available. |
| A. ventromaculatus | Gray's Ratsnake, Glossy-Bellied Racer | N India (Bombay to Rajasthan, W Himalayas) westwards to the Middle East | 90-120cm: max. 128cm: tail >25% of SVL | The EMBL reptile database does not recognise this species. According to the diagram in Daniel the uper jaw does not overhang the lower so prominently as in A. fasciolatus. It is found mainly on open hillsides and open or cultivated land but occasionally also in congested urban areas [Daniel]. Scalation: 9 supralabials, of which 4th divided and 4th, 5th and 6th contact the eye 3rd is divided and 4th and 5th contact the eye: occasionally 3rd is divided and 3rd, 4th and 5th contact the eye. Dorsal rows: Daniel gives the formula 19-19-15/13. Other: anal plate divided. Coloration: dorsally olive-green or -brown, dirty yellow or grey: anteriorly marked with transverse bands, spots, or both: head has blackish spot on loreals, a black oblique streak below the eye, and another from the temporal area to the gape. A band runs between the eyes: nape has crossbar and 1-2 stripes. Ventrally saffron-yellow or paler. See Daniel for fuller details. Reproduction: oviparous, about 9 eggs laid. |
The Book of Indian Reptiles and Amphibians, J C Daniel, Bombay Natural History Society, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2002.
None so far.
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