Beddome's Cat Snake

description

(Fig. 1 – 2; Table 1) Suggested common name: Beddome’s cat snake.

A new species of Boiga (Serpentes: Colubridae) from the Southern Western Ghats of India with a molecular phylogeny and expanded characterisation of related species

diagnosis

Complementary Diagnosis. Boiga beddomei is phylogenetically allied to a clade (node support 100 %) consisting of B. nuchalis, B. ceylonensis of Sri Lanka and B. whitakeri sp. nov.; exhibiting 7.6 – 8.5, 8.9 – 9.3, 13.3 – 13.5 % divergence at cyt b with its sister species B. nuchalis and B. whitakeri sp. nov. and B. ceylonensis respectively; and a maximum intraspecific divergence of 2.5 %.

A new species of Boiga (Serpentes: Colubridae) from the Southern Western Ghats of India with a molecular phylogeny and expanded characterisation of related species

discussion

Comments. The lectotypification by Ganesh et al. (2020) and the different phylogenetic placements revealed in the present study (see Fig. 1) implies that B. beddomei is a species endemic to the Northern Western Ghats of India. Thus, the Sri Lankan population previously attributed to ‘ B. beddomei ’ (sic) represented by the Sri Lankan sequence (fide Pyron et al. 2013) becomes obsolete as it is herein referred to as Boiga cf. ranawanei (also see Samarawickrama et al. 2005). The phylogenetic position of this Western Ghats population further corroborates the appropriate lectotype designation by Ganesh et al. (2020) that restricts B. beddomei as a species placed within the B. ceylonensis clade, clustering with B. ceylonensis and B. nuchalis — the two species Wall (1909) had originally associated B. beddomei with. Whereas the published sequence (i. e. B. cf. ranawanei) clusters with species not present in this clade (B. flaviviridis and B. thackerayi). Wallach et al. (2014) stated that the type locality is “ restricted to Sri Lanka fide Taylor (1950 b: 576) ”, citing “ Taylor, E. H. (1950 b). A brief review of Ceylonese snakes. University of Kansas Science Bulletin 33 (14), 519 – 603, 3

A new species of Boiga (Serpentes: Colubridae) from the Southern Western Ghats of India with a molecular phylogeny and expanded characterisation of related species

materials_examined

Additional specimens examined. (n = 2). INDIA. CESS 417 & CESS 418 from Mhadei WLS, Goa, BNHS 1793 from Talegoun Nabhade, Pune, BNHS 1796 from Khandala, Pune.

A new species of Boiga (Serpentes: Colubridae) from the Southern Western Ghats of India with a molecular phylogeny and expanded characterisation of related species