First record of the genus Elaphe Fitzinger in Wagler, 1833 (Squamata, Colubridae) in Pakistan

We report the first records of the Himalayan Ratsnake, Elaphe hodgsonii (Günther, 1860), from Pakistan, which are the first confirmed occurrences of the genus in the country. Several observations from May–June 2025 allowed us to document the species from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province and Azad Jammu and Kashmir Region, extending the known range westward from India. One juvenile specimen was deposited in the Pakistan Museum of Natural History (PMNH 5164). These findings confirm earlier published predictions and highlight the Himalaya as a transitional biogeographic zone, while underscoring the need for further surveys and phylogeographic studies.