Abstract
This paper deals with three nomenclatural and taxonomic problems affecting two species groups of the colubrid snake genus Oligodon Fitzinger, 1826: (i) A neotype is formally designated for Coronella cyclura Cantor, 1839, associating this specific nomen with populations from India, Bangladesh and Myanmar with 19 scale rows at midbody; (ii) Oligodon kheriensis Acharji & Ray, 1936 is shown to be a valid species of the Oligodon cyclurus group occurring in northern India and Nepal; (iii) The type-locality of Simotes multifasciatus Jan & Sordelli, 1865 is shown to be Sultanpur, India. This taxon is considered a synonym of Oligodon cinereus (Günther, 1864). The range of this species in India is extended. The status of specimens of Oligodon cinereus from India and Myanmar is briefly discussed. Specimens from Thailand identified as Oligodon cinereus multifasciatus and Oligodon cinereus swinhonis (Günther, 1864) are referred to Oligodon joynsoni (Smith, 1917). India is home to at least 21 species of the genus Oligodon, an updated list of which is provided.References
Acharji, M.N. (1958) On a collection of chelonians and snakes from Chota Nagpur, Bihar. Records of the Indian Museum, 53[1955] (3–4), 383−392.
Acharji, M.N. & Ray, H.C. (1936) A new species of Oligodon from the United Provinces (India). Records of the Indian Museum, 38, 519−520.
Agarwal, I., Mistry, V.K. & Athreya, R. (2010) A preliminary checklist of the reptiles of Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary, West Kameng District, Arunachal Pradesh, India. Russian Journal of Herpetology, 17 (2), 81–93.
Ahmed, S. & Dasgupta, G. (1992) Reptilia. In: Anonymous, Fauna of West Bengal. Part 2. Calcutta, Zoological Survey of India, State Fauna Series, 3, 1–65.
Angel, F. (1927) Liste des reptiles et des batraciens rapportés de l’Indo-Chine par M. P. Chevey. Description d’une variété nouvelle de Simotes violaceus Cantor. Bulletin du Muséum d’Histoire naturelle, Paris, 33 (6), 496–498.
Armitage, G. (1989) The Schlagintweit collections. Indian Journal of History of Science, 24, 67–83.
Beddome, R.H. (1877) Descriptions of new reptiles from the Madras Presidency. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, 1877 (4), 685–686.
Blyth, E. (1854) Notices and descriptions of various reptiles, new or little known. Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, 23 (3), 287–302.
Boulenger, G.A. (1894) Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume II., containing the conclusion of the Colubridae Aglyphae. British Museum (Natural History), London, xi + 382 pp., Pls. 1–20.
Boulenger, G.A. (1907) Description of a new snake from Nepal. Records of the Indian Museum, 1 (3), 217.
Boulenger, G.A. (1914) Descriptions of new reptiles from Siam. With notes by Malcolm Smith, M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P. The Journal of the Natural History Society of Siam, 1(2), 67–70, Plate.
Bourret, R. (1934) Notes herpétologiques sur l’Indochine française. IV. Sur une collection d’Ophidiens de Cochinchine et du Cambodge. Bulletin général de l’Instruction Publique, 13e Année (1, septembre), 13–30. [Separate reprint: p. 3–20].
Bourret, R. (1935) Notes herpétologiques sur l’Indochine française. X. Les serpents de la station d’altitude du Tam-dao. Bulletin Général de l’Instruction Publique, 14e Année (8, avril), 259–271 [Separate reprint: p. 1–13].
Campden-Main, S.M. (1970) The identity of Oligodon cyclurus (Cantor, 1839) and revalidation of Oligodon brevicauda (Steindachner, 1867) (Serpentes: Colubridae). Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington, 82 (58), 763–766.
Cantor, T.E. (1839) Spicilegium serpentium indicorum. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, 1839, 31–34 & 49–55.
Cantor, T.E. (1847) Catalogue of reptiles inhabiting the Malay Peninsula and islands, collected or observed by Theodore Cantor, Esq., M.D., Bengal Medical Service. Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, 16, 607–656, 897–952, 1026–1078
Das, I. (2004) On neotype designations for Coronella cyclura Cantor, 1839 (Serpentes: Colubridae). Hamadryad, 29 (1), 133–134.
Dasgupta, G. & Raha, S. (2004) Reptilia. In: Anonymous, Fauna of Bihar (including Jharkhand). Part-1. Kolkata, Zoological Survey of India, State Fauna Series, 11, 143–179.
