First Record of the Poorly Known Skink Sphenomorphus oligolepis (Boulenger, 1914) (Reptilia: Squamata: Scincidae) from Seram Island, Maluku Province, Indonesia

Based on four specimens discovered in the collection of The Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom, we present a new distribution record for the skink Sphenomorphus oligolepis for Seram Island, Maluku Province, Indonesia. This find constitutes the westernmost record for the species and extends its range by over 800 km. The species was heretofore only known from apparently isolated mainland New Guinean populations

First captive breeding of a night skink (Scincidae: Eremiascincus) from Timor-Leste, Lesser Sunda Islands, with remarks on the reproductive biology of the genus

We report two instances of captive breeding in a species of Timorese night skink (genus Eremiascincus Greer, 1979) in October and December 2012. Four and three neonates, respectively, with total lengths of ca 40 mm each, were discovered during routine maintenance of a terrarium, in which three adult animals (1 male, 2 females) were kept. The absence of eggshells in the terrarium and the unlikelihood of post-eclosion oophagy by the adults suggest that the reproductive mode of the species is viviparous. We also provide a summary of available information pertaining to the reproductive biology of other members of the genus Eremiascincus

An inconspicuous, conspicuous new species of Asian pipesnake, genus Cylindrophis (Reptilia: Squamata: Cylindrophiidae), from the south coast of Jawa Tengah, Java, Indonesia, and an overview of the tangled taxonomic history of C. ruffus (Laurenti, 1768)

We describe a new species of Cylindrophis currently known only from Grabag, Purworejo Regency, Jawa Tengah Province (Central Java), Java, Indonesia. Cylindrophis subocularis sp. nov. can be distinguished from all congeners by the presence of a single, eponymous subocular scale between the 3rd and 4th or 4th and 5th supralabial, preventing contact between the 4th or 5th supralabial and the orbit, and by having the prefrontal in narrow contact with or separated from the orbit. We preface our description with a detailed account of the tangled taxonomic history of the similar and putatively wide-ranging species C. ruffus, which leads us to (1) remove the name Scytale scheuchzeri from the synonymy of C. ruffus, (2) list the taxon C. rufa var. javanica as species inquirenda, and (3) synonymize C. mirzae with C. ruffus. We provide additional evidence to confirm that the type locality of C. ruffus is Java. Cylindrophis subocularis sp. nov. is the second species of Asian pipesnake from Java

Redescription of Cyrtodactylus fumosus (Müller, 1895) (Reptilia: Squamata: Gekkonidae), with a revised identification key to the bent-toed geckos of Sulawesi

The binominal Cyrtodactylus fumosus has frequently been used for populations of bent-toed geckos occurring on some Indonesian islands, including Java, Bali, Sulawesi, and Halmahera. Unfortunately, incorrect usage of this name for different geographic lineages has resulted in confusion about the true identity of C. fumosus. Examination of the type specimen and additional specimens from Rurukan and Mount Masarang, North Sulawesi Province, Indonesia, revealed that this population is distinct from other forms heretofore called ‘fumosus’ by a combination of unique morphological characters. In order to stabilize the taxonomy of C. fumosus sensu stricto, and to prevent further confusion, we provide a comprehensive redescription of this species, whose distribution we herein restrict to North Sulawesi. Cyrtodactylus fumosus is one of the most distinctive species among the six bent-toed geckos recorded from Sulawesi, and it differs from Sulawesi congeners by the presence of (1) precloacofemoral scales, including three pore-bearing scales on each thigh, separated from 10 or 11 pore-bearing scales in the precloacal region by 9-11 interscales in males, (2) a precloacal groove in adult males, (3) flat dorsal tubercles in 4-7 irregularly arranged longitudinal rows at midbody, and (4) a distinct lateral fold lacking tubercles. We also provide a revised identification key to the bent-toed gecko species of Sulawesi

Atractus alytogrammus Köhler & Kieckbusch, 2014, sp. nov.

