Sichuan Wolf Snake

biology_ecology

Biology. The holotype (CWNU 867001) and one of the paratypes (CWNU 84002) were found on the floor of broad-leaved deciduous forest at night. They were associated with random riprap and duff, not far from a forest stream. Many scales of Sphenomorphus indicus (Gray, 1853) were found in the intestine of CWNU 84002. This lizard species was common at the collecting site.

A new species of the genus Lycodon (Squamata, Colubridae) from Sichuan Province, China

description

Description of the holotype. Adult male; SVL: 595 mm, TaL: 152 mm, ratio TaL / TL: 0.203; head length 14.35 mm, head width 10.1 mm; head distinct from neck, distinctly flattened; snout projects beyond lower jaw; body subcylindrical; vertebral ridge poorly developed; maxillary teeth 8, last group with 2 teeth and enlarged. Rostral large, triangular, about 1.5 times as broad as deep; its portion visible from above measuring a little less than 1 / 4 of its distance from frontal; internasals subtriangular and slightly broader than long; laterally in contact with nasal; prefrontals 1.1 times wider than long, not in contact with orbit but with loreal; prefrontal suture obviously longer than internasal suture; frontal subtriangular, long and wide slightly equal; parietals about 1.65 times longer than broad, parietal suture obviously longer than frontal suture; nasal divided, nostril in the anterior nasal; loreals rectangular, about 1.9 times longer than broad, contacting orbit; preocular 1 / 1, upward; distance between eye and snout tip 1.9 times eye diameter; pupil elliptical; postoculars 2; temporals 2 + 2 / 2 + 2; supralabials 7 / 7, first supralabial in contact with rostral and nasal,

A new species of the genus Lycodon (Squamata, Colubridae) from Sichuan Province, China

diagnosis

Diagnosis. Lycodon liuchengchaoi sp. nov. is distinguished from all other species of Lycodon by the following combination of characters: (1) 17 dorsal scale rows at midbody, several median rows feebly keeled; (2) 7 – 8 supralabials, the third and fourth or the third to fifth entering eye; (3) loreal entering orbit but not in contact with internasals; (4) anal divided; (5) more than 40 well-defined yellow rings evenly spaced along the entire length of the black body, and more than 10 yellow rings evenly spaced along the black tail; (6) hemipenis not forked at the tip. In terms of pattern, L. liuchengchaoi is most similar to L. fasciatus except for the fact that the bands are yellow instead of whitish-brown or cream, but differs by the following traits: seven supralabials in two of the three specimens, the third and fourth entering orbit (in one case the third, fourth and fifth) (eight supralabials in all 72 specimens of L. fasciatus examined by us except one, which has 9 on one side, with the third, fourth and fifth entering eye); usually 8 infralabials (L. fasciatus usually 9); anal divided (anal entire in L. fasciatus); hemipenis has no nick at the tip (hemipenis of L. fasciatus h

A new species of the genus Lycodon (Squamata, Colubridae) from Sichuan Province, China

distribution

Distribution. Known only from the localities of the holotype and paratypes, Tangjiahe National Nature Reserve on the northern edge of Sichuan Basin, in Mount Min System and Monping (Baoxing County) in Mount Qionglai System (Fig. 5).

A new species of the genus Lycodon (Squamata, Colubridae) from Sichuan Province, China