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Kane D, Tapley B, LA TVAN, Nguyen LT. A new species of the genus Rhabdophis Fitzinger, 1843 (Squamata: Colubridae) from the Hoang Lien range, northwest Vietnam. Zootaxa 2023; 5343:101-125. [PMID: 38221383 DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5343.2.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/16/2024]
Abstract
We describe a new species of the Natricinae genus Rhabdophis Fitzinger, 1843 from the Hoang Lien range, northwest Vietnam. The new species is distinct from all congeneric species on the grounds of morphometric and molecular data. The new species is most similar to Rhabdophis leonardi in terms of morphology but can be distinguished from it based on differences in maxillary tooth count, scalation, and genetic data. A sequence on GenBank from a Rhabdophis specimen collected in Honghe, Yunnan, China was identical to the species we describe, and it is likely that the new species is not restricted to Vietnam. As a priority, future work should focus on determining the distribution of this species, as well as understanding population and life history traits such as reproductive rate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Kane
- ZSL London Zoo; Zoological Society of London; Regents Park; London; United Kingdom; NW1 4RY.
| | - Benjamin Tapley
- ZSL London Zoo; Zoological Society of London; Regents Park; London; United Kingdom; NW1 4RY.
| | - Toi VAN LA
- Hoang Lien National Park; Sapa; Lao Cai Province; Vietnam.
| | - Luan Thanh Nguyen
- EDGE of Existence Programme; Zoological Society of London; Regents Park; London; NW1 4RY; United Kingdom; Asian Turtle ProgramIndo-Myanmar Conservation; CT1 Bac Ha C14 Building; To Huu Road; Ha Noi; Vietnam.
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Deepak V, Cooper N, Poyarkov NA, Kraus F, Burin G, Das A, Narayanan S, Streicher JW, Smith SJ, Gower DJ. Multilocus phylogeny, natural history traits and classification of natricine snakes (Serpentes: Natricinae). Zool J Linn Soc 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlab099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Natricine snakes are geographically widespread, species rich (with ~250 extant species) and both morphologically and ecologically diverse. We present a multilocus DNA sequence phylogeny for 249 natricine specimens representing 189 named species, including 69 specimens and 21 species not previously sampled. Our inferred Bayesian and maximum likelihood trees form the basis for evaluations of genus-level classification, historical biogeography, lineage diversification, and dietary, habit and reproductive-mode diversity and evolution, although several, mostly deeper, relationships remain poorly resolved. The optimal trees support natricine origins in Asia, with dispersals to Australo-Melanesia, sub-Saharan Africa (including Seychelles Archipelago, excluding Aldabra), Europe and North Africa and into North and Central America. Viviparity appears to have evolved independently three times in Natricinae but was not significantly associated with an aquatic habit. We found limited associations between habit and diet categories. We propose generic reallocations for four natricine species and highlight other points of uncertainty in natricine classification.
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Affiliation(s)
- V Deepak
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, UK
- Senckenberg Dresden, Königsbrücker Landstraße, Dresden, Germany
| | - Natalie Cooper
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, UK
| | - Nikolay A Poyarkov
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Biological Faculty, M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
- Joint Russian–Vietnamese Tropical Research and Technological Center, Nghia Do, Cau Giay, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - Fred Kraus
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Gustavo Burin
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, UK
| | - Abhijit Das
- Wildlife Institute of India, Chandrabani, Dehradun, India
| | - Surya Narayanan
- Suri Sehgal Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation, Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), Srirampura, Bangalore, Karnataka, India
| | | | - Sarah-Jane Smith
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, UK
- Imperial College London, South Kensington, London, UK
| | - David J Gower
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, UK
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