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Lycodon ruhstrati (FISCHER, 1886)

IUCN Red List - Lycodon ruhstrati - Least Concern, LC
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Higher TaxaColubridae, Colubrinae, Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes)
SubspeciesLycodon ruhstrati abditus VOGEL, DAVID, PAUWELS, SUMONTHA, NORVAL, HENDRIX, RU & ZIEGLER 2009
Lycodon ruhstrati ruhstrati (FISCHER 1886) 
Common NamesE: Mountain Wolf Snake, Formosa Wolf Snake
G: Berg-Wolfszahnnatter
Chinese: 黑背白环蛇 
SynonymOphites Ruhstrati FISCHER 1886: 16
Dinodon septentrionalis — BOULENGER 1893: 363 (part.)
Dinodon septentrionalis var. ruhstrati — BOULENGER 1899: 165
Dinodon septentrionale ruhstrati — STEJNEGER 1907: 370
Ophites ruhstrati — ZHAO & ADLER 1993
Lycodon ruhstrati — LANZA 1999
Dinodon ruhstrati — WEB SITE
Lycodon ruhstrati — ZIEGLER 2002: 241
Lycodon cf. ruhstrati — ZIEGLER et al. 2007
Lycodon ruhstrati — WALLACH et al. 2014: 395
Lycodon ruhstrati — WANG et al. 2022

Lycodon ruhstrati abditus VOGEL, DAVID, PAUWELS, SUMONTHA, NORVAL, HENDRIX, RU & ZIEGLER 2009
Lycodon ruhstrati abditus — LUU et al. 2018 
DistributionTaiwan, China (Jiangxi, Fujian, Guangdong, northward to Anhui and west to Sichuan [elevation 800-1850 m] and SE Gansu), N Vietnam (elevation 500-1500 m)

ruhstrati: Taiwan (endemic)

abditus: Vietnam (Ninh Binh, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh), Laos. Type locality: U Bo region, Phong Nha – Ke Bang NP, Quang Binh Province, Vietnam.

Type locality: Süd-Formosa [= South Taiwan], China.  
Reproductionoviparous 
TypesSyntypes: LMNMO 918 (formerly LMNMO 37c & 73), a 583+ mm male, and LMNMO 919 (formerly LMNMO 37b & 74)
Syntypes. REP 918-19
Holotype: ZFMK 86451 (GenBank: EU999209), adult female. Collected by Thomas Ziegler, 20 June 2006 (mentioned as Lycodon cf. ruhstrati in Ziegler et al. 2007), paratypes in ZFMK, MNHN and ZMB [abditus] 
DiagnosisDiagnosis: A species of the genus Lycodon, is characterized by: (1) a loreal not entering the orbit; (2) 17 dorsal scale rows at the forepart of the body and at midbody; (3) upper dorsal rows distinctly keeled; and (4) a banded body and tail.


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CommentTaxonomy and nomenclature: For a discussion of nomenclatorial issues concerning the genera Lycodon and Ophites see Zhao & Adler (who listed this species under Ophites). Dinodon futsingensis POPE 1928, previously a synonym of L. ruhstrati, has been revalidated by VOGEL et al. 2009. Lycodon ruhstrati multifasciatus (MAKI 1931) has been elevated to full species status by VOGEL et al. 2009.

Habitat: partly arboreal (Harrington et al. 2018). 
EtymologyNamed after Mr. Ruhstrat, who collected the types in southern Taiwan.

abditus: The subspecific nomen of this subspecies is the Latin adjective abditus (-a, -um), meaning “hidden”, in allusion to the long confusion of this species with Lycodon ruhstrati ruhstrati. 
References
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