Atractus alytogrammus sp. nov. Figs. 1–3 Holotype. A male, SMF 88371, collected on January 9 1957 by Federico Medem in the Serrania de la Lindosa (2.46782 °, - 72.73155 °), south of the municipality of San José del Guaviare, department of Guaviare, Colombia. Diagnosis. A species of the genus Atractus that differs from all congeners by the following combination of characters: (1) 17 smooth dorsal scale rows; (2) preocular absent; (3) loreal present, approximately as long as high; (4) temporals 1 + 2; (5) seven supralabials; (6) seven infralabials; (7) five maxillary teeth; (8) four gular scale rows; (9) four pre-ventrals; (10) 187 ventrals in single male; (11) 29 / 31 subcaudals in single male; (12) dorsum of body with longitudinal stripes; (13) venter uniformly dark gray; (14) SVL of single male 297 mm; (15) small to moderate tail length in single male (11.8 % of SVL); (16) hemipenis morphology unknown. Comparisons. Among all currently recognized congeners, Atractus alytogrammus shares a dark venter and is morphologically similar to A. steyermarki, A. nigriventris, and A. trivittatus. It differs from A. steyermarki by having a uniform dark gray venter (vs. venter pale with a midventral stripe in A. steyermarki), 187 ventrals (vs. 160–167 in males in A. steyermarki), and 29 / 31 subcaudals (vs. 37–44 in males in A. steyermarki). Atractus alytogrammus differs from A. nigriventris and A. trivitattus by having a dorsal body pattern of longitudinal lines (vs. dorsum brown with black blotches in A. nigriventris and A. trivitattus) and 187 ventral scales in single known male (vs. 175 in single known female of A. nigriventris, 176 in single known female of A. trivitattus). Atractus alytogrammus differs further from A. trivitattus by having seven supralabials (vs. eight in A. trivitattus). Among congeners from Colombian Amazonia and surrounding lowlands, A. alytogrammus shares only with A. univittatus (Jan 1862) the combination of having 17 dorsal scale rows, seven supralabials, and a pattern with longitudinal stripes or lines on dorsum. Atractus alytogrammus differs from A. univittatus by having 187 ventrals in the single male (vs. 151–160 ventrals in males of A. univittatus), seven infralabials (vs. six infralabials in A. univittatus), and a uniform dark venter with lighter speckles on the edges (vs. a yellowish white venter in A. univittatus). Description of the holotype. Male; SVL 297 mm; moderate TL 35 mm (complete; 11.8 % SVL); TTL 332 mm; head not distinct from body; body cylindrical, diameter at midbody 5.2 mm (1.8 % of SVL); head rounded in dorsal view; HL 9.41 mm (3.2 % SVL); HW 4.9 mm (65.3 % of HL); snout rounded in dorsal view, rounded in lateral view; eye diameter 1.03 mm; pupil round; interorbital distance 3.2 mm (42.7 % HL); rostro-orbital distance 2.9 mm (38.7 % HL); naso-orbital distance 1.4 mm (18.7 % HL). 17 / 17 / 17 smooth dorsal scale rows, 16 dorsal scale rows above cloaca, 9 dorsal scale rows above second subcaudal; apical pits absent; 187 ventrals; 29 / 31 divided subcaudals; some of the subcaudals fused; 4 preventrals; cloacal scute entire; rostral well visible from above, subtriangular, wider than high (rostral height 1.3 mm, rostral width 2.24 mm); two subpentagonal internasals, height 0.7 mm, width 1.04 mm; internasal suture sinistral in respect to prefrontal suture; nostril in suture of prenasal and postnasal; 1 / 1 hexagonal postnasal, length 0.7 mm, height 0.7 mm; short subrectangular loreal, approximately as high as long (loreal length 0.7 mm; loreal height 0.6 mm; ratio length/height: 1.17); preocular lacking; two subrectangular postoculars, upper postocular larger than lower (upper postocular length 0.4 mm; upper postocular height 0.4 mm); temporal formula 1 + 2, anterior temporal larger than posterior temporals, posterior temporals equal in size (anterior temporal: height 0.9 mm, length 1.7 mm; upper posterior temporal: height 0.7 mm, length 1.0 mm); seven supralabials, first four equal in size; fifth, sixth seventh supralabials larger, sixth the largest; second and third supralabial in contact with loreal; third and fourth supralabial in contact with the eye; seven infralabials, first three infralabials in contact with the chin shields; first pair of infralabials smaller than rest; first pair of infralabials in contact, preventing contact of mental and chin shields; gular scale rows from infralabials to preventrals four; two chin shields, length 2.5 mm, width 0.7 mm; two subpentagonal prefrontals, length 1.5 mm, width 1.6 mm; pentagonal supraoculars, length 1.1 mm, width 0.6 mm; subtriangular frontal, frontal apex slightly protruding, length 2.1 mm, width 2.0 mm; parietal length 3.7 mm, width 2.0 mm. Coloration of the holotype. After 56 years preservation in 70 % ethanol: dorsal and lateral surfaces of head Hair Brown (277); most supralabials with Smoke Gray (266) speckles; surface of the chin region Fawn Color (258); ground color of the ventrals and subcaudals Dusty Brown (285) with Pale Buff (1) speckles on the edges of ventrals; dorsal ground color Sepia (279) with Verona Brown (37) mottling on the edges of the dorsal scales; a Drab (19) dashed line on the first dorsal scale row present from below level of a point four scales behind posterior tip of parietals to level of cloaca; a Drab (19) dashed line on the second dorsal scale row present from below level of a point four scales behind posterior tip of parietals to about one fourth of body where it becomes indistinct and disappears; a Fawn Color (258) longitudinal, continuous line on the fifth dorsal scale row present, from a point four scales behind posterior tip of parietals to tip of tail; a Dusty Brown (285) vertebral stripe present from posterior tip of parietals to tip of tail. Etymology. The name alytogrammus is a compound noun derived from alytos (Greek for “unbroken”) and gramme (Greek for “line”) referring to the continuous dorsolateral pale stripe in this species.Published as part of Köhler, Gunther & Kieckbusch, Max, 2014, Two new species of Atractus from Colombia (Reptilia, Squamata, Dipsadidae), pp. 291-300 in Zootaxa 3872 (3) on pages 292-295, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3872.3.5, http://zenodo.org/record/22880

