Northern New Guinea Ground Snake

description

Synonyms. Lycodon lividum Duméril et al., 1854; Ablabes greineri Bleeker, 1860 a; Coronella rosenbergii Bleeker, 1860 b; Coluber holochrous Boulenger, 1863; Lycodon aruensis Doria, 1874. Original name. Lycodon modestus Schlegel, 1837: 119. In the second volume of his expansive treatise on snakes, Hermann Schlegel (1804 – 1884; Fig. 3 A), then employed as assistant to the director of the Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Historie in Leiden, The Netherlands (RMNH), described this taxon as a member of the genus Lycodon. The Latin species epithet means “ moderate ” in English and was perhaps used to indicate that this was a fairly nondescript form compared to some of the other members of the genus Lycodon, as then recognized. The species description was presented in Dutch. The image of Schlegel (Fig. 3 A; public domain) is from a lithograph by the Belgian illustrator Abraham Jacobus Wendel (1826 – 1915). 5. There is no uniform terminology for the scales covering the chin region of a snake’s head. An informal literature survey revealed that the terms “ genials ” and “ chin shields ” have been used widely throughout the historical and recent literature. Ruane et al. (2017) recently used the te

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. An important characteristic for the identification of this species is the incomplete light-colored band that marks the posterior extent of the head. This neck band is bisected by one or two brown scales mediodorsally, and it is two or three light scales wide along the lateral side of the body. The band is sometimes faint but present in a majority of specimens (89 %) and living individuals. This Maluku Island regional endemic appears to be the only species of Stegonotus featuring this characteristic type of band in adults. We consider the species confirmed only for Ambon, Buru, and Seram, but we see no reason why it would not also occur on some of the associated smaller islands in the northern part of Maluku Province, Indonesia (e. g., Boano, Haruku, Kelang, Maripa, Saparua). De Lang (2013) cited a personal communication regarding the presence of this species on the Tanimbar Islands, Maluku Province, Indonesia, but we have not found any record of actual specimens from there. Given our concept of S. modestus as a central Moluccan regional endemic, a population of Stegonotus in the nearly 400 km distant Tanimbar Islands could, with high probability, be a separate species. As

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

Holotype. RMNH. RENA 324 (Fig. 4; Table 1), an adult male. Type locality. “ Amboine ” [Ambon Island, Maluku Province, Indonesia]. Collection. The specimen was collected by Salomon Müller (1804 – 1864), a key member of the Dutch expeditions to the East Indies under the umbrella of the Natuurkundige Commissie voor Nederlandsch-Indië [Natural History Commission for the Dutch Indies]. He appears to have been a productive collector in the Indonesian archipelago in the time from 1826 – 37 (Steenis-Kruseman 1950), and he distinguished himself among the Dutch explorers of the time by surviving his travels and returning to his homeland. Müller settled down as a scientist to work on his collection until the Commission was disbanded in 1850 and he retired. It is curious, given Müller’s contributions to natural history, that no photograph or other illustrations of him appear to exist (Charles Klaver, in litt.). The time frame of the specimen’s collection is given by the schedule of the corvette Triton and the schooner Iris, which arrived on Ambon on 5 September and departed on 7 October 1828 (Macklot 1829), to drop off the members of the Commissie, including Müller, at Kupang on Timor on 14 Oc

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)