Xenopeltis hainanensis Hu & Zhao, 1972

Luong, Anh Mai, Phan, Tien Quang, Nguyen, Truong Quang, Tran, Tung Thanh, Ngo, Hien Thu Thi, van Schingen-Khan, Mona, Ziegler, Thomas & Pham, Cuong The, 2025, New records and an updated checklist of the herpetofauna from Tay Yen Tu Nature Reserve, north-eastern Vietnam, Biodiversity Data Journal 13, pp. e 157862-e 157862 : e157862-

Xenopeltis hainanensis Hu & Zhao, 1972

Materials

Type status: Other material. Occurrence: catalogNumber: IB R. 6385 ; individualCount: 1; sex: male; lifeStage: adult; occurrenceID: 7C03A3F4-2C8D-598E-854E-9136EA4B8032; Taxon: scientificNameID: Xenopeltis hainanensis ; scientificName: Xenopeltis hainanensis ; class: Reptile; order: Squamata ; family: Xenopeltidae ; genus: Xenopeltis ; specificEpithet: hainanensis ; scientificNameAuthorship: Hu & Zhao, 1972; Location: country: Vietnam; countryCode: VN; stateProvince: Bac Giang; locality: Tay Yen Tu NR ; verbatimElevation: 360 m; verbatimLatitude: 21°10.575’N; verbatimLongitude: 106°42.623’E; verbatimCoordinateSystem: WGS 84; Event: eventDate: 1 July 2015; eventRemarks: collected by Pham C. T.; Record Level: language: en; collectionCode: Reptile; basisOfRecord: PreservedSpecimen

Description

Morphological characters of the specimen from Tay Yen Tu NR agreed well with descriptions of Kizirian et al. (2003) and Orlov et al. (2022). SVL 586.7 mm, TaL 46.1 mm; head not distinct from neck; eye small, pupil round; internasals divided; rostral as wide as high, clearly visible from above; frontal longer than wide, but shorter than parietals; loreal absent; preocular 1 / 1; postoculars 2 / 2, bodering anterior temporal on each side; anterior temporal 1 / 1, posterior temporals 2; supralabials 7 / 7, third and fourth touching the eye, sixth largest; infralabials 7 / 7, first to third bordering chin shields; chin shields in two pairs, in contact medially; dorsal scale rows 15–15 – 15, smooth; ventrals 163; cloacal shield divided; subcaudals 19, divided; tail with pointed tip. Colouration in life: Dorsal uniform stone grey; upper lip, throat and ventral surface opaque white (Fig. 7 ).

Distribution

In Vietnam, this species has been recorded from Yen Bai, Cao Bang, Lang Son, Vinh Phuc, Hai Duong, Ha Tinh and Quang Binh Provinces ( Nguyen et al. 2009, Uetz et al. 2025). Elsewhere, this species has been recorded from China ( Nguyen et al. 2009, Uetz et al. 2025).

Ecology

The specimen was found at 22: 00 h, on the bank of a rocky stream. The surrounding habitat was mixed secondary evergreen forest of medium and small hardwoods with bamboo, shrubs and arrowroot. Air temperatures at the sites ranged from 25.2 ° C to 33.6 ° C and relative humidity ranged from 67 % to 85 %.

Figures

Figure 7. Xenopeltis hainanensis (male, IB A. 6385).