About Hebius monticola (Jerdon, 1853)
Adults of Hebius monticola are small, slender snakes that occur in leaf litter within forest habitats. The head is reddish, and the body is brownish with a greenish gloss, though some individuals are bright green. At midbody, this species has 19 keeled dorsal scale rows, 133–144 ventrals, a divided anal scale, and 78–92 divided subcaudals. It has 8 supralabials, with the 3rd, 4th, and 5th touching the eye, and one preocular scale. This description is also reproduced from G. A. Boulenger's The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma: The eye is large, with a diameter greater than its distance from the nostril. The rostral scale is just visible when viewed from above; the suture between the internasals is shorter than the suture between the prefrontals. The frontal scale is considerably longer than its distance from the end of the snout, and is as long as the parietals. The loreal scale is as long as it is deep, or deeper than it is long. There is one preocular and three postoculars. Temporal scales follow a 2 + 2 arrangement. There are 8 upper labials, with the third, fourth, and fifth entering the eye. 5 lower labials contact the anterior chin shields, which are a little shorter than the posterior chin shields. Scales are arranged in 19 rows, and are strongly keeled except for scales in the outer row, which are smooth or feebly keeled. Ventrals number 134–142, the anal scale is divided, and subcaudals number 80–92. The upper body is green with black crossbands that are each divided on the sides by a pale spot. A white line runs across the head behind the eyes, and a white dot sits on each side of the frontal scale. The preoculars, postoculars, and labials 3 to 6 are all white, and the lower body is white. Total body length reaches 45 cm (18 inches), and the tail reaches 14 cm (5½ inches).
