identifier	taxonID	type	CVterm	format	language	title	description	additionalInformationURL	UsageTerms	rights	Owner	contributor	creator	bibliographicCitation
03C01760165B0855FF5B91A3FC2CFAD4.text	03C01760165B0855FF5B91A3FC2CFAD4.taxon	http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text	http://rs.tdwg.org/ontology/voc/SPMInfoItems#GeneralDescription	text/html	en	Lycodon latifasciatus Nguyen & Lee & Jiang & Ding & Chit & Poyarkov & Vogel 2025	<div><p>Lycodon latifasciatus sp. nov.</p><p>urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 1EBEF5EA-E5BA-4786-BB18-424D0358FFEC</p><p>(Figs. 2–4, 5A–C, 6A–B, 7A, Appendix Fig. S1; Tables 1–3, Appendix Table S4)</p><p>Lycodon cf. fasciatus — Che et al. (2020: 683–87).</p><p>Lycodon sp. — Li et al. (2020: 11); Vogel et al. (2024: 120).</p><p>Lycodon sp. 2 — Wu et al. (2023: in Appendix).</p><p>Holotype. CAS 245367 (adult male) from <a href="https://tb.plazi.org/GgServer/search?materialsCitation.longitude=95.52253&amp;materialsCitation.latitude=26.159834" title="Search Plazi for locations around (long 95.52253/lat 26.159834)">Laung Nguk Village</a>, Lahe Township, Khandi District, Sagaing Region, Myanmar (26.159833°N, 95.522527°E; altitude ca. 950 meters asl.) collected by M. Hlaing, S.L. Oo, Z.H. Aung, and Y.M. Win on 19 May 2009.</p><p>Paratypes (n = 4). China: Xizang AR—CIB DL.2015.25.52 (one adult male), from Beibeng Township, Medog County collected by L. Ding; CIB DL.050, CIB DL.053 (two adult males) from Damu Township, Medog County collected by L. Ding. Myanmar: Sagaing Region — ZMMU Re- 16728 (one adult male; field ID NAP-09559) from Zalon Taung Mt., Ban Mauk District (24.51628°N, 95.81705°E; altitude 660 meters asl.) collected by N.A. Poyarkov, P. Pawangkhanant, V.A. Gorin, and May Thu Chit on 02 August 2019 .</p><p>Referred specimens (n = 2). China: Xizang AR — CIB. DL.2015.122.51 (subadult male), from Beibeng Township, Medog County collected by L. Ding. Myanmar: Sagaing Region — ZMMU Re-16729 (immature female; field ID NAP-09560) same collection data as ZMMU Re-16728 specimen .</p><p>Diagnosis. A medium-sized species of Lycodon with a maximum total length of 871 mm; relative tail length 0.21–0.23; dorsal scale rows 17–17–15, first 5–9 upper dorsal scale rows keeled at midbody, remaining rows smooth; ventrals 206–216; subcaudals 90–96, paired; cloacal plate undivided; supralabials usually eight (rarely nine) with third to fifth scales in contact with eye; infralabials eight or nine (rarely seven), the first five (rarely four) in contact with anterior chin shields; preocular 1/1, blocking prefrontals from contacting eye; loreal usually in narrow contact with eye; postoculars 2/2; temporals 2+2 (rarely 2+3). Dorsum dark brown in life with 29–36 orange or orange brown light body crossbands and 13–21 tail crossbands; first light crossband starting between ventrals 4–11, 5–8 ventral scales long at base and 2–4 vertebral dorsal scales long; in life, head dark brown in adults, white spots present across most supralabials, underside of head white, scale sutures of chin and throat with dark brown mottling; venter with discrete light and dark crossbands, small irregular spots prevalent posteriorly.</p><p>Description of holotype (Fig. 3). Specimen CAS 245367 in excellent condition, small ventral incision at midbody; right and left hemipenis both partially everted, but right organ more fully prepared than left (Fig. 7A). Body elongate, laterally compressed. Tail gracile, tapering to a blunt and enlarged terminal scute. Head ovate in dorsal profile, distinct from neck (Fig. 3E); temporal and parietal region slightly raised in lateral profile; snout relatively elongate, depressed downwards, upper jaw projecting further than lower jaw, no distinct canthus rostralis (Fig. 3C–D). Nostrils round, circular, positioned medially within nasal. Eyes moderate relative to head; pupil elliptical, vertical.</p><p>Measurements. SVL 680 mm, TaL 191 mm, TL 871 mm, TaL/TL ratio 0.22, HeadL 18.8 mm, HeadW 11.0 mm, SnL 5.5 mm, SnW 3.8 mm, EyeD 2.5 mm, FrontalL 4.7 mm, FrontalW 4.4 mm, InterorbD 5.6 mm.</p><p>Body scalation. Dorsal scales arranged in 17-17-15 rows; all dorsal scales smooth anteriorly, keeled at midbody and posteriorly except for the first four outermost rows on either side at midbody and the two outermost rows posteriorly, which are smooth; vertebral row of dorsal scales not enlarged; apical pits absent. Ventral scales 216, laterally angulate, forming a slight keel; subcaudals 96, paired, laterally angulate; total body scales 313; subcaudal ratio 0.31; cloacal plate undivided.</p><p>Head scalation. Rostral subtriangular, wider than high, barely visible from above, its posterior edge bordering internasals forming a broad ‘gull-wing’ shaped obtuse angle (~147º) (Fig. 3E). Nasals vertically divided by indistinct suture above and below nostril, longer than high, in contact with internasal, loreal, prefrontal, rostral and first two supralabials. Each portion of nasal subhexagonal, anterior portion slightly smaller than posterior. Internasals paired, rectangular, anterior edges concave, 1.5 times wider than length of entire scale, 1.9 times wider than medial suture, each scale in contact with rostral, nasal and prefrontal. Prefrontals paired, 3.9 times larger than internasals, subrectangular, anterior edges straightened, 1.2 times longer than wide, medial suture 1.1 times longer than wide and 3.0 times longer than internasal suture, each prefrontal contacting internasals, nasals, loreal, and frontal. Supraoculars paired, subrectangular, posterior suture straightened, anterior suture concave, 1.5 times longer than wide, posterior edge 2.2 times wider than anterior edge, each supraocular in contact with upper preocular, upper postocular, frontal and parietal. Frontal small, hexagonal and shield shaped, 1.6 times longer than prefrontal suture, 1.1 times longer than wide; anterior edge of frontal straightened, positioned in-line with eyes in dorsal profile; posterior vertex of frontal bordering parietals acute angled (~81º). Parietals paired, subpentagonal, entire scale 1.9 times longer than wide, medial suture 1.1 times longer than wide and 1.1 times shorter than frontal; anterior edge of parietal straightened, its suture with frontal and supraoculars obtuse angled and directed laterally (~121º). A total of 11 scales behind the upper postoculars surround both parietals. Loreal 1/1, subrectangular, roughly 2.4 times longer than high, in narrow contact with eye on either side. Preocular 1/1, vertical and subrectangular. Presubocular and subocular scales absent. Postoculars 2/2, vertical and subrectangular, bottommost scale slightly larger. Temporals 2+2, lowermost anterior temporal largest. A single slightly enlarged paraparietal scale present behind posterior temporal row, each surrounded by 6/6 scales with 3/3 scales positioned immediately below. Supralabials 8/8, the first and second in contact with nasal, second and third in contact with loreal, third to fifth in contact with eye; sixth supralabial largest, first supralabial smallest. Infralabials 9/9, first to fifth in contact with anterior chin shields, fifth and sixth contacting posterior chin shields. Mental subtriangular, 1.8 times wider than long. Posterior chin shields roughly same length as anterior shields. Gular scales 3/3 (excluding two preventrals) behind posterior row of chin shields.