What kind of snakeskin is used for erhu-making?

There are many types of snakes used for erhus. Most are from the genus Colubridae or Pythonidae.

What size/part of the snake:

The abdomen of the snake is usually weak and prone to break during the skinning process because it is unable to withstand the high tension needed for an erhu. The backside of the snake is the most used part, as it is durable. Some luthiers prefer to use snakeskin near the tail. To reach the width of the soundbox of an erhu, the snake must be of considerable size. 

Convenience:

In mainland China, luthiers want to select snakes in their vicinity that are suitable for the erhu. Some examples include: 

Zaocys dhumnades (Southern China, Taiwan)

Elaphe carinata (China, Taiwan)

Python molurus (introduced in Florida, USA from South/SE Asia)

Python reticulatus (Southeast Asia)

Basic List:

The following snake species are used by erhu luthiers:

Burmese python:

An octagonal erhu

Erhu skinned with the green burmese python

Python molurus:

a standard erhu

Python reticulatus:

an octagonal erhu

Elaphe carinata:

an old gaohu

Zaocys dhumnades：

a jing-erhu

Jinghus (top=erhuang style, bottom=xipi style)