Lycodon liuchengchaoi ZHANG, JIANG, VOGEL & RAO, 2011
Can you confirm these amateur observations of Lycodon liuchengchaoi?
Lycodon liuchengchaoi
We have no photos, try to find some by Google images search: 
| Higher Taxa | Colubridae, Colubrinae, Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | Chinese: 刘氏白环蛇 |
| Synonym | Lycodon liuchengchaoi ZHANG, JIANG, VOGEL & RAO 2011 Lycodon liuchengchaoi — LEI et al. 2014 Lycodon luichengchaoi — GRISMER et al. 2014 (in error) Lycodon liuchengchaoi — WALLACH et al. 2014: 395 Lycodon liuchengchaoi — GAO et al. 2022 |
| Distribution | China (Sichuan, Hunan) Type locality: Tangjiahe National Nature Reserve (32.5439°N, 104.8322°E, elevation 1360m), Qingchuan County, Sichuan Province, P. R. China |
| Reproduction | oviparous. |
| Types | Holotype: CWNU 867001 (Figs. 1–3), an adult male. Collected by Qixiang Deng in July, 1986. Paratypes. CWNU84002, an adult female, collected from an elevation of 1230 m in the Tangjiahe, by Qixiang Deng on the same date as holotype; FMNH 15148, Monping, Szechwan (=Baoxing County, Sichuan Province), collected by Herbert Stevens, 28 August 1929. |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis: Lycodon liuchengchaoi sp. nov. is distinguished from all other species of Lycodon by the following combination of characters: (1) 17 dorsal scale rows at midbody, several median rows feebly keeled; (2) 7–8 supralabials, the third and fourth or the third to fifth entering eye; (3) loreal entering orbit but not in contact with internasals; (4) anal divided; (5) more than 40 well-defined yellow rings evenly spaced along the entire length of the black body, and more than 10 yellow rings evenly spaced along the black tail; (6) hemipenis not forked at the tip. In terms of pattern, L. liuchengchaoi is most similar to L. fasciatus except for the fact that the bands are yellow instead of whitish-brown or cream, but differs by the following traits: seven supralabials in two of the three specimens, the third and fourth entering orbit (in one case the third, fourth and fifth) (eight supralabials in all 72 specimens of L. fasciatus examined by us except one, which has 9 on one side, with the third, fourth and fifth entering eye); usually 8 infralabials (L. fasciatus usually 9); anal divided (anal entire in L. fasciatus); hemipenis has no nick at the tip (hemipenis of L. fasciatus has a nick at the tip, Fig. 4 in ZHANG et al. 2011). |
| Comment | Habitat: floor of broad-leaved deciduous forest. |
| Etymology | The species is named after Dr. Cheng-chao Liu (now spelled Chengzhao Liu; 1900–1976), one of the founders of modern Chinese herpetology. Since 1938, Dr. Liu taught in West China Union University (West China University of Medical Science later) until the end of his life, and established the Department of Herpetology in Chengdu Institute of Biology in the 1960s. His best-known book “Amphibians of Western China” was published in 1950. He contributed substantially to the taxonomy and life history of amphibians and reptiles. |
| References |
|
| External links |