</p><p>Color of holotype in preservative. After 15 years in preservative, dorsal ground color dark brown with a series of 36 light crossbands on the body and 17 on the tail (Fig. 3A). First three anteriormost crossbands tan, each narrower than darker brown crossbands with inconspicuous light brown mottling within them. First light crossband starting at 7 th ventral scale, 8 ventral scales long at base, 2.5 vertebral dorsal scales long. Remaining light crossbands wider than dark bands after 7 th band, usually 4.0 vertebral dorsal scales in length, each with light brown mottling within them. Margins of dorsal crossbands tan at midbody; posteriormost crossbands with irregular, jagged edges that buffer the dark bands and cause them to narrow medially. Color of light tail crossbands same as body, except the last six bands are tan with less light brown pigmentation intruding inside. Head dark brown, mostly plain, edges of loreal, prefrontals and temporals with subdued light brown mottling. Light brown, indistinct mottling on rostral and anterior edges of internasals. A very subdued “Y” shaped nuchal collar present in parietal region (Fig. 3E), starting medially from the parietal suture, bifurcating posteriorly along the temporals and paraparietal before expanding posterolaterally to the nape. Bottommost half of nasal and first supralabial light brown. Bottom halves of supralabials 2–7 with distinct tan spots, rounded in shape. Underside of head tan, mental and infralabial sutures dark brown. Throat tan, plain, gular scales with scattered dark brown pigment along their edges. Ventral surface with alternating series of dark brown and tan colored bands, all rectangular in shape (Fig. 3B). Anteriorly, first three dark ventral bands are extremely diffuse, present only as small dark brown spots, whereas the remaining dark bands are bold. Posteriorly, ventral bands begin to intrude into each other along the ventral scales, occasionally forming irregular dark brown spots. Each dark ventral band 2–3 ventral scales wide, light bands 3–5 ventral scales wide. Arrangement and color of bands on tail underside same as posterior ventral surface. Color of holotype in life unknown.</p><p>General description and variation (see Table 1 and Figs.: 4, 5A–C, 6A–B, 7A). Based on seven specimens (including holotype and paratypes). The holotype (adult male) is the longest specimen in terms of total length (TL 871 mm). The longest female is 670 mm long (SVL 513 mm, TaL 157 mm; CIB DL.053). Ratio TaL/TL 0.21– 0.23 (x̄ = 0.219±0.009; n = 8). In general habitus like holotype, elongate overall (Appendix Fig. S1). Tail gracile, terminal scute blunt ended. Head ovate, distinct from neck, temporal and parietal region slightly raised; snout elongate, depressed in lateral profile, no canthus rostralis. One of the paratypes (CIB DL.050) is partially crushed and as a result has a more flattened head and more rounded snout in lateral profile (Appendix Fig. S1A–B). Nostrils rounded, positioned medially. Eyes moderate, pupil elliptical. No sexual dimorphism was evident in body or head proportions.</p><p>......continued on the next page</p><p>Body scalation. Dorsal scales in 17-17-15 rows. Three specimens (holotype + DL.050, DL.053) have entirely keeled scales at midbody and posteriorly, except for the outermost four rows (which are smooth). In one specimen (CIB DL.2015.25.52), only the outermost three rows are smooth. Ventral scales 206–216 (x̄ = 209.6±3.4; n = 7). Keeling along the ventral scales is highly pronounced in CIB DL.053, less distinct in the holotype and one other specimen (CIB DL.2015.25.52) and essentially absent in CIB DL.050 and two other specimens from Myanmar (ZMMU Re-16728–29). Subcaudal scales 90–96 (x̄ = 93.0±2.3; n = 7), paired. Total body scales 297–312 (x̄ = 302.6±5.1; n = 7). Subcaudal ratio 0.30–0.31 (x̄ = 0.307±0.004; n = 7). No body scale counts exhibited sexual dimorphism.</p><p>Dentition. In the holotype, a total of 11 maxillary teeth with the following formula: four small anterior teeth that gradually increase in size posteriorly + three enlarged teeth + four strongly enlarged, posterior teeth, each grouping of teeth separated by a diastema. Tooth counts were not taken in the paratypes or referred specimens.</p><p>Description of the hemipenis. Based on the partially everted right organ of the holotype (Fig. 7A) and the description provided by Che et al. (2020, according to our translation). The hemipenis of the holotype is short, spinose, unilobed in asulcate profile, weakly bilobed in sulcate view (Fig 7A 1–A 2). Hemipenis broader distally, sulcate side slightly bulbous. Base of organ covered with small scattered spinules on asulcate and sulcate sides. Three to four rows of slightly enlarged hook shaped spines positioned above proximal third of the organ. Hook-like spines less prevalent on sulcate side, but form a distinctly raised skirt demarcating the base from the remaining hemipenial body (Fig. 7A 2). Remaining distal two-thirds of organ covered with small spinous calyces of equal size with a slightly lower number of spines apically. Sulcus spermaticus distinct, simple, arranged centripetally across hemipenis before terminating at apex with no distinct nude area; sulcus lips nude, not distinctly raised. According to Che et al. (2020), the retracted hemipenis extends to the 10 th subcaudal scale and the insertion of the retractor penis magnus begins at the 26 th subcaudal scale. The everted hemipenis is unilobed, its distal half with small spines, the medial one-fourth with larger hook-like spines, and the proximal one-fourth with sparse small spines; the sulcus spermaticus extends to the apex with well defined sulcal lips.</p><p>Head scalation. Head scalation exhibits variation relative to the holotype. Rostral wider than high, barely visible from above. Posterior suture of rostral bordering internasals forming a ‘gull-wing’ shaped obtuse angle (~147–159º). Nasals longer than high, shape varying from subpentagonal to subhexagonal, in contact with internasal, loreal, prefrontal, rostral and first two supralabials. Anterior portion of nasal smaller than posterior, each segment higher than long. Internasals paired, rectangular, anterior edges concave, 1.0–1.4 times wider than length of entire scale (equal only in ZMMU Re-16728) and 1.1–1.9 times wider than medial suture; each internasal in contact with rostral, nasal and prefrontal. Prefrontals paired, subrectangular, area 2.9–4.1 times larger than internasals, entire scale 1.1–1.3 times longer than wide, medial prefrontal suture 1.0–1.3 times longer than wide, roughly equal (1.0 times) in CIB DL.053 and ZMMU Re-16728. Each prefrontal in contact with internasals, nasals, loreal, and frontal; supraocular also contacts prefrontal in CIB DL.053 and supraocular contacts the prefrontal on the right side in CIB DL.2015.122.52. Supraoculars paired, subrectangular, 1.3–1.9 times longer than wide, posterior end of scale 1.6–3.5 times wider than anterior end. Frontal small, hexagonal, shield shaped, 1.1–1.2 times longer than wide, 1.4–1.7 times longer than prefrontal suture. Position of anterior edge of frontal variable, in-line with eyes in dorsal profile (CAS 245367 and ZMMU Re-16728) but projected past the eyes in some specimens from Medog County (CIB DL.50, DL.053, DL.2015.122.52), posterior vertex of frontal bordering parietals acute angled (~77– 83º). Parietals paired, entire scale 