Madagascarophis is a genus of small, mildly venomous snakes native to the island of Madagascar. They are commonly referred to as Malagasy cat-eyed snakes. Five species are in the genus. Species Madagascarophis colubrinus Madagascarophis colubrinus citrinus (Boettger, 1877) Madagascarophis colubrinus colubrinus (Schlegel, 1837) Madagascarophis colubrinus insularis Domergue, 1987 Madagascarophis. colubrinus occidentalis Domergue, 1987 Madagascarophis colubrinus pastoriensis Domergue, 1987 Madagascarophis colubrinus septentrionalis Domergue, 1987 Madagascarophis fuchsi Glaw, Kucharzewski, Köhler, Vences & Nagy, 2013 Madagascarophis lolo Ruane, Burbrink, Randriamahatantsoa, & Raxworthy, 2016 Madagascarophis meridionalis Domergue, 1987 Madagascarophis ocellatus Domergue, 1987 Description Madagascarophis species are small snakes, rarely exceeding 100 cm in adult size. They are highly variable in color, greys, browns, yellows, greens, and oranges with darker colored blotches. They have large eyes with vertical pupils. Behavior Malagasy cat-eyed snakes are found in a wide variety of habitats throughout the island of Madagascar, from montane regions to rain forest. Primarily nocturnal and terrestrial, they are capable of climbing and are strong swimmers. They feed on a variety of prey, including chameleons and rodents. Their venom is mild and often not powerful enough to subdue their chosen prey items, so they also employ constriction as necessary. In captivity Madagascarophis colubrinus and M. ocellatus are frequently imported for the exotic pet trade, and for educational research. The Ophidian Research Colony of the University of Texas at Tyler is known to keep a breeding group of M. colubrinus. The eggs take 83 days to hatch as young snakes at 27 °C. References Pseudoxyrhophiidae Reptiles of Madagascar Snake genera Taxa named by Robert Mertens