Achalinus hunanensis Ma, Shi, Xiang, Shu & Jiang, 2023

Achalinus hunanensis Ma, Shi, Xiang, Shu & Jiang, 2023 View in CoL

Materials

Type status: Other material. Occurrence: catalogNumber: QHU 2024030 ; individualCount: 1; sex: female; disposition: in collection; associatedSequences: GenBank: PQ 281493; occurrenceID: BED8699C-8929-5A3B-A5CC-B9956D6BBAB2; Taxon: scientificName: Achalinus hunanensis ; order: Squamata; family: Xenodermidae ; genus: Achalinus ; Location: country: China; stateProvince: Guizhou; county: Dushan; verbatimElevation: 1300 m; verbatimCoordinates: 25°56'59"N, 107°37'56"E; Event: eventDate: 17-08-2024 GoogleMaps

Type status: Other material. Occurrence: catalogNumber: CIB 20160503 ; individualCount: 1; sex: male; disposition: in collection; associatedSequences: GenBank: PQ 281494; occurrenceID: 6F555952-2708-5D5E-AD57-61B575D6017E; Taxon: scientificName: Achalinus hunanensis ; order: Squamata; family: Xenodermidae ; genus: Achalinus ; Location: country: China; stateProvince: Hunan; county: Anhua; verbatimElevation: 550 m; verbatimCoordinates: 28°31'02"N, 111°24'28"E; Event: eventDate: 03-05-2016 GoogleMaps

Description of the female specimen ( QHU 2024030 )

Measurements and scalation. Measurements of the female A. hunanensis specimen are listed in Table 2 View Table 2 . Body slender and cylindrical; head slightly wider than neck; eye small, ED 1.2 mm; rostrum small, triangular, slightly visible from above; length of the suture between the internasal substantially longer than that between prefrontal, LSBI 1.9 mm, LSBP 0.9 mm, LSBI / LSBP ratio 2.1; nasal divided into two sections by nasal cleft, nostril in the anterior part of the nasal; prefrontals paired; frontal pentagonal, pointed to the rear, slightly wider than high, much shorter than the parietals; loreal one, subrectangular, LorH 1.0 mm, LorL 1.6 mm, LorH / LorL ratio 0.63; supraocular one, pentagonal; TEMP 7 / 7, arranged in three rows (2 + 2 + 3 on both sides), the anterior two contact the eye; six supralabials, the 4 th – 5 th contact the eye, the last one much elongated; two pairs of chin shields, the anterior pairs almost equal to the posterior pairs, followed by preventrals; one mental; 6 / 6 infralabials, the first one contacting with others after the mental and before the 1 st chin-shields, 1 st – 3 rd touching the first pair of chin-shields.

Dorsal scales strongly keeled, lanceolate, 23 rows throughout the body, the outermost row strongly keeled and substantially enlarged. VS 169; anal entire; SC 53, not paired.

Colouration in life. In life, dorsum (head, body and tail) predominantly brownish-black, slightly tinged with iridescence. Head scales in dorsal view coloured like body. Eyes completely black, pupil vertically subelliptic. Supralabials mostly brownish-black. Mental, infralabials, chin shields and the 1 st ventral brownish-black. Ventral ground colour light creamy-yellow, darker on the sides, the outer one-sixth of the ventrals light brown. Ventral part of tail pale brown, gradually darkening towards the tip. The posterior margins of ventral scales are pale creamy-white (Fig. 2 View Figure 2 ).

Colouration in preservation. After one month preservation, the colouration still resembles the specimen in life, except that the colouration of dorsum further deepens and the background colour of the venter becomes uniform pale brownish (Fig. 3 View Figure 3 ).

Variation. The female specimen exhibits similar colouration to the male specimens, but differs in measurements and scalation characters as follows: the examined female has a relatively larger body size (TL 428 mm vs. 262–379 mm in males); a significantly shorter tail, TAL / TL ratio 0.17 (vs. 0.22–0.24 in males); and fewer subcaudals (53 vs. 69–72 in males). The main morphological characters of A. hunanensis are listed in Table 2 View Table 2 .

Revision of diagnostic characters

(1) dorsal scales strongly keeled, 23 rows throughout the body, the outermost row strongly keeled and substantially enlarged; (2) tail relatively short, TAL / TL ratio 0.22–0.24 in males and 0.17 in females; (3) maxillary teeth 23; (4) length of suture between internasals substantially longer than that between prefrontals, LSBI / LSBP ratio 2.0–2.1; (5) one loreal, subrectangular; (6) six supralabials, the 4 th and 5 th in contact with the eye; (7) the two anterior temporals in contact with eye; (8) ventrals 163–168 in males and about 169 in females; (9) subcaudals 69–72 in males and about 53 in females, not paired.

Distribution and habits

Currently, Achalinus hunanensis is is known from Hunan Province: Anhua County, Hecheng District, Ningxiang County; and Guizhou Province: Dushan County (Fig. 1 View Figure 1 ). The species was found in leaf litter in well-preserved montane evergreen broadleaf forests (550–1300 m a. s. l.).