Species of the genus Drysdalia are endemic to parts of southern and eastern Australia.

[1] The generic name, Drysdalia, is in honour of Australian artist George Russell Drysdale.

[2] The specific name, mastersii, is in honour English-born Australian zoologist George Masters.

[3] The species formerly known as Drysdalia coronata (Schlegel, 1837), commonly known as the crowned snake, was assigned to the genus Elapognathus Boulenger, 1896, by Keogh et al. in 2000.

Crowned snakes are small snakes, averaging about 50 cm (20 inches) in total length (including tail) but can be as small as 18 cm (7 inches).