Sri Lanka Cat Snake

Boiga ceylonensis (Gunther 1858)

Updated key to the species of the Boiga ceylonensis complex (modified from Ganesh et al. 2020) 1a. Midbody scale rows 17 or 19............................................................................ 2 1b. Midbody scale rows 21 or 23............................................................................ 7 2a. Dorsum greenish, venter uniform lemon yellow................................................... B. flaviviridis 2b. Dorsum brownish, venter grey, powdered with brown dots..................................................... 3 3a. Crown not marked; subcaudals> 100 pairs........................................................ B. beddomei 3b. Crown marked with blackish-brown blotches; subcaudals 4a. Ventrolateral white blotches absent....................................................................... 5 4b. Ventrolateral white blotches present....................................................................... 6 5a. Crown marking on parietals mild and diffuse; bands orange, reduced to streaks.................... B. whitakeri sp. nov. 5b. Crown markings on parietals evident and dark; bands distinctly black, thicker and complete................ B. ceylone

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

description

Description of the lectotype. A medium-sized specimen (total length 972 mm), snout vent length 740 mm, tail length 232 mm; long tail (relative tail length 23.9 %); with slender habitus, thin neck, wide head; 19 – 19 – 15 scale rows; rostral visible from above; preocular 1, subequal to loreal; postoculars 2; loreal 1; supralabials 8, 3 rd, 4 th and 5 th ones touching eye; infralabials 11 / 10, with 1 – 4 touching chin shields; temporals 10; preventrals 1; ventrals 234, angulate laterally; cloacal 1; subcaudals 108 pairs. Dorsal colour drab brownish-grey, with darker brown to blackish-brown crossbars; crossbars covering 2 – 4 scales in size, extending either sides up to 3 – 4 scale rows across, about 61 bars on body, 17 on tail; interspaces often with sparse dark dots; a distinct postocular stripe up to the jaw angle; distinct circular markings on top of head; labials, chin and venter ashy brown; venter finely spotted with darker shade, each ventral scale with two dark dots at both ends, giving a dotted line-like appearance along ventrolateral region. Variation. Our material agrees with the lectotype in most aspects, with the following variation: snout-vent length 502 – 764 mm, tail

Taxonomic revision of the Boiga ceylonensis group (Serpentes: Colubridae): reexamination of type specimens, redefinition of nominate taxa and an updated key

description

Specimens examined. Males (n = 18). Lectotype (designated herein): Sri Lanka. BMNH 54.3. 21.22 from “ Ceylon ”. Paralectotypes: BMNH 46.12. 2, BMNH 53.12. 24.29, BMNH 1946.1. 4.79 all from Ceylon. Additional specimens: Sri Lanka. BMNH 1955.1.9.83 – 86 Tonaconibe Estate; USNM 267760 Kandy; USNM 254753 Sabarugamuwa; SMF 19676 Ceylon; SMF 32595 Colombo; ZMB 8058 Ceylon; NMW 20225 Deniyaya; ZMB 7302 Paradenia; UPZMR 007 and UPZMR 010 b both from Peradeniya, Kandy; FMNH 121533 Ceylon; FMNH 120919 Ceylon, Uva: Namunukula, 4000 ’; FMNH 179248 Namunukula, Tonacombe Estate, 3900 ’; FMNH 167006 Central Prov: Meda-Maha Nuwara. Females (n = 19). Paralectotype: Sri Lanka. BMNH 19.3. 29.10 Ceylon. Additional specimens: BMNH 97.10. 20.3 Neboda; BMNH 1933.12. 6.16 Diyatalaura, Uva province; BMNH 1915.5. 3.8 Anuradhapura; FMNH 142403 Uva: Moneragala, Moneragala Estate, 3000 ’; FMNH 131380 North Central Prov: Manampitiya; FMNH 167008 Central Prov: Meda-Maha Nuwara; FMNH 167007 Central Prov: Meda-Maha Nuwara; FMNH 165053 South Prov: Bundala; UPZMR 010 a Peradeniya, Kandy; UPZMR 010 c Peradeniya, Kandy; RMNH 1027, ZFMK 31782, ZFMK 36841, ZFMK 20352, NMW 25352: 3, SMF 19677, NMW 25470 all from Ceylon w

Taxonomic revision of the Boiga ceylonensis group (Serpentes: Colubridae): reexamination of type specimens, redefinition of nominate taxa and an updated key

diagnosis

Diagnosis (redefined herein). A species of Boiga endemic to Sri Lanka, defined by the following combination of characters: 19 midbody scale rows (vs. 21 – 23 in B. nuchalis, B. dightoni, B. andamanensis); predominantly brownish dorsum (vs. greenish in B. flaviviridis; variable in B. andamanensis); vertebral scales strongly enlarged (vs. feebly enlarged in B. barnesii); crown patterned with distinct black blotches (vs. crown unpatterned in B. beddomei, B. andamanensis); subcaudals 110 in B. beddomei); ventrolateral region devoid of large adjacent white and black blotches (vs. blotches present in B. barnesii, B. thackerayi), but with a series of spots on both the ends of each ventral scale (vs. venter unpatterned in B. andamanensis, B. flaviviridis).

Taxonomic revision of the Boiga ceylonensis group (Serpentes: Colubridae): reexamination of type specimens, redefinition of nominate taxa and an updated key