Amphiesma

Amphiesma is a genus of keelback snakes in the family Colubridae, the largest snake family. The name keelback refers to the raised ridge, or keel, running down the center of each dorsal scale, which gives many of these snakes a slightly rough, matte texture rather than a glossy one. Historically the genus held many species, but most have been moved into the related genus Hebius as researchers refined natnicine keelback classification, leaving Amphiesma a much smaller group. The best-known member is the Buff Striped Keelback, a slender snake of South and Southeast Asia marked by pale lengthwise stripes along a darker body.

These are snakes of warm, wet places. Keelbacks in this lineage live near water across South and Southeast Asia, favoring rice paddies, marshes, pond edges, ditches, streams, and damp grassland and forest floor. They are ground-dwelling and semi-aquatic, often active by day, and they feed mainly on the small cold-blooded prey such habitats supply: frogs, toads, tadpoles, fish, and similar animals. Like many colubrids they lay eggs rather than giving live birth. In general appearance they are small to moderate, slim-bodied snakes with keeled scales and, in the striped forms, clear longitudinal lines that aid recognition.

Amphiesma keelbacks are not front-fanged venomous snakes and are not considered dangerous to people; they are harmless, secretive animals that flee water or cover when disturbed. As a general rule with any wild snake, the safe choice is to leave it alone and not attempt to handle it, since identification in the field is easy to get wrong. If anyone is bitten by a snake they cannot confidently identify, or if symptoms develop after any snakebite, treat it as a medical situation and seek emergency care immediately. In the United States contact Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 or call local emergency services; elsewhere contact local emergency services.