1.9–2.5 times longer than wide, medial parietal suture 1.1–1.7 times longer than wide with specimens from Myanmar (CAS 245367 and ZMMU Re-16728–29) having a longer frontal than medial parietal suture (1.1 times longer), while specimens from Medog County have a shorter frontal (frontal 0.8–0.9 times as long). Anterior edge of parietal straightened, its suture with frontal and supraoculars forming a laterally directed obtuse angle (~118–132º); Parietals surrounded by 9–11 scales behind upper postoculars. Loreal 1/1, subrectangular, longer than high, narrowly contacting eye on either side, occasionally blocked from contacting eye in specimens from Zalon Taung (ZMMU Re-16728–29) (Fig. 3D). Preocular 1/1, vertical and subrectangular. No presubocular or subocular. Postoculars 2/2, vertical and subrectangular, bottommost scale slightly larger in most specimens, roughly equal in CIB DL.053 and DL.2015.122.52. Temporals normally 2+2, 2+ 3 in CIB DL.50, DL.53 and DL.2015.25.52, and 2+2/2+ 3 in ZMMU Re-16729, lowermost anterior temporal largest but uppermost anterior temporal longer in ZMMU Re-16728 and CIB DL.2015.122.52. Paraparietal scale behind posterior temporal row in four specimens (CAS 245367, ZMMU Re-16729, CIB DL.050, DL.053), present as uppermost posterior temporal in remaining specimens. Paraparietal scale always slightly enlarged, surrounded by 6–9 scales (6/ 6 in CAS 245367 and CIB DL.053, 7/ 8 in ZMMU Re-16729 and CIB DL.050, 8/ 9 in remaining specimens) and 3–5 scales positioned below them (3/ 3 in CAS 245367, 4 / 4 in CIB DL.053, 5/ 5 in CIB DL.2015.25.52 and DL.050). Supralabials 8/ 8 in all except two specimens (8/ 9 in DL.2015.25.52 and DL.050), first and second contacting nasal, second and third contacting loreal, and third to fifth contacting eye; sixth or seventh supralabial normally largest, occasionally both scales equal in size; first supralabial smallest. Infralabials normally 9/9 (9/ 8 in CIB DL.2015.25.52; 8/ 9 in CIB DL.050 and DL.2015.122.52; 8/ 8 in ZMMU Re-16729), first to fifth infralabials in contact with anterior chin shields, fifth and sixth contacting posterior chin shields. In one specimen only four infralabials contact the anterior chin shields, with CIB DL.2015.25.52 bearing 5/4. Mental subtriangular in ventral profile, wider than long. Anterior chin shields slightly longer than or equal to size of posterior shields. Gular scales 2–3 present behind posterior chin shields; usually one preventral scale, but two present in CAS 245367 and ZMMU Re-16728.</p><p>Color in preservation: Dorsal ground color in adults dark brown, black in two specimens, including one juvenile (ZMMU Re-16729 and CIB DL.050).A total of 29–36 light crossbands on the body (x̄ = 32.6±2.8; n = 7) and 13–21 on the tail (x̄ = 16.3±2.4; n = 7), each light body crossband expanding in width ventrolaterally. Anterior light crossbands tan or white, orange in more recently preserved specimens (CIB DL.053 and ZMMU Re-16728–29) (Appendix Fig. S1), all narrower in length than darker bands. Brown mottling within anterior crossbands prominent in holotype but limited in other specimens. First light crossband starting between ventral scale 4.0–11.0 (x̄ = 7.50±2.95; n = 7), its length 5.0–8.0 ventral scales long at base (x̄ = 6.83±1.17; n = 7) and 2.0–4.0 vertebral dorsal scales long (x̄ = 2.58±0.74; n = 7). Remaining light crossbands light brown or orange, 3–5 vertebral dorsal scales in length, their margins plain tan or white, wider than dark crossbands after 6 th to 12 th band. Small brown inconspicuous mottling occasionally present within light crossbands, but never forming spots or blotches. In immature specimen (ZMMU Re-16728), dark crossbands narrower than in adults, each band constricted in width vertebrally and laterally. Tail crossbands same color as body bands, those closer to terminal scute less defined than those near cloaca. Color of head dark brown in most specimens (CAS 245367, ZMMU Re-16728, CIB DL.053), black in juveniles (ZMMU Re-16729) and some adults (CIB DL.050) (Appendix Fig. S1). Dorsal surface of head plain, subdued light mottling present along edges of loreal, prefrontals and temporals. A small beige colored spot present on the edge of the preocular and prefrontal in two specimens (ZMMU Re-16728 and CIB DL.053). Light brown collar present from the posterior edges of the parietals to the temporal and paraparietal region, dissipating posterolaterally along the nape, forming a “Y” shape dorsally along the parietals in the holotype or a “M” shape in two specimens from Zalon Taung (ZMMU Re-16728–29). Nuchal collar less distinct in specimens from Medog County (CIB DL.050, DL.053, DL.2015.122.52), present dorsally only as a diffused pair of parietal spots. Bottom halves of supralabials with distinct white or tan spots, absent on the first and last supralabial in most specimens, occasionally intruding the first supralabial and nasal (CIB DL.050 and DL.053, ZMMU Re-16728). Underside of head and throat cream or white, edges of mental and infralabial sutures dark brown. Ventral surface dark brown with faint cream bands, plain and rectangular, the first two or three dark ventral bands indistinct and mottled on the ventral surface, remaining dark bands distinct, rectangular. Dark brown spotting present posteriorly within each band. Each dark band 2–3 ventral scales wide, light bands 3–5 scales wide. Arrangement and color of bands on the underside of tail same as posterior ventral surface, identical as the holotype.</p><p>Color in life. In life, dorsal ground color dark brown, except in juveniles (ZMMU Re-16729) where it is black. Light crossbands in adult specimens orange, color of crossbands consistent anterior and posteriorly but in some specimens the posterior crossbands become orange brown. In ZMMU Re-16728, there is a dark brown medial line present along the keels of each dorsal scale, creating a striated pattern within each crossband (Fig. 4A). This pattern is also evident in some specimens from Medog County, China (Fig. 5C). In juveniles (ZMMU Re-16729), the light crossbands are orange anteriorly and gradually become beige posteriorly, with very faint small dark brown mottling present in the medial portion of each crossband (Fig. 5B). Dorsal surface of head dark brown, nuchal collar and snout orange or tan. Supralabial spots tan or white. Underside of head and ventral surface white, darker crossbands and mottling brown.</p><p>Etymology. The epithet “ latifasciatus ” is an adjective in nominative singular (adjusted to the masculine gender of the genus name), that combines the words “ latus ” meaning “broad”, or “wide”, and “ fascia ”, meaning “band”, in reference to the distinct dorsal coloration that putatively distinguishes this new species from other Lycodon . It is also used in reference to the close relationship the new species has to Lycodon fasciatus, a taxon bearing a similar sounding epithet and geographic distribution. We recommend the English common name “East Himalayan Banded Wolf Snake”.