Pöch's groundsnake

description

Synonyms. None. Original name. Stegonotus poechi Werner, 1924: 32.

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

Comment. To the best of our knowledge, this species has only been mentioned once in the scientific literature since its original description, in a listing of Stegonotus species by Loveridge (1948) without further information. Even though there exists only a single specimen, the unusual configuration of supralabial scales (4 + 5 + 6) and dorsals (19 - 19 - 17) indicate that this is likely not an aberrant individual but a distinct form, in light that neither of these scale patterns exist in any other specimen among the hundreds from museum collections we have examined.

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. NMW 23406 (Fig. 28; Table 1), an adult female. Type locality. Written on the historic label affixed to the jar is the notation “ Neu-Guinea? ” [New Guinea?]. The specimen ledger in Vienna has no additional information. As is the case with the type locality of S. dorsalis (see above), this specimen came from the area Pöch (1908) called Monumbo, the hinterland of Potsdamhafen (ca. 4.2280 ° S, 144.9333 ° E). Collection. The label on the jar lists “ Coll. Pöch? ” [collector Pöch?], and we were indeed able to confirm based on the original accession slips that the holotype of S. poechi was collected during the same voyage, and arrived in the same shipment, as the holotype of S. dorsalis.

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)