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Issue: Vol. 4276 No. 4: 14 Jun. 2017
Type: Article
Published: 2017-06-14
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4276.4.6
Page range: 539–553
Abstract views: 309
PDF downloaded: 7

A new species of Wolf Snake of the genus Lycodon H. Boie in Fitzinger (Squamata: Colubridae) from the Aceh Province of northern Sumatra, Indonesia

Amphibian and Reptile Diversity Research Center and Department of Biology, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, Texas 76019, USA.
Laboratory of Herpetology, Museum Zoologicum Bogoriense, Research Center for Biology, Indonesian Institute of Sciences–LIPI, Cibinong, West Java 16911, Indonesia
Department of Biology, Universitas Brawijaya, East Java 65145, Indonesia
Amphibian and Reptile Diversity Research Center and Department of Biology, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, Texas 76019, USA.
Reptilia Biodiversity molecular phylogeny Sunda Shelf systematics

Abstract

Herein we describe a new species of Lycodon H. Boie in Fitzinger (Squamata: Colubridae) from Aceh Province, Sumatra. This brings the number of species known to occur on the Sunda Shelf to seven. The new species is readily diagnosed from the other congeners in the region by the lack of a preocular scale, the presence of keeled dorsal scales and a banded venter. It is superficially similar to L. butleri from the Malaysian Peninsula in coloration and to L. subcinctus in head scalation. Genetically, the new species is most similar to a group of species from Mainland Southeast Asia and China. We also note the presence of several deeply divergent lineages within Lycodon that may warrant the recognition as distinct genera. The genus is in need of a comprehensive molecular and morphological review.

 

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