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| Achalinus tranganensis Luu, Ziegler, Ha, Lo, Hoang, Ngo, Le, Tran & Nguyen, 2020 |
Abstract
We describe a new snake of the genus Achalinus based on an adult female specimen from Ninh Binh Province, Vietnam. Achalinus tranganensis sp. nov. is differentiated from its congeners genetically and by a unique combination of the following characters: 1) maxillary teeth 29; 2) suture between the internasals distinctly longer than that between the prefrontals; 3) loreal distinctly wider than high, extending from the nasal to the eye; 4) dorsal scales in 25–23–23 rows, keeled; 5) two pairs of prefrontals; 6) supralabials six; 7) infralabials six; 8) temporals 2+3, the two anterior temporals in contact with eye; 9) ventrals 171; 10) subcaudals 73+, unpaired; 11) cloacal plate entire; 12) dorsum in preservative reddish to greyish brown above; 13) the lower part of head side and chin region somewhat paler than the dorsum; 14) venter greyish cream, with the anterior region of each ventral and subcaudal somewhat darker. Based on molecular comparisons using a fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI), the new species differs from other members of the genus by at least 11.8%. This discovery increases the number of Achalinus species known from Vietnam to seven.
Keywords: Reptilia, Karst forest, morphology, phylogeny, taxonomy
Achalinus tranganensis
Vinh Quang Luu, Thomas Ziegler, Nghia Van Ha, Oanh Van Lo, Tuoi Thi Hoang, Hanh Thi Ngo, Minh Duc Le, Dung Hoang Tran and Truong Quang Nguyen. 2020. A New Species of Achalinus (Squamata: Xenodermidae) from Trang An Landscape Complex, Ninh Binh Province, Vietnam. Zootaxa. 4877(1); 74–184. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4877.1.8