<strong>Two new species of <em>Atractus</em> from Colombia (Reptilia, Squamata, Dipsadidae)</strong>

Köhler, Gunther, Kieckbusch, Max (2014): Two new species of Atractus from Colombia (Reptilia, Squamata, Dipsadidae). Zootaxa 3872 (3): 291-300, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3872.3.

Atractus careolepis Köhler & Kieckbusch, 2014, sp. nov.

Atractus careolepis sp. nov. Figs. 4–6 Holotype. A male, SMF 68413, collected on August 0 1 1970 by M. Henning and F. Klaaßen in the Punta de Betin (approximately 11.2522 °, - 74.2197 °, 15 m asl), municipality of Santa Marta, province of Magdalena, Colombia. Diagnosis. A species of the genus Atractus that differs from all congeners by the following combination of characters: (1) 17 smooth dorsal scale rows; (2) preocular absent; (3) loreal absent; (4) temporals 1 + 2; (5) seven supralabials; (6) six or seven infralabials; (7) eight maxillary teeth; (8) three gular scale rows; (9) three preventrals; (10) 146 ventrals in single male; (11) 31 / 32 subcaudals in single male; (12) dorsum of body and tail reddish brown with paired, occasionally slightly alternating lateral vertical cream blotches, approximately one dorsal scale broad, not contacting in vertebral region; (13) venter cream with reddish brown blotches, forming two parallel series on anterior body and a checkered pattern on the rest of body; (14) SVL of single known male 178 mm; (15) small to moderate tail length in single known male (16.3 % of SVL); (16) hemipenis morphology unknown. Comparisons. Among all currently recognized congeners, Atractus careolepis is most similar in external morphology to A. lancinii, A. macondo, and A. sanctaemartae. Atractus careolepis differs from all of them by the absence of the loreal scale resulting in the contact of the prefrontals with the supralabials (vs. loreal scale present in A. lancinii, A. macondo, and A. sanctaemartae). Atractus careolepis further differs from A. lancinii by having seven supralabials and seven infralabials (vs. eight supralabials and eight infralabials in A. lancinii) and 146 ventrals in the single male (vs. 174–186 ventrals in A. lancinii). Atractus careolepis differs further from A. macondo by having a body pattern of pale transverse bands on a dark dorsum (vs. dorsum uniformly reddish brown in A. macondo); eight maxillary teeth (vs. nine maxillary teeth in A. macondo); three gular scale rows (vs. two rows in A. macondo); and 31–32 subcaudals in the single known male (vs. 29 subcaudals in the single known male). Atractus careolepis differs further from A. sanctaemartae by having a body pattern of pale transverse bands on a brown dorsum in the single known male (vs. black dorsum with alternate light transversal bands in males of A. sanctaemartae). Description of the holotype. Male; SVL 178 mm; long TL 29 mm (complete; 16.3 % SVL); TTL 207 mm; head not distinct from body; body cylindrical, maximum body diameter 7.1 mm (4 % of SVL); head rounded in dorsal view; HL 7.61 mm (4.3 % SVL); HW 6.0 mm (75.9 % of HL); snout rounded in dorsal view, slightly truncate in lateral view; eye diameter 1.2 mm; pupil round; interorbital distance 3.2 mm (40.5 % HL); rostro-orbital distance 3.0 mm (37.9 % HL); naso-orbital distance 2.0 mm (25.3 % HL). 