</p><p>Comparisons. Lycodon latifasciatus sp. nov. is assigned to the Lycodon fasciatus group (eg. Wostl et al. 2017; Janssen et al. 2019; Wang et al. 2021; Nguyen et al. 2024a; Vogel et al. 2024; this study) based on its phylogenetic position (Fig. 2). It agrees with the typical morphology of this group by having 17 dorsal scale rows at midbody with keeled scales on the vertebral and middorsal rows, the presence of a preocular scale, lack of contact between the prefrontal scale and the eye, and a dorsal and ventral color pattern consisting of light and dark crossbands (Table 2). Briefly, the presence of ventral crossbands with spotting distinguishes L. latifasciatus sp. nov. from L. cavernicolus, L. gammiei, L. liuchengchaoi, L. multifasciatus, L. pictus, L. ruhstrati (including L. ruhstrati ruhstrati and L. ruhstrati abditus), L. sidiki, and L. synaptor, which either lack ventral crossbands or have plain light ventral crossbands without any spotting present. Further, the dorsal coloration of L. latifasciatus sp. nov. in life, consisting of a brown dorsum and orange or light brown crossbands, easily distinguishes it from L. butleri, L. ruhstrati ruhstrati, L. ruhstrati abditus, L. sidiki, L. synaptor and L. yunnanensis, which have white or gray crossbands that lack orange or light brown pigment in adults and juveniles. The presence of 29–36 light body crossbands in L. latifasciatus sp. nov. also distinguishes it from L. davidi, L. multizonatus, and L. serratus, in addition to L. cavernicolus, L. ruhstrati abditus, L. gammiei and L. multifasciatus, which have 36 or more light body crossbars. Lastly, L. latifasciatus sp. nov. has a higher number of subcaudal scales than L. fasciatus, L. liuchengchaoi, L. obvelatus, in addition to L. multizonatus, L. pictus, L. serratus, L. synaptor and L. yunnanensis (90–96 scales versus less than 90 scales in compared species). Lycodon latifasciatus sp. nov. is most similar morphologically to L. fasciatus and L. gongshan, which co-occur in China and Myanmar (see Table 3, Figs. 5–7). As such, we provide more detailed comparisons with these species below.</p><p>......continued on the next page</p><p>From L. fasciatus (data after the versus when in parentheses), L. latifasciatus sp. nov. is distinguished by having orange or orange brown light crossbands that are consistent in coloration anteriorly and posteriorly in life (versus light crossbands variable: brown, orange brown, orange, or reddish brown; usually darkening in color posteriorly; Fig. 5D–F), and by differences in the degree of dark coloration on the underside of the head (dark brown mottling restricted to scale sutures on the infralabials, chin shields and gulars versus dark brown mottling continuous, engulfing first 4–5 infralabials and outer edge of anterior chin shields, rarely on gulars; see Fig. 6). In addition, L. latifasciatus sp. nov. has a higher number of subcaudals (90–96 versus 74–90), a higher mean number of total body scales (297– 312 [x̄ = 302.6±5.1] versus 278–302 [x̄ = 288.9±5.7]; p &lt;0.00001), a higher mean subcaudal ratio (0.30–0.31 [x̄ = 0.307±0.004] versus 0.26–0.30 [x̄ = 0.283±0.011]; p &lt;0.00001), a lower mean number of infralabials (8–9, rarely 7 versus usually 9–10, rarely 8; p = 0.00062), and usually a shorter length between the first ventral scale and the first light crossband (4.0–11.0 ventrals [x̄ = 7.50±2.95] versus 5.0–18.0 ventrals [x̄ = 10.91±3.37]; p = 0.02772). The everted hemipenis in L. latifasciatus sp. nov. has smaller hook-shaped spines along the proximal third of the organ that form a distinct skirt separating the remaining distal two-thirds of hemipenial body in asulcate view (Fig. 7A), whereas the proximal spines in L. fasciatus are larger and more continuous with the remaining distal two-thirds of the hemipenis in L. fasciatus (Fig. 7B).</p><p>Compared to L. gongshan bearing the typical color morphotype, L. latifasciatus sp. nov. have distinct light spots on most supralabials, whereas typical L. gongshan lack conspicuous supralabial spots or have subdued light pigment on the supralabials. Dark brown pigmentation on the underside of the head in L. latifasciatus sp. nov. is restricted to the sutures of the infralabials and anterior chin shields, whereas L. gongshan (including the second morphotype) have dark black pigment engulfing the entire first three or four infrabials and anterior chin shields (Fig. 6E–F). L. latifasciatus sp. nov. is further distinguished from L. gongshan by having a lower number of infralabials in contact with the anterior pair of chin shields (5/5, rarely 4/5 or 5/4 versus 4/4, rarely 4/5), usually having the supraocular separate from the prefrontal (versus supraocular and prefrontal usually in contact), a broader length between the first ventral and first light crossband (2.0–4.0 scales [x̄ = 2.58±0.74] versus 1.0–2.0 scales [x̄ = 1.14±0.38]; p = 0.00055), and a slightly higher number of tail bands (13–21 [x̄ = 16.3±2.7] versus 9–16 [x̄ = 12.9±2.8]; p = 0.02543). The second color morphotype of L. gongshan described by Huang et al. (2021) from Zayu County, Xizang AR, China is distinguished from L. latifasciatus sp. nov. by having an olive brown dorsal ground color with 67 irregularly shaped black body crossbars, conspicuous white or yellow mottling across most of the body and a speckled ventral surface with subdued black crossbands and spotting extending across the dorsal surface, concentrated midventrally.</p><p>Distribution. Currently, Lycodon latifasciatus sp. nov. is known from three localities in Northern Myanmar and Southwestern China (Fig. 1, Appendix Table S4). In Myanmar it is known from the Sagaing Region (Khandi and Ban Mauk districts) and in China it is known from Xizang AR (Beibeng and Damu Townships, Medog County). Given the continuity of similar habitats in Myanmar and China, it is likely L. latifasciatus sp. nov. has a wider distribution, particularly in the Indo-Himalayan foothills of northeast India and adjacent regions of Kachin State, Myanmar. Additional localities may also be found within the lowland regions of Medog and Zayu Counties in Xizang AR, China.</p><p>Natural history. Current specimen records suggest Lycodon latifasciatus sp. nov. is terrestrial, nocturnal, and closely associated with tropical semi-deciduous forests and evergreen forests, where it has been collected between 700–1500 meters in elevation. Specimens in Xizang AR were often found on the side of roads during light rain at night (Che et al. 2020). Lycodon latifasciatus sp. nov. was collected in sympatry with Lycodon septentrionalis Günther at all three localities where it occurs and has also been found in near-sympatry with L. gammiei in China in Beibeg Township, Medog County (Shu et al. 2024). Records of Lycodon fasciatus do occur within close proximity of L. latifasciatus sp. nov., and like L. gongshan, this species may eventually be documented in sympatry as well.</p><p>Conservation status. Lycodon latifasciatus sp. nov. is known from three localities, of which only Zalon Taung in Myanmar is situated within a protected area, that being Zalon Taung National Forest. At the time the two specimens from that locality were collected, the forests surrounding Zalon Taung were listed as a proposed national park. This species appears quite uncommon across its native range, but whether that is due to a lack of survey effort, low densities or low detectability is uncertain. It is also unknown whether L. latifasciatus sp. nov. tolerates disturbed habitats, so the extent deforestation and other forms of habitat destruction or modification threaten this species cannot be determined. Owing to a lack of ecological data and localized geographic distribution, we suggest Lycodon latifasciatus sp. nov. should be listed as Data Deficient (DD), following the IUCN’s Red List Categories (IUCN Standards and Petitions Committee 2024).