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| Pareas temporalis Le, Tran, Hoang & Stuart, 2021 DOI: 10.3897/vz.71.e70438 |
Abstract
We describe a new species of pareid snake from the Di Linh Plateau in Lam Dong Province of southern Vietnam based on morphological and molecular evidence. Pareas temporalis sp. nov. is distinguished from its congeners by having the combination of yellow-brown body colouration; hexagonal-shaped frontal, with lateral sides parallel to the body axis; 16–17 temporals, with 4–5 anterior temporals; loreal and prefrontal not contacting eye; 2–3 preoculars; two suboculars; 2–3 postoculars; 8–9 supralabials; 8–9 infralabials; 15–15–15 dorsal scale rows, all keeled, three vertebral scale rows enlarged; 191 (+1 preventral) ventrals, smooth; 92 subcaudals, all divided; undivided anal scale; two postocular stripes; and a solid dark brown vertebral stripe extending from rear of nuchal collar along the entire length of body and tail. Phylogenetic analyses of mitochondrial DNA data recovered the new species to be nested within the P. carinatus complex and to be the sister taxon to P. nuchalis from Borneo.
Keywords: Di Linh Plateau, integrative taxonomy, Pareatinae, Pareas menglaensis, Southeast Asia
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| Figure 3. Holotype female (UNS 09992) of Pareas temporalis sp. nov. in preservative. a: whole body in lateral view; b: keeled dorsal scales at midbody; c: ventral view of head; d: dorsal view of head; e and f: lateral views of head. Scale bars: 5 mm. |
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| Figure 4. Head scalation of holotype female (UNS 09992) of Pareas temporalis sp. nov. in ventral, dorsal and lateral views. Illustration by Vo Ngoc Thinh. |
Pareas temporalis sp. nov.
Suggested Common Names: Di Linh Snail-eating Snake (English),
Rắn hổ mây Di Linh (Vietnamese).
Diagnosis: Pareas temporalis sp. nov. is distinguished from all other Pareas by having the combination of yellow-brown body colouration; hexagonal-shaped frontal, with lateral sides parallel to the body axis; 16–17 temporals, with 4–5 anterior temporals; loreal and prefrontal not contacting eye; 2–3 preoculars; two suboculars; 2–3 postoculars; 8–9 supralabials; 8–9 infralabials (Fig. 4); 15–15–15 dorsal scale rows, all keeled (Fig. 3b), three vertebral scale rows enlarged; 191 (+1 preventral) ventrals, smooth; 92 subcaudals, all divided; undivided anal scale; two postocular stripes; and a solid dark brown vertebral stripe extending from rear of nuchal collar along the entire length of body and tail.
Etymology: The specific epithet temporalis L. refers to the high number of temporal scales in the new species.
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| Figure 5. Holotype female (UNS 09992) of Pareas temporalis sp. nov. in life (above) and view of habitat at its type locality (below). |
Duong T. T. Le, Thinh G. Tran, Huy D. Hoang and Bryan L. Stuart. 2021. A New Species of Pareas (Squamata, Pareidae) from southern Vietnam. Vertebrate Zoology. 71: 439-451. DOI: 10.3897/vz.71.e70438
