Bornean Black Snake

description

Synonyms. None. Original name. Stegonotus borneensis Inger, 1967: 82. The species description was presented in English.

The taxonomic history of Indo-Papuan groundsnakes, genus Stegonotus Duméril et al., 1854 (Colubridae), with some taxonomic revisions and the designation of a neotype for S. parvus (Meyer, 1874)

discussion

Comments. The skull of the holotype was removed for detailed examination, which can perhaps account for some of the differences between the original and our measurements of SVL. For a better characterization of the species from both Sarawak and Sabah, it is essential that additional material should be collected. Furthermore, it would be interesting to determine whether the species also occurs in the lowland forests of Kalimantan, the Indonesian part of Borneo.

The taxonomic history of Indo-Papuan groundsnakes, genus Stegonotus Duméril et al., 1854 (Colubridae), with some taxonomic revisions and the designation of a neotype for S. parvus (Meyer, 1874)

materials_examined

Type specimens. FMNH 164746 (holotype; Table 1) and USNM 130244 (paratype), both adult females (Fig. 30). Type localities. The holotype is from “ Nanga Tekalit, Kapit District, Third Division, Sarawak ” [Malaysia] with GPS coordinates given as 1 ° 38 ’ N, 113 ° 35 ’ E [ca. 1.63 ° N, 113.58 ° E, elevation ca. 56 m]. The paratype was collected at “ Bundu Tuhan, Mount Kina Balu, Ranau District, Sabah ” [Malaysia], with GPS coordinates given as “ 6 ° 03 ' N, 116 ° 32 ' E ” [ca. 6.05 ° N, 116 ° 53 ’ E] and a listed elevation of 1370 m. The two type localities are separated by a distance of ca. 650 km by air and by an elevation of over 1300 m. Collection. The holotype was collected on 24 May 1963 by F. Wayne King (born 1936), Curator Emeritus at the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville, Florida, USA. The paratype was collected on 1 August 1951 by David H. Johnson (1912 – 1996), curator of mammals at the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D. C., USA, from 1941 – 1965.

The taxonomic history of Indo-Papuan groundsnakes, genus Stegonotus Duméril et al., 1854 (Colubridae), with some taxonomic revisions and the designation of a neotype for S. parvus (Meyer, 1874)