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| Ovophis orlovi Idiiatullina, Ustinova, Bragin, Le, Yuhao, Tierui, Pawangkhanant, Ananjeva, David, Vogel, Nguyen & Poyarkov, 2026 |
Abstract
An overlooked species of the mountain pitviper genus Ovophis Burger in Hoge and Romano-Hoge, 1981, is described from the highlands of central Vietnam and southern Laos based on an integrative taxonomic approach combining molecular and morphological evidence. Ovophis orlovi sp. nov. has long been confused with O. monticola and, less frequently, O. convictus, but is recovered as a distinct and well-supported evolutionary lineage in mitochondrial phylogenetic analyses, forming the sister taxon to O. anitae. Its distinctiveness is further supported by substantial mitochondrial divergence from its closest relative (cyt b uncorrected p-distance = 8.0%) and by a unique combination of diagnostic morphological characters, including body proportions, scalation, and color pattern. Ovophis orlovi sp. nov. is currently known from montane evergreen forests of the Kon Tum-Gia Lai Plateau in central Vietnam and adjacent montane areas of southern Laos at elevations of approximately 900 – 1,400 m a.s.l. The recognition of Ovophis orlovi sp. nov. resolves a long-standing taxonomic misidentification involving populations previously referred to O. monticola or O. convictus, further demonstrates that species diversity within Ovophis remains underestimated, and highlights the importance of integrative taxonomic studies for uncovering overlooked diversity in the montane regions of mainland Southeast Asia.
Keywords: Ovophis orlovi sp. nov.; integrative taxonomy; molecular phylogeny; morphology; Kon Tum-Gia Lai Plateau; Bolaven Plateau; biogeography
Ovophis orlovi sp. nov.
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| Variation in coloration of Ovophis orlovi sp. nov. in life. Vietnam: A, Mang Den, Quang Ngai, VRTC NAP-18718, adult female, holotype; B, Kon Chu Rang NR, Gia Lai, ZMMU R-16315, subadult male, paratype; C, Kon Ka Kinh NP, Gia Lai, ZMMU R-15452, subadult female, paratype. Laos: Bolaven Plateau, Champasak: D, adult individual; E, F, subadult individual. Photos by A. M. Bragin (A), N. A. Poyarkov (B, C), and A. Teynié (D – F) |
Sabira S. Idiiatullina, Darya A. Ustinova, Andrey M. Bragin, Son Xuan Le, Xu Yuhao, Zhang Tierui, Parinya Pawangkhanant, Natalia B. Ananjeva, Patrick David, Gernot Vogel, Tan Van Nguyen and Nikolay A. Poyarkov. 2026. An overlooked Mountain Pitviper from the Montane Regions of Central Vietnam and Southern Laos (Serpentes: Viperidae: Ovophis). Russian Journal of Herpetology. 33(3); 178-196. http://rjh.folium.ru/index.php/rjh/article/view/2315 [September 30, 2026]
Ovophis orlovi sp. nov., Mang Den Commune, Quang Ngai Province, central Vietnam, June 6, 2016. Photo by Andrey M. Bragin