17 / 17 / 17 smooth dorsal scale rows, 16 dorsal scale rows above cloaca, 10 dorsal scale rows above second subcaudal; apical pits absent; 146 ventrals; 31 / 32 subcaudals; three pre-ventrals; cloacal scute entire; rostral slightly visible from above, subtriangular, wider than high (rostral height 0.9 mm, rostral width 1.2 mm); two subrectangular internasals, height 0.7 mm, width 0.8 mm; internasal suture sinistral in respect to prefrontal suture; nostril in suture of prenasal and postnasal; 1 / 1 subrectangular postnasal, length 0.4 mm, postnasal height 0.5 mm; loreal absent, prefrontals in contact with supralabials; preocular lacking; two subtriangular postoculars, upper postocular approximately equal in size to lower postocular (upper postocular length 0.6 mm; upper postocular height 0.7 mm); temporal formula 1 + 2, anterior temporal equal in size to lower posterior temporal, upper posterior temporal three times as long as lower posterior temporal (dextral) or two times as long as lower posterior temporal (sinistral) (anterior temporal: height 0.9 mm, length 1.5 mm; upper posterior temporal: dextral: height 0.9 mm, length 3.4 mm; sinistral: height 1.0 mm, length 2.1 mm); seven supralabials, first smaller than all others, third supralabial larger than second and fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh supralabial equal in size or slightly larger than third; second and third supralabial in contact with prefrontals; third and fourth supralabial in contact with the eye; six and seven infralabials, first three in contact with the chin shields; dextral third infralabial larger than all other infralabials; sinistral third and fourth larger than all other infralabials; first pair of infralabials in contact, preventing contact of mental and chin shields; gular scale rows from infralabials to preventrals three; two chin shields, length 2.7 mm, width 1.1 mm; two subpentagonal prefrontals, length 2.1 mm, width 1.9 mm; subrectangular supraoculars, length 1.2 mm, width 1.0 mm; subtriangular frontal length 2.2 mm, width 2.1 mm; parietal length 4.3 mm, width 2.1 mm. Coloration of the holotype. After 43 years preservation in 70 % ethanol: dorsal surface of head Raw Umber (280) with Light Buff (2) blotches on most upper head scales; supralabials Light Buff (2); ventral surface of head Light Buff (2) with Raw Umber (280) speckles on anterior infralabials and chin shields; dorsal surfaces of body and tail Raw Umber (280) with paired occasionally slightly alternating lateral vertical Pale Buff (1) blotches, approximately one dorsal scale broad, not contacting in vertebral region; ventral surface Light Buff (2) with Raw Umber blotches (280), forming two parallel series on anterior body and a checkered pattern on the rest of body; dark coloration on venter more intense on posterior portion of body. Etymology. The name careolepis is a compound noun derived from careo (Latin for “be without”) and lepis (Greek for “scale”) referring to the absence of the loreal scale in this species.Published as part of Köhler, Gunther & Kieckbusch, Max, 2014, Two new species of Atractus from Colombia (Reptilia, Squamata, Dipsadidae), pp. 291-300 in Zootaxa 3872 (3) on pages 295-297, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3872.3.5, http://zenodo.org/record/22880