</p><p>Remarks. We did not examine four voucher specimens corresponding to the genetic samples published by Li et al. (2020) (e.g., SYS r001822 and SYS r001829) as Lycodon sp. and Wu et al. (2023) (e.g., KIZ YPX-46120 and KIZ YPX-46121) as Lycodon sp. 2, all originating from Medog County, Xizang AR, China. By all accounts, these samples and their specimens should be referrable to L. latifasciatus sp. nov. and we have no reason to doubt their identification based on their phylogenetic position in our study (Fig. 2).</p></div>	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03C01760165B0855FF5B91A3FC2CFAD4	Public Domain	No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.		MagnoliaPress via Plazi	Nguyen, Tan Van;Lee, Justin L.;Jiang, Ke;Ding, Li;Chit, May Thu;Poyarkov, Nikolay A.;Vogel, Gernot	Nguyen, Tan Van, Lee, Justin L., Jiang, Ke, Ding, Li, Chit, May Thu, Poyarkov, Nikolay A., Vogel, Gernot (2025): A new species of wolf snake Lycodon Fitzinger, 1826 from China and Myanmar (Squamata: Colubridae), and new data on Lycodon gongshan Vogel & Luo, 2011. Zootaxa 5621 (1): 1-51, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5621.1.1, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5621.1.1
03C01760164A0858FF5B9753FD1BF84C.text	03C01760164A0858FF5B9753FD1BF84C.taxon	http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text	http://rs.tdwg.org/ontology/voc/SPMInfoItems#GeneralDescription	text/html	en	Lycodon gongshan Vogel & Luo 2011	<div><p>Redescription of Lycodon gongshan Vogel &amp; Luo, 2011</p><p>(Figs. 5G–I, 6E–F, 7C, 8, Appendix Fig. S2; Table 1, Appendix Table S4)</p><p>Referred specimens (n = 13). China: Sichuan Province — CIB DL.055 (subadult male; formerly R20140901 in Chen et al. 2018) from the <a href="https://tb.plazi.org/GgServer/search?materialsCitation.longitude=101.6952&amp;materialsCitation.latitude=26.6408" title="Search Plazi for locations around (long 101.6952/lat 26.6408)">Daheishan Forest Park</a>, Panzhihua City (26.640800ºN, 101.695200ºE; altitude 2173 meters asl.) collected by L. Ding ; CIB PZH.2017.09.01 (adult male) from Hongbao Miao and <a href="https://tb.plazi.org/GgServer/search?materialsCitation.longitude=101.4919&amp;materialsCitation.latitude=27.1254" title="Search Plazi for locations around (long 101.4919/lat 27.1254)">Yi Township</a>, Yanbian County, Panzhihua City (27.125400ºN, 101.491900ºE; altitude 1517 meters asl.) ; Xizang AR—CIB 7557 (adult male) from <a href="https://tb.plazi.org/GgServer/search?materialsCitation.longitude=98.45583&amp;materialsCitation.latitude=28.485832" title="Search Plazi for locations around (long 98.45583/lat 28.485832)">Chawalong Township</a>, Zayu County (28.485833ºN, 98.455833ºE; altitude 1981 meters asl.) ; Yunnan Province — CAS 241963 (adult male; field no. GLGS-2992) ca. 3 km N of hotel (<a href="https://tb.plazi.org/GgServer/search?materialsCitation.longitude=98.33867&amp;materialsCitation.latitude=27.896833" title="Search Plazi for locations around (long 98.33867/lat 27.896833)">Kongdang</a>) on <a href="https://tb.plazi.org/GgServer/search?materialsCitation.longitude=98.33867&amp;materialsCitation.latitude=27.896833" title="Search Plazi for locations around (long 98.33867/lat 27.896833)">Dulong Road</a>, Kongdang Village, Gongshan County (27.896833ºN, 98.338667ºE; altitude 1540 meters asl.) collected on 6 Jul 2005 by D.-Q. Rao, M.W. Zhang, J.V. Vindum, and J.A. Wilkinson ; CAS 242669 (subadult female) from N of Kongdang, <a href="https://tb.plazi.org/GgServer/search?materialsCitation.longitude=98.34289&amp;materialsCitation.latitude=27.88125" title="Search Plazi for locations around (long 98.34289/lat 27.88125)">Kongdang-Gougshan</a> road, <a href="https://tb.plazi.org/GgServer/search?materialsCitation.longitude=98.34289&amp;materialsCitation.latitude=27.88125" title="Search Plazi for locations around (long 98.34289/lat 27.88125)">Dulong Valley</a>, Gongshan County (27.881250ºN, 98.342889ºE; altitude 1600 meters asl.) collected on 7 Sep 2007 by M.W. Zhang, J.V. Vindum and J.A. Wilkinson; CIB YN.2019.09.189 and CIB YN.2019.09.286 (both adult males) from Luzhang Town, Lushui City (25.951389ºN, 98.768611ºE; altitude 2006 meters asl.) collected by S.-C. Shi (see details in Huang et al. 2021); HNU 200505002 (adult female) from Xiaoheishan, Longjiang Township, Longling County (Baoshan City) collected by Y. Hengmei, L. Hongbin and G. Keji (paratype) ; HNU 200609001 (adult male) from Dulongjiang Township, Gongshan County collected by Q. Hou (paratype) ; KIZ 730034 (adult male), KIZ 35112 (adult female) and KIZ 730008 (immature male) from “ Bapo, Gongshan, China ” [= Dulongjiang Township, Gongshan County], collectors unknown (holotype and paratypes, respectively; see details in Vogel and Luo 2011) . Myanmar: Kachin State — CAS 245470 (subadult male; field no. CAS-MHS-29011) from <a href="https://tb.plazi.org/GgServer/search?materialsCitation.longitude=98.33608&amp;materialsCitation.latitude=25.701332" title="Search Plazi for locations around (long 98.33608/lat 25.701332)">Lukpwi Village</a>, <a href="https://tb.plazi.org/GgServer/search?materialsCitation.longitude=98.33608&amp;materialsCitation.latitude=25.701332" title="Search Plazi for locations around (long 98.33608/lat 25.701332)">Chipwe Township</a>, Myitkyina District, Kachin State (25.701333ºN, 98.336083ºE; altitude 1845 meters asl.) collected on 1 Aug 2009 by M. Hlaing, S.L. Oo, Z.H. Aung, K.S. Lwin, and Y.M. Win .</p><p>Revised diagnosis. A large-sized Lycodon with a maximum total length of 1,005 mm (longest specimen without broken tail 963 mm); relative tail length 0.21–0.27; dorsal scale rows 17–17–15, first 5–9 upper dorsal scale rows keeled at midbody and posteriorly, remaining rows smooth; ventrals 203–216; subcaudals 79–96, paired; cloacal plate undivided; supralabials usually eight (rarely nine) with third to fifth scales contacting eye; infralabials usually eight (rarely nine), the first four (rarely five) in contact with anterior pair of chin shields; preocular 1/1, blocking prefrontals from contacting eye; loreal usually in narrow contact with eye; postoculars 2/2; temporals 2+2 (rarely 2+3). Dorsum variable, typical morph black in life with 26–46 orange brown or reddish brown light crossbands, 9–16 tail crossbands; first dorsal band starting between ventrals 4–9, 3–6 ventral scales long at base and 1–2 vertebral dorsal scales long; head usually plain black dorsally, occasionally indistinct light brown pigment present on supralabials below eye; underside of head black along chin; throat usually also black but occasionally plain white; venter with discrete light and dark crossbands throughout, spotting rarely present. Second color morph (known only from Zayu County, Xizang AR) olive brown dorsally with frequent yellow or light brown mottling along edges of dorsal scales and 67 indistinct shaped black body crossbands and 28 black tail crossbands; head dark brown dorsally, supralabials beige, underside of head black along chin but throat light cream; ventral surface with array of irregular and subdued dark crossbands and midventral spotting (based on Vogel &amp; Luo 2011; Chen et al. 2018; Huang et al. 2021; and this study).