Achalinus dehuaensis, Li & Wu & Xu & Zhu & Ren & Guo & Dong, 2021
|
publication ID |
https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5026.2.5 |
|
publication LSID |
lsid:zoobank.org:pub:823DA8CA-9F68-444A-8460-AADAD671D74F |
|
DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15992779 |
|
persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/D921A537-CC02-FF9A-1CCB-FF1286149219 |
|
treatment provided by |
Plazi |
|
scientific name |
Achalinus dehuaensis |
| status |
sp. nov. |
Achalinus dehuaensis sp. nov.
( Figs. 1 View FIGURE 1 , 3–7 View FIGURE 3 View FIGURE 4 View FIGURE 5 View FIGURE 6 View FIGURE 7 , Table 4 View TABLE 4 )
Holotype. YBU 13013 , a juvenile male, collected in July 2013 from Nancheng Town, Dehua County, Fujian Province, China, at an elevation of 455 m above sea level ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 ).
Paratypes (n = 5). Three males, LAB 2020039 ( Fig. 5 View FIGURE 5 ) (LAB: field catalogue number of CIB), CIB 8100, CIB 8101; two females, CIB 8102 and CIB 8099. The specimens were collected from Youxi County ( LAB2020039 ) and Dehua County (the others), Fujian Province, China .
Diagnosis. A species of Achalinus having a combination of the following characters: (1) dorsal scales 23 rows throughout, strongly keeled, the most outer rows on both sides also keeled and slightly enlarged; (2) tail relatively longer, TaL/TL ratio 0.26–0.29 in males, 0.21–0.22 in females; (3) maxillary teeth 30–33; (4) length of suture between internasals significantly longer than that between prefrontals; (5) nasal divided into two sections by nasal cleft; (6) a single loreal; (7) SPO 1, seldom 2; (8) SPL 6, the fourth and fifth contacting with eye; (9) IFL5, rarely 6, the first three touching the first pair of chin shields; (10) TMP 7–9, arranged in three rows; (11) VS 142–149 in males, VS 152–154 in females; (12) SC 74–81 in males, SC 63–65 in females, arranged in a single row; (13) cloacal entire; (14) greyish brown above, pale yellow beneath; (15) dorsum with an indistinct longitudinal vertebral stripe.
Description of holotype. A male with a total length of 315 mm (SVL 225 mm and TaL 90 mm), TaL/TL 0.29. Body slender, cylindrical. Head slightly distinct from neck; rostral small, triangular, slightly visible from above. LSBI much longer than LSBP. Frontal pentagonal, broad longer than long, pointed backwards much shorter than the parietals; each parietal bordered by an elongated nuchal. Nuchals separated from each other behind parietals by one small scale; the second pair of nuchals about 1/3 the size as the first pair. Supraocular 1 on right side, but 2 on left side, elongate, two times wider than high. Nostril in anterior part of nasal, posterior margin of nostril with a distinct nostril cleft, the posterior section of nasal vertically subrectangle. A single loreal, distinctly wider than high, extending from the nasal to the eye. Eyes small, with vertically oval pupil. Preocular and postocular absent. Two aTMP, elongated, upper one smaller than lowest, alone in contact with eye, four pTMP. SPL 6, the first smallest, fourth and fifth in contact with the eye, sixth longest. One mental, followed by 5 IFL in contact with each other; the first three IFL touching the first pair of chin shields; anterior pair of chin shields smaller, a small scale embedded in the mental groove, length of the suture between the first pair is much longer than second pair.
Dorsal scales lanceolate and strongly keeled, in 23 rows throughout, those of the most outer rows on both sides slightly enlarged and keeled. VS 143 (plus two preventrals); cloacal entire; SC 81, not paired.
Coloration of holotype in preservation. The ethanol–preserved holotype is greyish brown above with a darker head, vertebral stripe is unobserved. Uniform pale yellow beneath.
Coloration of holotype in life. The dorsum is iridescent pale yellowish brown with a dark greyish brown longitudinal mid–dorsal stripe on the body; margin of all scales dark grey, the dorsal tail is greyish brown, ventral tail dark grey brown.