Dasgupta, G. & Raha, S. (2006) Reptilia. In: Anonymous, Fauna of Nagaland. Kolkata, Zoological Survey of India, State Fauna Series, 12, 433–460, Figs. 1–21.
David, P., Vogel, G. & Pauwels, O.S.G. (2008a) A new species of the genus Oligodon Fitzinger, 1826 (Squamata: Colubridae) from southern Vietnam and Cambodia. Zootaxa, 1939, 19–37.
David, P., Vogel, G. & van Rooijen, J. (2008b) A revision of the Oligodon taeniatus (Günther, 1861) (Squamata: Colubridae) group, with the description of three new species from the Indochinese Region. Zootaxa, 1965, 1–45.
Dowling, H.G. (1951) A proposed standard system of counting ventrals in snakes. British Journal of Herpetology, 1 (1), 97−99.
Fitzinger, L.J. (1826) Neue classification der Reptilien nach ihren natürlichen Verwandtschaften. Nebst einer Verwandtschafts-tafel und einem Verzeichnisse der Reptilien-sammlung des K. K. Zoologischen Museum’s zu Wien. J. G. Heubner, Wien, (6 unnumbered pages) + 66 pp., Table.
Friedrich, J. (2006) The fire: the bombing of Germany, 1940-1945. Columbia University Press, New York, 532 pp.
Gans, C. (1955) Localities of the herpetological collections made during the “Novara Reise”. Annals of the Carnegie Museum, 33, 275–285.
Gray, J.E. (1832–1835) Illustrations of Indian zoology; chiefly selected from the collection of Major-General Hardwicke, f.r.s., l.s., m.r.a.s., m.r.i.a., & c. Volume II (parts XI-XX). London, Adolphus Richter and Co & Parbury, Allen, and Co, (3 unnumbered pages), Pls. 1–102.
Green, M.D., Orlov, N.L. & Murphy, R.W. (2010) Toward a phylogeny of the Kukri snakes, genus Oligodon. Asian Herpetological Research, 1 (1), 1–21.
Günther, A. (1862) On new species of snakes in the collection of the British Museum. Annals and Magazine of Natural History, (3), 9 (49), 52–67, Pls. 9–10.
Günther, A. (1864) The reptiles of British India. Ray Society, London, xxvii + 452 pp., Pls. 1–26.
Günther, A. (1868) Sixth account of new species of snakes in the collection of the British Museum. Annals and Magazine of Natural History, (4), 1 (6), 413–429, Pls. 17–19.
Günther, A. (1872) Seventh account of new species of snakes in the collection of the British Museum. Annals and Magazine of Natural History, (4), 9 (49), 13–37, Pls. 3–6.
Günther, A. (1875) Second report on collections of Indian Reptiles obtained by the British Museum. Proceedings of Zoological Society of London, 1875, 224–234, Pls. 30–34.
Günther, A. (1888) On a collection of reptiles from China. Annals and Magazine of Natural History, (6), 1 (3), 165–172, Pl. 12.
I.C.Z.N. (International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature) (1999) International Code of Zoological Nomenclature. Fourth Edition adopted by the International Union of Biological Sciences. International Trust of Zoological Nomenclature, London, xxix + 306 pp.
Jan, G. & Sordelli, F. (1860–1881) Iconographie générale des ophidiens. Atlas. Milano, F. Sordelli, London, Baillière Tindal & Co, Paris, J.-B. Baillière & Fils; Madrid, C. Bailly-Baillière, Vol. I [1860–1866], Livraisons 1–17, Pls. 1–102.
Jerdon, T.C. (1854) Catalogue of the Reptiles inhabiting the Peninsula of India. Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, 22 [1853] (6), 522–534.
Linnaeus, C. (1758) Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Tomus I. Editio decima, reformata. Holmiae 5stockholm), Laurentius Salvius, 824 pp.
Mathew, R. (1995) Reptilia. In: Anonymous, Fauna of Meghalaya. Part 1. Vertebrates. Calcutta, Zoological Survey of India, State Fauna Series, 4, 379–454, Figs. 1–4, Pls. 1–38.
Morice, A. (1875) Coup d’oeil sur la faune de la Cochinchine française. Archives de Médecine navale, 24, 5–101.
Nabhitabhata, J., Chan-ard, T. & Chuaynkern, Y. (2004 [dated “2000”]) Checklist of amphibians and reptiles in Thailand. Office of Environmental Policy and Planning (OEPP), Bangkok, Biodiversity Series, Vol. 9, 152 pp.
