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Issue: Vol. 5474 No. 4: 1 Jul. 2024
Type: Article
Published: 2024-07-01
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5474.4.3
Page range: 375-411
Abstract views: 350
PDF downloaded: 5

A new species of green pitviper of the Trimeresurus macrops complex (Reptilia: Serpentes: Viperidae) from South Central Coastal Region of Vietnam

Department of Vertebrate Zoology; Lomonosov Moscow State University; Leninskiye Gory; GSP–1; Moscow 119991; Russia
Institute for Research and Training in Medicine; Biology and Pharmacy; Duy Tan University; Da Nang; 550000; Vietnam; College of Medicine and Pharmacy; Duy Tan University; 120 Hoang Minh Thao; Lien Chieu; Da Nang; 550000; Vietnam; Joint Vietnam – Russia Tropical Science and Technology Research Center; Nghia Do; Cau Giay; Hanoi; Vietnam
Department of Vertebrate Zoology; Lomonosov Moscow State University; Leninskiye Gory; GSP–1; Moscow 119991; Russia; Joint Vietnam – Russia Tropical Science and Technology Research Center; Nghia Do; Cau Giay; Hanoi; Vietnam
Rabbit in the Moon foundation; Suanphueng; Ratchaburi 70180; Thailand; Division of Fishery; School of Agriculture and Natural Resources; University of Phayao; Phayao; Thailand
Joint Vietnam – Russia Tropical Science and Technology Research Center; Nghia Do; Cau Giay; Hanoi; Vietnam
Society for South East Asian Herpetology; Im Sand-3; D-69115 Heidelberg; Germany
Reptiles & Amphibiens; UMR 7205 OSEB; Département évolution et Systématique; CP 30; Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle. 57 rue Cuvier; F-75231 Paris Cedex 05; France
Department of Vertebrate Zoology; Lomonosov Moscow State University; Leninskiye Gory; GSP–1; Moscow 119991; Russia; Joint Vietnam – Russia Tropical Science and Technology Research Center; Nghia Do; Cau Giay; Hanoi; Vietnam
Reptilia Trimeresurus cyanolabris sp. nov. Vietnam new species morphology molecular phylogeny systematics

Abstract

We describe a new species of green pitviper from southern and central parts of coastal Vietnam based on morphological and molecular (2406 bp from cyt b, ND4, and 16S rRNA mitochondrial DNA genes) lines of evidence. Trimeresurus cyanolabris sp. nov. is distinguished from its congeners by the combination of the following morphological characters: small size, maximum known SVL of 638 mm; dorsal scales in 21 (rarely 23)–21–15 rows, moderately keeled except the outermost rows; ventral scales 166–178; subcaudal scales 52–75, all paired; hemipenis forked, calyculate, reaching the 8th subcaudal; eye bright yellow in both sexes; dorsal surface deep green lacking cross-bands; postocular white stripe missing in both sexes; ventrolateral stripe faintly present on the first few dorsal scale rows in males, absent in females; throat, chin, and lower labials in shades of blue. The new species forms a distinct clade on the phylogenetic tree of the genus Trimeresurus and differs from the morphologically similar T. rubeus by a significant divergence in cytochrome b mitochondrial DNA gene sequences (p = 6.0%). The new species is currently known from low- to mid-elevations (ca. 90–400 m a.s.l.) in tropical forests of central-southern Vietnam. This discovery further underlines the importance of this area as a local center of herpetofaunal diversity and endemism, which is under great threat of deforestation.

 

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