Etymology. The species name refers to the type locality of this species, Nancheng Town, Dehua County, Fujian Province, China ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 ). We suggest the common name as “De Hua Ji She” (德化ḑẘ) in Chinese and Dehua odd–scaled snake in English.
Distribution and habitat. Currently, Achalinus dehuaensis sp.nov. has been found from its type locality at Dehua County and adjacent Youxi County of Fujian Province. All of the specimens were found on leaf litters in well–preserved montane evergreen broadleaf forest.
Variation. Scalation character of the type series specimens is listed in Table 4 View TABLE 4 . All of the paratypes in moderate to good condition; the females generally have a shorter tail, higher VS and lower SC; all with single frontal except CIB 8101 and CIB 8102 (Frontal split into 2 extremely asymmetric part). Paratypes typically match holotype description except where noted here. Different from holotype and CIB 8102, others have 1 SPO on each side. The number of aTMP contact with eyes is not a stable trait. Paratypes have 2 mTMP except CIB 8101. CIB 8100, CIB 8099, LAB 2020039 have 3 pTMP on left side; CIB 8102 has 3 pTMP on each side. CIB 8102 have 6 IFL on left side. CIB 8101 has 3 chin shields on left side. Dorsum stone blue and venter pale in LAB 2020039.
Comparison. Achalinus dehuaensis sp. nov. differs from A. jinggangensis ( Zong & Ma, 1983) , A. timi Ziegler, Nguyen, Pham, Nguyen, Pham, Schingen, Nguyen & Le, 2019 , A. pingbianensis Li, Yu, Wu, Liao, Tang, Liu & Guo, 2020 , A. zugorum Milier, Davis, Luong, Do, Pham, Ziegler, Lee, De Qeiroz, Reynolds & Nguyen, 2020 , and A. formosanus chigirai Ota & Toyama, 1989 by having a separated loreal, higher maxillary teeth (30–33 vs. 22 in A. jinggangensis , 17 in A. f. chigirai, and 27 in A. timi ), and SC 142–154 (vs. 171 in A. pingbianensis , 173 in A. zugorum ).
Achalinus dehuaensis sp. nov. can be easily distinguished from A. ater Bourret, 1937 , A. f. formosanus Boulenger, 1908 , A. niger Maki, 1931 , A. spinalis Peter, 1869 , A. julinai Ziegler, Nguyen, Pham, Nguyen, Pham, Schingen, Nguyen & Le, 2019 , A. yunkaiensis Wang, Li & Wang, 2019 , A. werneri Denburgh, 1912 , A. yangdatongi Hou, Wang, Guo, Chen, Yuan & Che, 2021 , and A. tranganensis by having fewer IFL (5 vs. 6). Further it is different from A. f. formosanus (mDSR 27), A. niger (mDSR 25) by having mDSR 23; from A. ater (VS 156–170), A. julinai (VS 163–179 in females), A. werneri (VS 151–171 in males, VS 174–191 in females), A. yangdatongi (VS 161 in males), A. tranganensis (VS 170 in females) by having VS 142–147 in males, VS 152–154 in females; and from A. spinalis (LSBI<LSBP), A. yunkaiensis (LSBI≤LSBP) by having longer LSBI than LSBP.
Achalinus dehuaensis sp.nov. differs from A. meiguensis and A. panzhihuaensis Hou, Wang, Guo, Chen, Yuan & Che, 2021 by having divided internasals, and more maxillary teeth (30–33 vs. 17 in A. meiguensis , and 28 in A. panzhihuaensis ).
Achalinus dehuaensis . sp. nov. is most similar to A. emilyae and A. rufescens in morphology. However, the new species can be distinguished from A. emilyae by having following characters. Dorsal scales strongly keeled, and the outmost rows are slightly enlarged (vs. outmost rows smooth, and enlarged); maxillary teeth 30–33 (vs. 27–28). The new species is different from A. rufescens by having more maxillary teeth (30–33 vs.18–26), more SC (142–149 vs. 131–137 in males), and more VS (63–65 vs. 54–61 in females).
In addition, the new species can be different from some congeners in SC, VS, DSR, SPL, and MT. A detail comparison between the new species and its congeners is summarized in Table 5 View TABLE 5 .
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.