</p><p>General description and variation. Based on thirteen specimens (including the type series; holotype + three paratypes). The longest specimen is an adult female (KIZ 35112; SVL 798 mm, TaL 207 mm but partially broken). The longest male specimen is the holotype (KIZ 730034; SVL 740 mm, TaL 223 mm), which also happens to be the longest specimen with a complete tail. Ratio TaL/TL 0.21–0.27 (x̄ = 0.23±0.02; n = 10). Body elongate, tail gracile, terminal scute blunt ended. Head ovate in adults, more oblong in juveniles, distinct from neck, temporal and parietal region same height as rest of head. Snout obtuse, slightly depressed in lateral profile, no canthus rostralis. Nostrils large, rounded, positioned medially within nasal. Eyes moderate, pupil elliptical. No sexual dimorphism evident in body or head proportions.</p><p>Body scalation. Dorsal scales in 17-17-15 rows. Most specimens have entirely keeled scales except for the outermost five rows (which are smooth) at midbody and posteriorly. However, a specimen from Kachin State, Myanmar (CAS 245470) has four smooth rows at midbody and two posteriorly, and one specimen from Panzhihua, Sichuan Province (CIB DL.055) has three smooth rows posteriorly. Ventral scales 203–216 (x̄ = 210.7±3.4; n = 13), with distinct keeling along edges of each scale, less distinct in one of the Panzhihua specimens (CIB DL.055). Subcaudals 79–96 (x̄ = 88.4±6.5; n = 10), paired. Total body scales 286–312 (x̄ = 300.1±8.9; n = 10), subcaudal ratio 0.27–0.31 (x̄ = 0.29±0.01; n = 10). Sexual dimorphism absent in all body scale counts.</p><p>Dentition. In two specimens (CAS 241963 and 245470), maxillary tooth counts range from 9–11. There are four or five anterior teeth that gradually increase in size, followed by one larger tooth and four to six smaller teeth, each separated by a diastema.</p><p>Description of hemipenis. Partially everted hemipenis of CAS 241963 is short (Fig. 7C), weakly bilobed, spinose. Images of the hemipenes of CIB 07557 in Huang et al. (2021) depict a weakly bilobed organ with each lobe slightly bulbous in shape. Minute spinous calyces present at the base of organ in both asulcate and sulcate views. Medially, two or three rows of slightly enlarged spines present, hook-like in shape, less prevalent on the sulcate side of organ and largely continuous with base. Remaining distal two-thirds of organ covered with small spinous and papillate shaped calyces, equally sized. Sulcus spermaticus simple, arranged centripetally. In CIB 07557 the apex is less spinose along the crotch near each lobe in sulcate view. Sulcus lips nude, broad, distinctly raised in CAS 241963 (see Fig. 7C), but less pronounced in CIB 07557.</p><p>Head scalation. Rostral wider than high, barely visible from above. Posterior suture of rostral bordering internasals obtuse angled, ‘gull-wing’ shaped (~146–163º). Nasal scale vertically divided by indistinct suture above and below nostril, in contact with internasal, loreal, prefrontal, rostral and first two supralabials. Anterior portion of nasal smaller than posterior, each segment higher than long and subpentagonal. Internasals paired, rectangular, anterior edges concave, entire scale 1.1–1.9 times wider than long, 1.3–2.5 times wider than medial suture; each internasal contacting rostral, nasal and prefrontal. Prefrontals paired, subrectangular, area 2.6–3.6 times larger than internasals, entire scale 0.8–1.1 time longer than wide. Medial prefrontal suture usually shorter than prefrontal width (0.8–1.0 times longer than wide), roughly equal (1.0 times) in CAS 241963 and CAS 242669; each prefrontal contacting internasals, nasals, loreal, supraoculars, and frontal. Supraoculars paired, subrectangular, 1.6–2.0 times longer than wide, posterior end 1.3–1.9 times wider than anterior end. Frontal small, hexagonal, shield shaped, 1.1– 1.2 times longer than wide, 1.6–2.1 times longer than prefrontal suture. Anterior frontal edge positioned past eyes in all specimens; posterior vertex of frontal bordering parietals usually acute angled (~80–96º). Parietals paired, entire scale 1.8–2.3 times longer than wide, medial parietal suture 1.2–1.7 times longer than wide, its length 0.8–1.2 times as long as entire length of frontal. Anterior edge of parietal straightened, its suture with frontal and supraoculars forming an obtuse angle (~122–133º) that is, usually pointed laterally, though the angle is posterolaterally directed in CAS 242669 and KIZ 730038. Parietals surrounded by 10–12 total scales behind upper postoculars. Loreal 1/1, subrectangular, longer than high, in narrow contact with eye on either side but blocked from contacting eye in both specimens from Panzhihua (CIB DL.055 and PZH. 2017.09.01). Preocular 1/1, vertical, subrectangular. No presubocular or subocular. Postoculars 2/2, vertical, subrectangular, each scale approximately equal in size. Temporals normally 2+2, but 2+ 3 in three of the paratypes (KIZ 730008, HNU 200609001 and HNU 200505002), and 2+2/2+ 3 in the holotype (KIZ 730034), lowermost anterior temporal largest. A single paraparietal scale present behind the posterior temporal row in all specimens (except for CAS 245470, in which the scale is fused with the uppermost posterior temporal). Each paraparietal surrounded by 6–8 scales (6/ 6 in CAS 242669, CIB DL.055 and PZH. 2017.09.01; 6/ 7 in CAS 245470; 7/ 7 in 241963; 6/ 8 in KIZ 730034; 8/ 8 in HNU 200609001 and KIZ 730008) with 3–5 scales located below them (3/ 3 in HNU 200609001 and KIZ 730008; 4/ 4 in CAS 241963, CIB DL.055, CIB PZH. 2017.09.01 and HNU 2005.05.002; 5/ 5 in remaining specimens). Supralabials 8/8, first and second contacting nasal, second and third contacting loreal, and third to fifth contacting eye; sixth supralabial normally largest, but sixth and seventh scales occasionally equal in size; first supralabial smallest. Infralabials normally 8/8 (8/ 9 in CAS 245470; 9/8 CAS 241963; 9/ 9 in CIB 7557); infralabials 1–4 in contact with the anterior chin shields (except in CAS 245470, which has 4/5 infralabials in contact), 5–6 contacting posterior chin shields. Mental subtriangular in ventral profile, wider than long. Anterior chin shields slightly longer or equal in size relative to posterior chin shields; 1–3 gular scales present behind posterior chin shields; usually one or two preventral scales present.</p><p>Coloration in preservation: Two color morphs are now known to exist in this species (Huang et al. 2021). The first and typical morphotype is described first. In these specimens, the dorsal ground color is black in both juveniles and adults with 26–46 light body crossbands (x̄ = 35.9±5.6; n = 12) and 9–16 tail crossbands (x̄ = 13.1±2.8; n = 10). Anterior light body crossbands plain white anteriorly, occasionally orange brown or light brown medially, each narrower than dark bands and broadening ventrolaterally. First light crossband starts at ventral scale 4.0–9.0 (x̄ = 6.10±1.52; n = 12), 3.0–6.0 ventral scales long at base (x̄ = 3.90±0.97; n = 12) and 1.0–2.0 vertebral dorsal scales long (x̄ = 1.14±0.32; n = 12). Remaining light crossbands orange brown or light brown with plain white edges, 2.0–3.0 vertebral dorsal scales long at midbody. These crossbands may be plain white or tan in some juvenile and subadult specimens (CAS 242669 and KIZ 730038). Usually, the light crossbands are longer than dark crosbands after the 17 th to 22 nd band (CAS 241963 and KIZ 730034 and 730038), but the length of light crossbands are equal to dark bands in two specimens (in CAS 245470 and CAS 242669) and narrower than dark bands in both