Achalinus yunkaiensis WANG, LI & WANG, 2019
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Achalinus yunkaiensis
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| Higher Taxa | Xenodermidae, Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | E: Yunkai Mountain’s Odd-scaled Snake, Yunkai Mountain’s Burrowing Snake Chinese: Yun Kai Ji She (云开脊蛇) |
| Synonym | Achalinus yunkaiensis WANG, LI & WANG in WANG et al. 2019 Achalinus yunkaiensis — MA et al. 2023 |
| Distribution | China (Guangdong) Type locality: Dawuling Forestry Station (22.27580°N, 111.19524°E; 1,500 m a.s.l.), Maoming City, Guangdong Province, China |
| Reproduction | |
| Types | Holotype: SYS r001903 (Figure 2), adult male, collected by Jian Wang and Honghui Chen on 10 April 2018. Paratypes. Adult male, SYS r001443 (Figure 3, A1−A3), collected by Jian Wang and Zhao-Chi Zeng on 16 April 2016; juvenile males, SYS r001502, 1503 (Figure 3, B1−B3), collected by Jian Wang, Can-Rong Lin, Zhao- Chi Zeng and Chun-Peng Guo on 27 June 2016; and a single adult female, SYS r001902, collected by Jian Wang and Hong-Hui Chen on 10 April 2018; all from the same locality as the holotype. |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis: (1) dorsal scales strongly keeled, in 23 rows throughout the body, the most outer rows on both sides smooth and significantly enlarged; (2) tail relatively shorter, TaL/TL ratio 18.5–20.0%; (3) maxillary teeth 20–22; (4) length of suture between internasals subequal to that between the prefrontals; (5) nasal divided into two sections by nasal cleft, posterior one nearly half as long as anterior, LaSN/LpSN 0.4–0.5; (6) loreal elongated, nearly twice as wide as high, HiL/LeL 0.5–0.6; (7) supralabials six, the fourth and fifth ones widely in contact with eye; (8) in- fralabials six, the first three (rarely the first four) in contact with the first pair of chin shields; (9) temporals 2+2+3 (rarely 2+2+4), the two anterior temporals in contact with eye; (10) ventrals 151–162, subcaudals 49–56 arranged in single row, not paired; (11) cloacal entire; (12) uniform brown (in adults) or black (in juveniles) above, tinged weakly iridescent, with a longitudinal dark-colored vertebral line; (13) light brown (in adults) or greyish white (in juveniles) beneath; and (14) dorsum with a longitudinal dark brown vertebral stripe from posterior margin of pari- etals to tail tip. |
| Comment | Habitat: leaf litter in well-preserved montane evergreen broadleaf forest (900–1,600 m a.s.l.). |
| Etymology | The specific epithet, yunkaiensis, is in reference to the type locality, Dawuling Forestry Station and adjacent Xianrendong Scenic Area in Guangdong Province, China located in the Yunkai Mountains. |
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