Ota et al. (1999) investigated the status of the Taiwanese populations of Rhabdophis tigrinus. Morphological and karyotype differences between Taiwanese and other populations lead the authors to conclude that the Taiwanese populations should be recognised as a separate subspecies, R.t. formosanus.

• Ota, H., S.-L. Chen, J.-T. Lin & M. Toriba (1999) Taxonomic status of the Taiwanese populations of Rhabdophis tigrinus (Squamata: Colubridae): morphological and karyological assessment. Japanese Journal of Herpetology, 18: 1-6.