specimens from Panzhihua (CIB DL.055, CIB PZH. 2017.09.01). In all cases, the light crossbands broaden slightly in lateral profile and do not cause the dark crossbands to narrow significantly. Color of head black in all specimens with a broad nuchal collar present in juveniles and subadults starting from the posterior vertex of frontal and posterior edge of parietals, extending across the temporals and paraparietals, and continuing through to the last one to two supralabials/infralabials until reaching the gular region (e.g., CIB DL.055 and KIZ 730038). Color of nuchal collar plain white in juveniles, but mottled with tan or brown in subadult specimens (CAS 245470 and 242669, CIB DL.055). In adults, nuchal collar reduced to a weak white band along the lateral portion of the nape (e.g., CAS 241963), or denigrated to a small white line along the edges of the occipital scales behind the parietal (CIB YN.2019.09.189 and PZH. 2017.09.01). Bottom halves of supralabials with indistinct light brown or cream spots, usually present on scales below the eye, but never on the first supralabial. Underside of head white, black across mental, first 4–5 infralabials and first pair of anterior chin shields. Gular scales and preventrals mottled with black spots but mottling absent in CAS 241963 and 245470. Ventral surface black with plain white crossbands. First dark ventral bands usually distinct, covering 3–5 ventral scales (except in CAS 245470, where first dark ventral bands do not enter ventral surface). Remaining dark bands distinct, rectangular, 1–3 ventral scales wide, light bands 1.5–4.0 scales wide, occasional black spotting present posteriorly (e.g., in CAS 241963). Arrangement and color of bands on underside of tail same as body; occasionally, a black midventral stripe may intersect the dark crossbands (CIB YN.2019.09.189).</p><p>In the second color morph, the arrangement of the body and tail crossbands is essentially reversed. The dorsum is olive brown with 67 irregularly shaped black body crossbands and 28 crossbands on the tail. Edges of each dorsal scale with frequent yellow or light brown mottling creating a striated pattern across the body and crossbands. Head dark brown dorsally, supralabials beige, underside of head black along chin, but throat light cream. The ventral surface is plain white with an array of irregular and subdued dark gray crossbands extending from the dorsal surface. Midventrally, there are frequent black or dark gray spots that become more prominent posteriorly and continue onto the tail (description adapted from English translation of Huang et al. 2021).</p><p>Coloration in life (see Fig. 5G–I). In life, dorsal ground color black. Light crossbands in adult specimens similar as in preservative but tend to be bolder and more vibrant. In the typical morph, light crossbands white anteriorly, with orange or brown pigment vertebrally. Light crossbands orange, orange brown, or brown at midbody and posteriorly, their edges yellow or white. Photographed adults have an entirely black head except for remnants of the nuchal collar and spotting across the infralabials and supralabials, with the infralabials and supralabial spots in CIB YN.2019.09.286 vibrant yellow. Eyes jet black with the pupil indistinct from the iris. Ventral underside white or tan, with darker crossbands usually black, but occasionally dark gray. Live coloration of the second morph similar in preservative, but more vibrant olive brown (based on Huang et al. 2021). In another specimen resembling the second morph (iNaturalist obs. 191251388, see Fig. 5I), the dorsum is completely engulfed with light olive and yellow speckling, making it difficult to decipher the dark crossbands across the body. In the same specimen, the supralabial region of the head is black with light pigment restricted to the infralabials and supralabials immediately below the eye, similar to the color condition observed in the typical morph. Guo et al. (2015) also provided a photograph of a specimen they identified as L. gongshan but did not provide any morphological data. This specimen resembles the typical morph of L. gongshan by bearing a black dorsum with orange light crossbands but has a much more prominent white nuchal collar that extends across most of the head. Moreover, the dark crossbands in the photographed specimen become more irregularly shaped, and posteriorly are interrupted from connecting along the flanks by the light crossbands. The photographed specimen presumably makes up one of the sequenced samples Guo et al. (2015) presented in their study, but we refrain from including them in our updated species diagnosis owing to a lack of additional data presented by the authors.</p><p>Comparisons.Here, we update the comparisons between L. gongshan and L. fasciatus,which are morphologically similar to one another. Comparisons with L. latifasciatus sp. nov. are provided in the description of that species and comparisons with other L. fasciatus group members are provided in Table 2. With the acquisition of new specimens, some features now overlap between L. gongshan and L. fasciatus, but most are still significantly different (p &lt;0.05). A few characters that went unnoticed by past authors may also differentiate each species. However, subcaudal counts and relative tail length can no longer be considered sexually dimorphic in L. gongshan, as unpaired t -tests recovered no statistical differences in each character between males and females (p&gt; 0.05 in both cases).</p><p>On average, specimens of L. gongshan have a longer relative tail length than L. fasciatus (0.21–0.27 [x̄ = 0.230±0.019; n = 11] versus 0.19–0.22 [x̄ = 0.206±0.008; n = 46]; p &lt;0.00001), a slightly higher number of ventral scales (203–216 [x̄ = 210.7±3.4; n = 13] versus 197–213 [x̄ = 206.1±4.6; n = 58]; p = 0.00269), a higher number of subcaudals (79–96 [x̄ = 88.4±6.5; n = 11] versus 74–90 [x̄ = 81.8±3.6; n = 49]; p = 0.00002), a higher number of total body scales (286–312 [300.1±8.9; n = 11] versus 278–302 [x̄ = 288.9±5.7; n = 49]; p &lt;0.00001), and a slightly higher subcaudal ratio (0.27–0.31 [x̄ = 0.294±0.014; n = 11] versus 0.26–0.30 [x̄ = 0.283±0.011; n = 49]; p = 0.00870). In addition, L. gongshan almost always has eight infralabials and four scales contacting the anterior chin shields on at least one side of the head, whereas L. fasciatus usually have nine or eight infralabials and five scales contacting the anterior chin shields on either side of the head (p &lt;0.00001 in both cases). The position of the first light crossband starts earlier in L. gongshan than L. fasciatus (above ventral 4.0–9.0 [x̄ = 6.10±1.52; n = 10] versus ventral 5.0–18.0 [x̄ = 10.91±3.37; n = 55]). The length of the first light crossband is also narrower at its base (3.0–6.0 ventrals [x̄ = 3.90±0.97; n = 10] versus 4.0–14.0 ventrals [x̄ = 7.69±2.56; n = 55]) and narrower vertebrally (1.0–2.0 scales in length [x̄ = 1.14±0.32; n = 11] versus 1.0–3.5 scales [x̄ = 2.29±0.69; n = 55]). All typical L. gongshan lack conspicuous supralabial spots or have indistinct and subdued light pigment on the supralabials when present, whereas a majority of L. fasciatus have conspicuous light pigment on most of the supralabials. Furthermore, in L. gongshan (including the second morphotype) the underside of the head is black with dark pigment engulfing the entire first three or four infralabials, anterior chin shields and throat, whereas in L. fasciatus dark pigment is usually restricted to the first few infralabials. Moreover, adult L. gongshan are larger in body size than L. fasciatus (max SVL 798 mm [x̄ = 606.6±126.6; n = 13] versus 680 mm [x̄ = 471.7±92.0; n = 50]; p = 0.00037). The olive brown and irregular crossbanded pattern of the second Lycodon gongshan color morph (sensu Huang et al. 2021) from Zayu County, Xizang AR, China is easily distinguishable from L. fasciatus and should not pose an issue for identification.