Lycodon ruhstrati ruhstrati

黃頜蛇科、Lycodontinae 亞科。
Colubridae, subfamily Lycodontinae

110 cm

普遍分布全台1000公尺以下的低海拔地區。

中/南 中國（江西，福建，廣東，廣西，安徽，四川，東/南 甘肅，江西，江蘇，貴州，湖南，陝西，浙江），台灣，日本（南琉球群島），越南。

Medium-sized snake; total length up to 110 cm. There are 15-19 (17 at mid-body) rows of scales, which are feebly keeled except those on the flanks. Head is oval, with snout protruding over the mental; body is slender; tail is long and very slender. Eye is medium-sized, near top of head, and bulging laterally; iris is dark gray to black and pupil is black, broadly elliptical on vertical axis. Tongue is flesh-colored, with fork tips tinged with gray. Upper head is usually dark gray to black but may have indistinct broad band of gray (or distinct white band in juveniles) across back of head. The lower two-thirds of the supralabials are light gray to white. Upper body and tail are white to gray, usually with irregular black crossbars which may show margins of white. The crossbars are broad and distinct anteriorly, and progressively narrower and less distinct posteriorly. Bands of body and tail tend to be more distinct in juveniles. Ventral head and neck are dirty white to light gray, sometimes with diffuse black pigment on mental and inner margins of lower labials. Ventral body is dirty white to light gray with scattered spots of diffuse gray brown pigment which increases progressively toward posterior half of body. Underside of tail is mottled, dark gray, occasionally with faint cross bands continuous from upper tail. Anal scale is single and subcaudals are paired.

夜行性卵生蛇類。在山區和開墾地常會在地面上或是樹上發現其蹤影。白梅花以蜥蜴與昆蟲為主食。屬名 Lycodon 是"狼牙"的意思, 形容牠相較於後齒大很多的前齒，且和後齒之間有明顯的間隙；而這樣的構造有利於咬住滑溜的蜥蜴。白梅花是個行動迅速且容易緊張的獵者，這神經質的性格導致牠容易對接近的物體做出攻擊 "白梅花的防衛姿態有三大特徵 - 捲起成小圓圈的頸部、虛張聲勢的威嚇行為、還有不斷敲擊地面的尾巴." (Source video)

白梅花蛇、黑背白環蛇、黑塊白環蛇。

在光線昏暗的地方，危險的雨傘節 (Bungarus multicinctus multicinctus) 和白梅花非常相似，這使得許多白梅花死於害怕毒蛇的人類手中。但是在充足的光線下，危險的雨傘節有著不能忽略的特徵：黑白分明且平整的間隔環帶，與三角形的斷體截面；而白梅花蛇則有著淺灰褐色與黑色交錯的環帶，且環帶交錯的部分較不顯明且呈現鋸齒狀。