Pauwels, O.S.G., Wallach, V., David, P. & Chanhome, L. (2002) A new species of Oligodon Fitzinger, 1826 (Serpentes, Colubridae) from southern Peninsular Thailand. Natural History Journal of the Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 2 (2), 7–18.
Praschag, P., Sommer, R.S., McCarthy, C., Gemel, R. & Fritz, U. (2008) Naming one of the world’s rarest chelonians, the southern Batagur. Zootaxa, 1758, 61–68.
Saint Girons, H. (1972) Les serpents du Cambodge. Mémoires du Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, (Nouvelle série), (Série A, Zool.), 74, 1−170, Pls. 1−42.
Sanyal, D.P. & Gayen, N.C. (2006) Reptilia. In: Anonymous, Fauna of Arunachal Pradesh (Part-1). Kolkata, Zoological Survey of India, State Fauna Series, 13, 247–284.
Schleich, H.H. & Kästle, W. (Eds.) (2002) Amphibians and Reptiles of Nepal. Ruggell (Germany), A. R. G. Gantner Verlag K. G., x + 1,201 pp.
Sclater, W.L. (1891) Notes on a collection of snakes in the Indian Museum, with descriptions of several new species. Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, 60 (2), 230–250, Pl. 6.
Shaw, G. (1802) General zoology, or systematic natural history. Vol. III. Part II. Amphibia. G. Kearsley, London, i–vii + 313–615, Pls. 87–140. [Reprinted in 1999 by the Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, Ithaca, New York].
Sharma, R.C. (2007) Fauna of India and adjacent countries. Reptilia. Volume-III (Serpentes). Kolkata, Zoological Survey of India, xxvi + 410 pp.
Smith, M.A. (1917) Description of a new snake and a new frog from Siam. The Journal of the Natural History Society of Siam, 2 (4), 276–278
Smith, M.A. (1943) The Fauna of British India, Ceylon and Burma, including the whole of the Indo-chinese subregion. Reptilia and Amphibia. Vol. III, Serpentes. Taylor & Francis, London, xii + 583 pp.
Steindachner, F. (1867) Reptilien. In: Reise der Österreichischen Fregatte Novara um die Erde in den Jahren 1857, 1858, 1859, unter dem Befehln des Commodore B. von Wüllerstorf-Urbair. Zoologischer Theil. Erster Band (Wirbelthiere). Vienna, Kaiser-König. Hof-u. Staatsdrückerei, 1–98, Pls. 1–3.
Sthanapati, J. (1996) History of magnetic studies in India 1850–1980: a bibliography. Indian Journal of History of Science, 31, 205–302.
Taylor, E.H. (1965) The serpents of Thailand and adjacent waters. University of Kansas Science Bulletin, 45 (9), 609−1096.
Tillack, F. & Günther, R. (2010) Revision of the species of Oligodon from Sumatra and adjacent islands, with comments on the taxonomic status of Oligodon subcarinatus (Günther, 1872) and Oligodon annulifer (Boulenger, 1893) from Borneo (Reptilia, Squamata, Colubridae). Russian Journal of Herpetology, 16[2009] (4), 265–294.
Wagner, F.W. (1975) A revision of the Asian colubrid snakes Oligodon cinereus (Günther), Oligodon joynsoni (Smith), and Oligodon cyclurus (Cantor). Unpublished MS thesis, Baton Rouge, Louisiana State University, 97 pp.
Wall, F. (1909) Notes on snakes from the neighbourhood of Darjeeling. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society, 19 (2), 337–357.
Wall, F. (1910) A new snake from Assam. Oligodon erythrorachis. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society, 19 [1909] (4), 923–924.
Wall, F. (1922) A new snake from the Northern Frontier of Assam. Records of the Indian Museum, 24, 29–30.
Werner, F. (1925) Neue oder wenig bekannte Schlangen aus dem Wiener naturhistorischen Staatsmuseum (2. Teil). Sitzungsberichte der Kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften. Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Classe. (Abt. 1. Mineralogie, Botanik, Zoologie, Geologie und Paläontologie), 134, 45–66.
Whitaker, R. & Captain, A. (2004) Snakes of India. The Field Guide. Draco Books, Chennai, xiv + 481 pp., map.
Whitaker R. & Dattatri, S. (1982) A new species of Oligodon from the Palni Hills, south India (Serpentes: Colubridae). Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society, 79 (3), 630–631.