Trimeresurus lii CAI, GOU, WANG, LIU, LIANG, GU, GU, FANG, LIU, LI & DING, 2026
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Trimeresurus lii
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| Higher Taxa | Viperidae, Crotalinae, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | E: Huaxi Green Pitviper |
| Synonym | Trimeresurus lii CAI, GOU, WANG, LIU, LIANG, GU, GU, FANG, LIU, LI & DING 2026 |
| Distribution | China (Sichuan Province: Xiling Snow Mountain within the Chengdu sector of the Giant Panda National Park, Yuping Mountain in Hongya County, and Emei Mountain in Emeishan City. Elevation 1,100–1,500 m a.s.l. Type locality: Xiling Town in Giant Panda National Park, Chengdu Area, Sichuan Province, China (30.68°N, 103.25°E; elevation 1,167 m a.s.l.), |
| Reproduction | |
| Types | Holotype: CIB 122871 (field number CB249CD017), adult male, collected by the team of Bo Cai in 2025. Paratypes (n = 14, all from Sichuan Province, China). • CIB 122872 (adult female, field number CB2119) and • CIB CB2110 (adult female), along with • CIB CB2105, • CIB CB2120, and • CIB CB2121 (adult males), collected from Emei Mountain Scenic Area in Emeishan City, Sichuan Province, China, by the team of Bo Cai in July 2021. • CNU 202109 (adult male) collected by the team of Gang Wang in September 2021. • CIB 83925 (field number 562142) and • CIB 13787 (field number 562141) (adult males), along with • CIB 13785 (field number 561785) and • CIB 13786 (field number 562191) (adult females), collected by Cheng-Chao Liu, Fuhua Liu et al. in 1956. • CIB 13772 (field number 639162), • CIB 13783 (field number 639163), and • CIB 13782 (field number 639246) (adult males) collected by Chenghan Liu in 1963. All these species are from Emei Mountain Scenic Area in Emeishan City. • CIB CB2127 adult male collected by the team of Bo Cai in September 2021 from Yuping Mountain Scenic Area in Hongya County, Meishan City. |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis: (Table 2). This new species can be distinguished from all of its congeners by the following combination of morphological characters: (1) dorsal scale rows 21-21-15; (2) ventrals 152–167 in males and 160–168 in females; (3) subcaudals 64–75 in males and 63–70 in females; (4) skin coloration is black to dark gray, and body coloration is grass green without bands or markings in both sexes; (5) eye color is amber in males and orange-yellow in females; (6) postocular stripe is red and white, extending to the 2nd supralabial in males, but yellow or faintly developed yellow in females; (7) ventrolateral stripe is white (above) and red (below) in males, but yellow in females; (8) temporal scales and occipital scales smooth, dorsal scales rhomboid, feebly keeled except the first row of scales, which are smooth in both sexes. (Cai et al. 2026) Unfortunately we had to temporarily remove additional information as this was scraped by multiple AI companies who sell that data. However, these details, e.g. detailed descriptions (about about 3.63 pages) are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us if you need any of this material. |
| Comment | |
| Etymology | The specific epithet lii is a Latinized genitive form honoring LI Er (c. 6th–5thcentury BCE), traditionally revered as Laozi, the ancient Chinese philosopher whose teachings emphasize harmonious coexistence between humans and nature—a principle that aligns closely with the conservation ethos of the Giant Panda National Park, where this species was discovered. The known distribution ofTrimeresurusliisp. nov. in western Sichuan Province falls within the West China Rain Zone, a region historically associated with the early development of Daoist thought. |
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