A new species of Cylindrophis Wagler, 1828 (Reptilia: Squamata: Cylindrophiidae) from Boano Island, northern Maluku Province, Indonesia

Kieckbusch, Max, Mader, Felix, Kaiser, Hinrich, Mecke, Sven (2018): A new species of Cylindrophis Wagler, 1828 (Reptilia: Squamata: Cylindrophiidae) from Boano Island, northern Maluku Province, Indonesia. Zootaxa 4486 (3): 236-250, DOI: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4486.3.

Cylindrophis

<p> <b> The genus <i>Cylindrophis</i>.</b> </p> <p> The henophidian snake genus <i>Cylindrophis</i> Wagler, 1828 currently comprises 13 secretive, semifossorial species, including <i>C</i>. <i>aruensis</i> Boulenger, 1920; <i>C</i>. <i>boulengeri</i> Roux, 1911; <i>C</i>. <i>burmanus</i> Smith, 1943; <i>C</i>. <i>engkariensis</i> Stuebing, 1994; <i>C</i>. <i>isolepis</i> Boulenger, 1896; <i>C</i>. <i>jodiae</i> Amarasinghe <i>et al</i>., 2015; <i>C</i>. <i>lineatus</i> Blanford, 1881; <i>C</i>. <i>maculatus</i> (Linnaeus, 1758); <i>C</i>. <i>melanotus</i> Wagler, 1828; <i>C</i>. <i>mirzae</i> Amarasinghe <i>et al</i>., 2015; <i>C</i>. <i>opisthorhodus</i> Boulenger, 1897; <i>C</i>. <i>ruffus</i> (Laurenti, 1768); and <i>C</i>. <i>yamdena</i> Smith & Sidik, 1998 (see Wallach <i>et al</i>. 2014; Amarasinghe <i>et al</i>. 2015). These snakes are collectively referred to as Asian pipesnakes due to their cylindrical appearance, with a body of near-uniform diameter. Members of the genus are small- to mediumsized (total length 125–857 mm), rather stout-bodied snakes that may be defined on the basis of the following eidonomic characters: (1) a relatively blunt head with minute eyes, head not distinct from neck, bearing a mental groove; (2) absence of true gastrosteges, with ventral scales only slightly larger than or equal in size to dorsal scales; (3) presence of a pair of pelvic spurs (= cloacal spurs) in both sexes; (4) a very short tail, often with conspicuous ventral coloration; and (5) contrasting light and dark ventral blotching (e.g., de Rooij 1917; Smith 1943; Taylor 1965; Greene 1973; pers. obs.). The conspicuous ventral color pattern plays a vital role in the defensive behavior of <i>Cylindrophis</i> species. When threatened, pipesnakes will flatten the posterior portion of their body and arch it above the ground to display their ventral pattern, while the head remains concealed among the body coils (e.g., Flower 1899; Barbour 1912; Smith 1927, 1943; Campden-Main 1970; Deuve 1970; Greene 1973).</p> <p> <b>Distribution.</b> <i>Cylindrophis</i> is a widely distributed genus (Flower 1899; de Rooij 1917; Smith 1943; Lal Hora & Jayaram 1949; Taylor 1965; Campden-Main 1970; Deuve 1970; McDowell 1975; in den Bosch 1985; Stuebing 1991; Adler <i>et al</i>. 1992; Iskandar 1998; Zug <i>et al</i>. 1998; McDiarmid <i>et al</i>. 1999; Orlov <i>et al</i>. 