Chinese Mountain Snake

diagnosis

Diagnosis. Plagiopholis styani can be distinguished from other species within Plagiopholis by the combination of the following morphological characters: (1) no loreal (rarely 1), posterior nasal forming a suture with the single preocular; (2) two postoculars; (3) temporals 2 + 2 (rarely 2 + 1); (4) 6 (rarely 7) supralabials, the 3 rd and 4 th entering the eye; (5) 6 (rarely 5) infralabials; (6) maxillary teeth 20 – 21 in males and around 18 in females; (7) dorsal scale smooth and rows 15 - 15 - 15; (8) ventral scales 114 – 121 in males and 116 – 122 in females; (9) anal entire; (10) subcaudal scales, 26 – 30 in males and 23 – 28 in females; (11) longer tail 42.36 – 51 mm (mean 45.42 mm) in males and shorter tail 32.6 – 44.15 mm (mean 40.59 mm) in females; (12) higher TAL / SVL ratio of 0.15 – 0.17 (mean 0.16) in males and smaller TAL / SVL ratio of 0.12 – 0.15 (mean 0.14) in females; (13) hemipenis half divided, bilaterally symmetrical, the truncus smooth throughout with almost no spinules; (14) a wide, black-brown blotch is present on the neck, often pentagonal, sub-annular, or sagittate-shaped, across 3 – 6 dorsal scale rows; (15) dorsal surface of the body is brick-red, with som

Redescription of Plagiopholis styani (Serpentes, Pseudoxenodontidae), with description of two new species from China

distribution

Distribution and natural history. Plagiopholis styani have been found in Lin’an District of Hangzhou City, Anji County of Huzhou City in Zhejiang Province, and the Wuyi Mountains at the border of Fujian and Jiangxi Provinces (data corrected based on the results of the present study). According to the morphological data recorded in literature, distribution records from southern Anhui and northern Jiangxi Province might also belong to this species (Pope 1934; Chen 1991; Zhao et al. 1998; Zhao 2006). These regions are part of the mid-subtropical monsoon climate zone, characterized by distinct four seasons, warm and humid conditions (Zheng et al. 2013). This species is oviparous and distributed within an altitude range of 520 – 1359 m. They are commonly found in mid-subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forests and bamboo forests in this altitude range. Pope (1929, 1935) documented the Fukien (now Fujian Province) population (Plagiopholis styani) to be found in the high forests and bamboo groves in the region of the type locality, which is consistent with our findings. He documented the stomachs of three Chungan Hsien (now Wuyishan City) specimens (P. styani), which contained a lot of gri

Redescription of Plagiopholis styani (Serpentes, Pseudoxenodontidae), with description of two new species from China

Plagiopholis styani (Boulenger 1899)

Plagiopholis styani (Boulenger, 1899) Synonym. Trirhinopholis styani Boulenger 1899: 159

Redescription of Plagiopholis styani (Serpentes, Pseudoxenodontidae), with description of two new species from China

Description of the topotypic specimen

Description of the topotypic specimen Adult female; body relatively short, tail quite short, SVL 359 mm, TaL 47 mm, TaL/SVL 0.13; head small, not distinct from neck; snout blunt, rostral large, approximately triangular, visible from above; internasals wider than long; prefrontals polygonal; frontal shield-shaped, longer than wide; supraocular elongated rectangular; parietals large, gradually narrowing posteriorly, median suture approximately equal to length of frontal; nasal divided into two scales; no loreal; eye moderate, pupil round; preocular 1/1; postoculars 2/2; supralabials 6/6, first and second in contact with prenasal and postnasal, third and fourth entering orbit; anterior temporals 2/2, posterior temporals 2/2; mental elongate, wider than long; infralabials 6/6, first pair not contacting each other; two pairs of chin shields, anterior pairs longer than posterior; dorsal scales in 15 rows throughout, all smooth; ventral scales 119; subcaudal scales 25; precloacal plate undivided (Table 2, Fig. 1, Fig. 2).

Re-discovery and re-description of the true Plagiopholis styani (Boulenger, 1899) (Serpentes, Pseudoxenodontidae), with the taxonomic status of the populations previously considered as P. styani