Zhang Caiwen, Liu Kai, Huang Ruyi, Hu Tingli, Yu Lei, Sun Ruolei, Zhang Yucai, Wen Jing, Zhang Baowei
School of Life Sciences, Anhui University, Hefei 230601, China.
Shanghai Universities Key Laboratory of Marine Animal Taxonomy and Evolution, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 201306, China.
Animals (Basel). 2023 Feb 17;13(4):708. doi: 10.3390/ani13040708.
A new species of Xenodermid snake, , was described based on three specimens (two female and one male) collected from the Dabie Mountains of western Anhui Province. It can be distinguished from known congeners by a significant genetic divergence in the mitochondrial gene fragment COI (-distance ≥ 9.4%) and the following combination of characteristics: (1) length of the suture between the internasals being distinctly shorter than between the prefrontals; (2) a single loreal; (3) dorsal scales strongly keeled, in 23 rows throughout the body; (4) two pairs of prefrontals; (5) six supralabials; (6) five infralabials; (7) temporals 2 + 2 + 3 (or 2 + 2 + 4); (8) 141-155 ventrals; (9) 45-55 subcaudals, unpaired; (10) anal entire; (11) weakly iridescent tinged, uniform, brown to black dorsum with vertebral scales and about three adjacent dorsal scales dark brown forming a longitudinal vertebral line from posterior margin of parietals to tail tip; (12) light brown venter, ventral shields wide, visible on both sides, light brown flanks, giving the appearance of a black subcaudal streak. The recognition of the new species increases the number of described species to 22.
一种新的异盾蛇属物种，是根据从安徽省西部大别山采集的三个标本（两雌一雄）描述的。它可以通过线粒体基因片段COI中的显著遗传差异（-距离≥9.4%）以及以下特征组合与已知同属物种区分开来：（1）鼻间骨之间的缝线长度明显短于额前骨之间的缝线长度；（2）单一的眶下鳞；（3）背鳞强烈起棱，全身23行；（4）两对额前骨；（5）六枚上唇鳞；（6）五枚下唇鳞；（7）颞鳞2 + 2 + 3（或2 + 2 + 4）；（8）141 - 155枚腹鳞；（9）45 - 55枚尾下鳞，不成对；（10）肛鳞完整；（11）背部有微弱的虹彩色泽，均匀，棕色至黑色，椎鳞以及大约三排相邻的背鳞深棕色，从顶骨后缘到尾尖形成一条纵向的椎纹；（12）腹部浅棕色，腹盾宽，两侧可见，体侧浅棕色，尾下有黑色条纹的外观。该新物种的确认使已描述的物种数量增加到22种。
