Deuve's Kukri Snake

description

We report here on an adult female, QSMI 1503 (MS 609), collected by one of us (WS) on 18 December 2016 in Ban Na Muang (17.613402 N, 101.688626 E, approximately 270 m asl; Fig. 10), Si Song Rak, Muang District, Loei Province. It shows a SVL of 267.0 mm, TaL of 42.1 mm, HL 9.9 mm (right), HW 5.9 mm (right), HD 4.1 mm, ED 1.7 mm (right), SnL 2.5 mm (right), 17 - 17 - 15 DSR, all smooth, a round pupil, 7 (3 - 4) / 7 (3 - 4) SL, on both sides 2 nd and 3 rd SL in contact with LOR, 1 / 1 LOR, 1 / 1 PreOc, 0 / 0 PreSubOc, 2 / 2 PosOc, Tem 1 + 2 / 1 + 2, 8 (4) / 8 (4) IL, 1 PV + 149 VEN, a single anal scale and 35 divided SC. The DSR reductions from 17 to 15 both occur above the 97 th VEN by fusion of rows 4 and 5 (left) and 3 and 4 (right). On each side the two posteriormost maxillary teeth are strongly enlarged. In life it showed a broad, light brown vertebral stripe, edged with two dark brown paravertebral stripes; light grayish brown flanks with a dorsolateral stripe on each side, less contrasted and marked than the paravertebral stripes; five well defined large marks on dorsal surface of head: a transverse bar across the snout, a sagittal blotch, two oblique streaks directed posterior

A new kukri snake (Colubridae: Oligodon) from Hua Hin District, and the first record of O. deuvei from Thailand