[2][3] The genus has been named Wallaceophis in honour of the legendary 19th century British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace (1823–1913), considered the father of biogeography.

A 3–4 dorsal scale row wide black longitudinal stripe runs from the post nasal to the tail tip on each side on a wheat colored dorsum.

[3] Wallaceophis may be distinguished from most members of the family Colubridae by its lack of hypapophyses on posterior dorsal vertebrae.

This condition is present in racers and whip snakes of the genera Platyceps, Hemorrhois, Spalerosophis, Hemerophis, Dolichophis, Hierophis, Eirenis, Orientocoluber, Coluber, Macroprotodon, Bamanophis, and Lytorhynchus.

Wallaceophis differs from these genera in bearing unique vertebral dorsal scale reductions (vs. lateral reductions in Platyceps, Hemorrhois, Hemerophis, Dolichophis, Hierophis, Eirenis, Orientocoluber, Coluber, Macroprotodon, Bamanophis, and Lytorhynchus); nine maxillary teeth (vs. 15–17 in Spalerosophis, 14–19 in Platyceps, 13–16 in Hemorrhois, 17–20 in Hemerophis, 16–18 in Hierophis, 16–26 in Eirenis, 15–19 in Bamanophis); presubocular present (vs. absent in Macroprotodon, Orientocoluber, Bamanophis).