National Institute for Environmental Studies Invasive Species of Japan Japanese | English
  1. Invasive Species of Japan >
  2. Reptiles Alert List >
  3. Boiga irregularis

Boiga irregularis

Basic information
Scientific name Boiga irregularis

Click to magnify

ミナミオオガシラ
Common names Brown Tree Snake
Higher taxon Colubridae, Ophidia (Serpentia), Squamata, Reptilia
Natural range Australia, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia (Sulawesi, etc.)
Habitat Lowland and coastal forest. Usually arboreal.
Invasion information
Range in Japan Not established in Japan Range in Japan
Origin Unintroduced to Japan.
Date Introduction to Guam was 1940s or 1950s.
Route Accidental: Hitchhiking on some transports
Impact Potentially: Predation on native small animals. Competition with native snakes. In Guam, extinction of several birds and change of lizard community occurred by the brown tree snake.
Native organism(s) affected: Birds, reptiles, (predation), native snakes (competition)
Regulation in Japan Import, transport and keeping are prohibited in Japan by the Invasive Alien Species Act.
Introduced range in other countries Established on Guam. In Japan, this species have been recorded in Okinawa. In addition, there have been many records worldwide (including many small islands).
Reference Notes
  • DECO (ed) (2006) Dictionary of Alien Species. Tokyo-Shoseki. (in Jpn)
  • Ecol Soc Japan (ed) (2002) Handbook of Alien Species in Japan. Chijin-Shokan. (in Jpn)
  • ISSG. Global Invasive Species Database (GISD) (Accessed on 2011-1-27) http://www.issg.org/database/welcome/.
  • JWRC (ed) (2008) A Photographic Guide to the Invasive Alien Species in Japan. Heibonsha. (in Jpn)
  • Uetz et al. (1995-2010) TIGR Reptile Database http://www.reptiliaweb.org/.