</p><p>Distribution. Lycodon gongshan is known from multiple localities across Southwestern China and extreme Northeastern Myanmar, with most observations concentrated along the Hengduan Mountains and the Three Parallel Rivers region, although records now exist outside of these regions (Fig. 1, Appendix Table S4). In Yunnan Province, China, it is known from multiple locations in Nujiang Prefecture ( Gongshan County, Lushui City) and Baoshan Prefecture (Longling County). Guo et al. (2015) also recorded specimens from Lincang City further east in Southwestern Yunnan Province and Wang et al. (2021) reported an unvouchered genetic sample from the Yunlong NR in Yunlong County, Dali Prefecture. Chen et al. (2018) recorded two specimens from Sichuan Province in Hongbao Village and Daheishan National Forest in Panzhihua City. Moreover, the newly reported color morph reported in Huang et al. (2021) extends the range of this species further north into Zayu County, Xizang Autonomous Region. A specimen of L. gongshan (CAS 245470) is also reported from Kachin State, Myanmar, constituting the first documented occurrence in the country, a distance of ~ 52.6 km SW of the nearest locality in Lushui City, Yunnan Province, China.</p><p>Natural history. Specimens of Lycodon gongshan were found at mid elevations between 1540–2173 meters in a variety of habitats. Most specimens were located in subtropical evergreen forests and montane broadleaf forests but appear to tolerate more disturbed forested habitats and agricultural edges as well (Chen et al. 2018; Cai &amp; Ding 2024). The specimen recorded by Huang et al. (2021) from Zayu County was found in rocky, semi-arid steppe associated with dry river canyons of the Nujiang (Salween) River. Based on field observations, this species seems to be primarily nocturnal throughout its range. Specimens from Gongshan County (CAS 241963, 242669) were found crawling through vegetation or rocky slopes along roadsides during the evening in humid conditions (19–23ºC air temperature; 78–91% humidity). Unfortunately, whether the rock substrate was limestone or granite was not recorded. The Myanmar specimen (CAS 245470) was also recorded in the evening (2053 hrs local time) during humid conditons (75.6ºF, 70% humidity). Another specimen from Lushui City was found dead on the road in the evening (Huang et al. 2021), and both specimens from the Panzhihua City region were collected at night near roadsides (Chen et al. 2018) prior to rain. Two lizard eggs were disgorged from the stomach of CAS 241963, and Huang et al. (2021) noted that a specimen from Lushui City was found foraging in vegetation along the sides of a creek in pursuit of a skink ( Sphenomorphus indicus (Gray)) . Nothing else is known about the natural history and basic biology of this species, however it is presumed to be oviparous like other Lycodon .</p><p>Conservation status. The most recent IUCN Red List assessment of Lycodon gongshan (Cai &amp; Ding 2024) lists this species as “Least Concern” and did not identify any major threats across its range. The distribution of L. gongshan has significantly expanded since its original description and is now known to occur within several protected areas (including the Gongshan and Yulong NRs). Additionally, this species seems to be tolerant of a wide variety of habitats, including those that may undergo some levels of human disturbance. Nevertheless, large scale deforestation in parts of its range (such as Myanmar) may negatively impact populations.</p><p>Remarks. The first records of L. gongshan from Sichuan Province derive from Chen et al. (2018), who reported two specimens from the surroundings of Panzhihua City (one from Daheishan Forest Park and another from Hongbao Village). Wang et al. (2021) considered the presence of L. gongshan within this region to be inconclusive and pointed out discrepancies between the morphological data in Chen et al. (2018) ’s table and the individuals photographed in the same paper. We were able to re-examine the specimens from Panzhihua City that were photographed by Chen et al. (2018: Fig. 1) and agree that they are L. gongshan (see Table 1). DNA sequences obtained from one of the two individuals (CIB PZH. 2017.09.01) adds further validation to this identification, since the sample was recovered deep in the same clade as other L. gongshan (Fig. 2). Still, practically all our scale and crossband counts of the Panzhihua City specimens differ from the table in Chen et al. (2018), confirming Wang et al. (2021) ’s observations. Compared to Table 1 of Chen et al. (2018) (their data in parentheses), our respective measurements of CIB DL.055 and CIB PZH. 2017.09.01 were 377 and 783 mm for total length (versus 473.2 and 826.3 mm), 102 and 176 mm for tail length (versus 100.5 and 172.6 mm), 210 in each specimen for ventrals (versus 211 and 213), 84 and 80 for subcaudals (versus 88 and 86), 27+10 and 26+9 for dorsal + tail bands (versus 37+13 and 36+13), and 9 and 8 for the relative ventral scale position of the first band (versus both ventral 7). The discrepancies in tail length are trivial, and the ventral scale and first band counts might reflect different counting methods since Chen et al. (2018) did not specify what procedures they used to score these characters. However, the differences between our counts for total length, subcaudals and body+tail bands are more significant, and it is uncertain as to why the values in Chen et al. (2018) are so different from ours. One possibility is that Chen et al. (2018) may have added the number of body and tail bands together by mistake because their values are similar to the summed version of our body + tail band counts (e.g., 37 and 35, respectively). However, we have repeated the counts we originally obtained for the Panzhihua specimens and found no match between our results and those from Chen et al. (2018), and therefore report our own data throughout this study. Irrespective of the morphological discrepancies found within Chen et al. (2018), there is no doubt that the two specimens originally reported by these authors represent L. gongshan, thus confirming the presence of this species in Sichuan Province.</p></div>	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03C01760164A0858FF5B9753FD1BF84C	Public Domain	No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.		MagnoliaPress via Plazi	Nguyen, Tan Van;Lee, Justin L.;Jiang, Ke;Ding, Li;Chit, May Thu;Poyarkov, Nikolay A.;Vogel, Gernot	Nguyen, Tan Van, Lee, Justin L., Jiang, Ke, Ding, Li, Chit, May Thu, Poyarkov, Nikolay A., Vogel, Gernot (2025): A new species of wolf snake Lycodon Fitzinger, 1826 from China and Myanmar (Squamata: Colubridae), and new data on Lycodon gongshan Vogel & Luo, 2011. Zootaxa 5621 (1): 1-51, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5621.1.1, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5621.1.1
