Coelognathus

Coelognathus is a genus of seven rat snakes from South and Southeast Asia that were formerly assigned to the genus Elaphe. Based on morphological evidence and protein similarities, in 2001, Helfenberger revalidated the name Coelognathus that had originally been proposed by Leopold Fitzinger in 1843. The distinction between Coelognathus and Elaphe was further supported by mitochondrial DNA sequence and additional morphological evidence in 2005. These species are recognized: Nota bene: A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Coelognathus.