Predation of Philippine paradise flying snake Chrysopelea paradisi variabilis Mertens 1968 on Philippine emerald tree skink Lamprolepis smaragdina philippinica (Mertens 1928) on Negros Island, Philippines

Here we present an observation of an adult Philip-pine paradise flying snake Chrysopelea paradisi variabilis preying on an emerald tree skink Lamprolepis smaragdina in Valencia, Negros Oriental, on 2 March 2025. The event occurred on a solitary tree at 296 m a.s.l. and lasted 20 minutes, with 15 minutes devoted to swallowing the prey. The snake displayed the diagnostic slenderbody, flattened head with yellow-orange bands, and dark dorsumwith yellow-green spotting characteristic of the subspecies. The preywas identified by its lime-green colouration, black-edged scales, andpointed head. Both species occur in secondary forest-edge to disturbed habitats. This observation is consistent with previous reports of C. p. variabilis preying on small vertebrates, including a similar record involving L. smaragdina documented near Dumaguete. Our record, which includes a video documentation of the entire predation sequence, reinforces the species’ role as an arboreal predator and contributes to ongoing documentation of predator-prey relationships in Philippine colubrids.