Milne Bay Ground Snake

description

Synonyms. None. Original name. Stegonotus Guentheri Boulenger, 1895: 31. Boulenger (1895) named this species for Albert Günther (see the account of Coluber holochrous above), his predecessor at the British Museum of Natural History. The species description was presented in English. Syntypes. BMNH 1946.1.11.37 – 38 (formerly 95.4.26.47 – 48), an adult male and an adult female, respectively, and 1946.1.11.39 (formerly BMNH 95.4.26.49), an adult female (Fig. 23).

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. In the interest of nomenclatural stability, we hereby designate BMNH 1946.1.11.38 (Fig. 23 A – E; Table 1) as the lectotype of S. guentheri (Code, Article 74.7). This specimen is a female syntype with a complete tail. This renders BMNH 1946.1. 11.37 and 1946.1.11.39 as paralectotypes. In the D’Entrecasteaux Archipelago, the distribution of S. guentheri appears to be limited to Fergusson and Normanby Islands, the two largest islands. The species has not been recorded from Goodenough Island, the third larger island in the group. One specimen (AMS 86835) that fits the characteristics of S. guentheri was collected farther afield, on Kuia Island (variant spellings include Kuyau and Kuiao; Austen 1939; Fitzer & Geelan 1956; Hensley & Allen 1977), a small island in the Trobriand Islands to the north.

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 locality. “ Fergusson Island, D’Entrecasteaux Group, British New Guinea ” [Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea; ca. 9.54 ° S, 150.67 ° E]. Collection. The collection from which Boulenger obtained these specimens was made by the English naturalist Albert Stewart Meek (1871 – 1943; Fig. 17 G), who visited the D’Entrecasteaux Archipelago in 1894 – 95. In reports on Meek’s exploits in the region (Hartert 1895; Rothschild & Hartert 1896; Meek 1913; O’Shea & Kaiser 2018), the earliest date listed for discoveries on Fergusson is September 1894, the latest June 1895. Meek decamped from Fergusson after a 4 - month stay (likely in January 1895) and traveled to Samarai Island, the British administrative center at the time, in order to reprovision and dispatch his specimens to London (Meek 1913). Given that the description of S. guentheri appeared in the July 1895 issue of the Annals and Magazine of Natural History, this leaves enough time for the collection to reach the BMNH. Later collections on Fergusson during 1895 would not have had sufficient transit time for shipping to the United Kingdom. The specimens therefore must have been collected during Meek’s initial 4 - month stay on Fer

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)