The first pair of lower labials form a suture behind the mental scale.

The collared reed snake is reddish-brown above, with five dark longitudinal lines or series of spots.

The nape is dark brown and separated from the back by a yellow collar.

The lower parts show a uniform yellow with a dark line along the tail in the Burmese and Javan specimens, obscured with brown mottlings or brown with lighter borders in C. p.

This snake can be found in India (Assam), Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, west Malaysia (including Pulau Tioman), Indonesia, south and southwest China (including Hainan), Taiwan, and Japan (Ryukyu Islands).