2000; de Lang 2011) with species occurring from Sri Lanka (one species) throughout the continental and insular parts of Southeast Asia (12 species currently recognized). In Southeast Asia the genus is distributed from southern China and Hong Kong through Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, Peninsular Malaysia, and Singapore including Singapore, south to the Greater Sunda Islands (Borneo, Sumatra, Java, as well as some of their offshore islands), Sulawesi, the Lesser Sunda Islands (Lombok, Komodo, Flores, Sumbawa, Timor), and east to the Maluku Islands (Halmahera, Wetar, Damar, Babar, and into the Tanimbar Archipelago); the eastern distributional limit, the Aru Islands, was considered questionable by Iskandar (1998). However, within this vast range, smaller-scale zoogeographic patterns, phylogenetic relationships, and even the true species richness of the genus remain poorly known.</p> <p> Many species of <i>Cylindrophis</i>, especially those from the eastern end of the distribution (e.g., <i>C</i>. <i>aruensis</i>, <i>C</i>. <i>boulengeri</i>, <i>C</i>. <i>isolepis</i>, <i>C</i>. <i>yamdena</i>), are known from very few specimens (McDowell 1975; Iskandar 1998; Smith & Sidik 1998). This is likely due to both the remoteness of the eastern Indonesian islands and the secretive lifestyle of these snakes, and <i>Cylindrophis</i> diversity in this region may still be underestimated. Even on Borneo, an island with a relatively well-studied herpetofauna (Das 2004), Stuebing (1994) discovered <i>C</i>. <i>engkariensis</i>, a species with a potentially very restricted range. More recently, Amarasinghe <i>et al</i>. (2015) described two new species (one from Singapore and one from Vietnam) that had been masquerading under the name <i>C</i>. <i>ruffus</i>. However, the descriptions and redescriptions (including of <i>C</i>. <i>ruffus</i>) presented by these authors contain some inaccuracies, including descriptive errors, which unfortunately increase the complexity of an already intricate taxonomic situation.</p>Published as part of <i>Kieckbusch, Max, Mecke, Sven, Hartmann, Lukas & Ehrmantraut, Lisa, 2016, An inconspicuous, conspicuous new species of Asian pipesnake, genus Cylindrophis (Reptilia: Squamata: Cylindrophiidae), from the south coast of Jawa Tengah, Java, Indonesia, and an overview of the tangled taxonomic history of C. ruffus (Laurenti, 1768), pp. 1-25 in Zootaxa 4093 (1)</i> on page 2, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4093.1.1, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/270943">http://zenodo.org/record/270943</a&gt

An inconspicuous, conspicuous new species of Asian pipesnake, genus Cylindrophis (Reptilia: Squamata: Cylindrophiidae), from the south coast of Jawa Tengah, Java, Indonesia, and an overview of the tangled taxonomic history of C. ruffus (Laurenti, 1768)

Kieckbusch, Max, Mecke, Sven, Hartmann, Lukas, Ehrmantraut, Lisa (2016): An inconspicuous, conspicuous new species of Asian pipesnake, genus Cylindrophis (Reptilia: Squamata: Cylindrophiidae), from the south coast of Jawa Tengah, Java, Indonesia, and an overview of the tangled taxonomic history of C. ruffus (Laurenti, 1768). Zootaxa 4093 (1): 1-25, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4093.1.