 |
| Plagiopholis maculosa Qi, Song, Yang, Xu, Fang, Su & Wang, in Qi, Song, Yang, Xu, Fang, Su, Liu, Gong, Li, Lyu, B.-Y. Wang et Y.-Y. Wang. 2025. |
Abstract
The genus Plagiopholis Boulenger, 1893 is a poorly studied genus from the Oriental realm, currently comprising six recognized species. We herein describe a new species of the genus, Plagiopholis maculosa sp. nov. from Guangdong Province, China. A morphological examination combined with two mitochondrial gene fragments (CO1 and cyt b), was used to test its distinctiveness within Plagiopholis. Morphologically, the new species differs from other congeners by the following diagnostic characteristics: no loreal; temporals 2+2; maxillary teeth 17; 104 ventrals, excluding two preventrals; 24 pairs of subcaudals, excluding the tail tip; presence of a large inverted “V”-shaped nuchal blotch; and a series of distinctive irregular blotches on the dorsum. The phylogenetic analyses shows that the new species exhibits pronounced genetic divergence from all recognized congeners (12.73%–15.88% in CO1, 16.17%–17.54% in cyt b). This discovery increases the number of valid species in the genus Plagiopholis to seven. Moreover, the extensive sampling gaps across its distribution suggest that additional cryptic species may remain to be discovered.
Key Words: Mountain Snakes, morphology, Nanling Mountains, Plagiopholis maculosa sp. nov., taxonomy
 |
| The holotype of Plagiopholis maculosa sp. nov. in life. A. Dorsolateral view of body; B. Ventral view of body; C. Dorsal head; D. Lateral head; E. Ventral head. Photos by Shuo Qi and Hao-Cong Yang. |
Plagiopholis maculosa Qi, Song, Yang, Xu, Fang, Su & Wang, sp. nov.
Diagnosis. Plagiopholis maculosa sp. nov. can be differentiated from its congeners by the combination of the following morphological characters: (1) no loreal; (2) temporals 2+2; (3) maxillary teeth 17 in a single female; (4) 104 ventrals, excluding two preventrals in a single female; (5) 24 pairs of subcaudals, excluding tail tip in a single female; (6) presence of a large inverted “V”-shaped nuchal blotch; (7) dorsal surface of the body reddish-brown, with large black-brown spots scattered along the sides; the scales between these lateral spots have white margins, while the anterior and posterior adjacent scales are darker with black-brown edges, together forming irregular blotches along the dorsum.
Etymology. The specific epithet maculosa is the feminine nominative singular of the Latin adjective maculosus (“spotted, blotched”), chosen to agree in gender with the feminine generic name Plagiopholis. It refers to the distinctive series of irregular blotches along the dorsum of the new species.
Suggested common name. Based on the type locality, we propose the English common name as “Nanling mountain snake”, and Chinese formal name as “南岭颈斑蛇” (nánlǐng jǐngbānshé).
 |
| Comparisons of general morphological aspect among all Plagiopholis species in China. A. Plagiopholis maculosa sp. nov., from Ruyuan County, Guangdong Province, photo by Hao-Cong Yang; B. Plagiopholis acuta, from Xinshao County, Hunan Province, photo by Yu-Hao Xu; C. Plagiopholis blakewayi, from Yanbian County, Sichuan Province, photo by Jian Wang; D. Plagiopholis nuchalis, from Dai Autonomous Prefecture of Xishuangbanna, Yunnan Province, photo by Tie-Rui Zhang; E. Plagiopholis pluvialis, from Wenchuan County, Sichuan Province, photo by Yu-Hao Xu; F. Plagiopholis styani, from Lin’an District, Zhejiang Province, photo by Yu-Hao Xu. |
Shuo Qi, Han-Ming Song, Hao-Cong Yang, Yu-Hao Xu, Rui-Jian Fang, Jun-Rong Su, Zhi-Fa Liu, Yue-Ning Gong, Fang-Hua Li, Chun-He Lyu, Bing-Yang Wang and Ying-Yong Wang. 2025. A New Species of Plagiopholis Boulenger, 1893 (Serpentes, Pseudoxenodontidae) from Guangdong, China. Zoosystematics and Evolution. 101(4): 2171-2180. DOI: doi.org/10.3897/zse.101.172706
