Habu
Scientific name: Protobothrops flavoviridis (Hallowell, 1861)
Overview
Protobothrops flavoviridis, also known commonly as the Okinawa habu is a species of pit viper, a venomous snake in the subfamily Crotalinae of the family Viperidae. The species is endemic to the Ryukyu Islands of Japan. No subspecies are recognized as being valid. Local common names include habu and Kume Shima habu. The term "habu" in Okinawa Prefecture can also refer to the Sakishima habu alternately called the elegant pit viper.
From the Wikipedia article “Protobothrops flavoviridis”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Conservation status
Least concern on the IUCN Red List, as recorded on Wikidata, citing The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2022.2.
Where it lives
The Catalogue of Life records it in: Japan (Okinawa, Amami).
Common names
Names in other languages (3)
- Chinese
- 波布蛇
- German
- Habuschlange
- Japanese
- ホンハブ
Related animals
Sources
-
Catalogue of Life — scientific name, classification, common names and range.
Version 2026-09-11, CC BY 4.0.
This species in the Catalogue of Life.
Citation
Bánki, O., Roskov, Y., Döring, M., Ower, G., Hernández Robles, D. R., Plata Corredor, C. A., Stjernegaard Jeppesen, T., Örn, A., Pape, T., Hobern, D., Garnett, S., Little, H., DeWalt, R. E., Miller, J., Orrell, T., Aalbu, R., Abbott, J., Aedo, C., Aescht, E., et al. (2026). Catalogue of Life (Version 2026-09-11). Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgz5n Source database: The Reptile Database.
- GBIF — species page and recorded occurrences.
- Wikidata — conservation status, names in other languages. Q46112, CC0 1.0.
- Wikipedia — overview, from the article “Protobothrops flavoviridis”, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Photo — Simon Colenutt, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. File page.
Last updated: 4 October 2026