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| Ovophis jenkinsi Qiu, J.-Z. Wang, Xia, Jiang, Zeng, N. Wang, Li & Shi, 2024 Jenkins’ mountain pitviper | 盈江烙铁头蛇 || DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1203.119218 |
Abstract
Based on a molecular phylogenetic analysis and morphological comparison, a new species of mountain pitviper, Ovophis jenkinsi sp. nov., is described. The new species was collected in Yingjiang County, Yunnan Province, China. It can be distinguished from congeneric species by the following characters: (1) internasals in contact or separated by one small scale; (2) second supralabial entire and bordering the loreal pit; (3) dorsal scales in 23 (25)–21 (23, 25)–19 (17, 21) rows; (4) 134–142 ventrals; (5) 40–52 pairs of subcaudals; (6) third supralabial larger than fourth in all examined specimens of Ovophis jenkinsi sp. nov.; (7) deep orange-brown or dark brownish-grey markings on dorsal head surface; (8) background color of dorsal surface deep orange-brown or dark brownish-grey; (9) both sides of dorsum display dark brown trapezoidal patches; (10) scattered small white spots on dorsal surface of tail.
Key words: Morphology, Ovophis jenkinsi sp. nov., snake, taxonomy, Yingjiang County
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| Head of the holotype of Ovophis jenkinsi sp. nov. (IOZ 002679) A lateral (right) view B lateral (left) view C dorsal view D ventral view. |
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| Holotype of Ovophis jenkinsi sp. nov. (IOZ 002679) in life. |
Ovophis jenkinsi sp. nov.
Diagnosis: Ovophis jenkinsi sp. nov. can be distinguished by the following combination of morphological characters: (1) internasals in contact or separated by one small scale; (2) second supralabial entire and bordering the loreal pit; (3) dorsal scales in 23 (25)–21 (23, 25)–19 (17, 21) rows; (4) 134–142 ventrals; (5) 40–52 pairs of subcaudals; (6) third supralabial larger than fourth in all examined specimens of Ovophis jenkinsi sp. nov.; (7) deep orange-brown or dark brownish-grey markings on dorsal head surface; (8) background color of dorsal surface deep orange-brown or dark brownish-grey; (9) both sides of dorsum display dark brown trapezoidal patches; (10) scattered small white spots on dorsal surface of tail.
Etymology: The specific epithet of the new species is dedicated to Robert “Hank” William Garfield Jenkins AM (August 1947–September 2023), a herpetologist and former chairman of the CITES Animals Committee from Australia, with a passion for snakes, especially pitvipers, and helped China, along with many Asian countries, complete snake census, conservation, and management projects. We suggest the common name “Jenkins’ mountain pitviper” in English and “yíng jiāng lào tiě tóu shé” (盈江烙铁头蛇) in Chinese.
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| Ovophis jenkinsi sp. nov. and its microhabitat. Photographed by Zhong-Wen Jiang in Yingjiang, Yunnan. Head of the holotype of Ovophis jenkinsi sp. nov. (IOZ 002679) A lateral (right) view B lateral (left) view C dorsal view D ventral view. |
Xian-Chun Qiu, Jin-Ze Wang, Zu-Yao Xia, Zhong-Wen Jiang, Yan Zeng, Nan Wang, Pi-Peng Li and Jing-Song Shi. 2024. A New Mountain Pitviper of the Genus Ovophis Burger in Hoge & Romano-Hoge, 1981 (Serpentes, Viperidae) from Yunnan, China. ZooKeys. 1203: 173-187. DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1203.119218
