Oligodon transcaspicus (NIKOLSKY, 1903)
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Oligodon transcaspicus
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| Higher Taxa | Colubridae, Colubrinae, Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | E: Streaked Kukuri Snake G: Gestreifte Kukrinatter |
| Synonym | Contia transcaspica NIKOLSKY 1903 Oligodon taeniolatus — CHERNOV 1935: 351 (in part) Oligodon taeniolatus — FILIPPOV 1947 (in part) Oligodon taeniolatus — RAJABIZADEH 2018: 242 (in part) Oligodon transcaspicus — LEE et al. 2023 |
| Distribution | S Turkmenistan (SW Kopet-Dag), N Iran Type locality: “Kopet-Dag, Transcaspia” (now Köpet–Dag Mountain Range, near Ashgabat, Ahal Province, Turkmenistan) |
| Reproduction | oviparous |
| Types | Holotype: ZISP 9868 collected by N. Kinschin in 1901 |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis: A kukri snake in the genus Oligodon that is distinguished from all other congeners by the following combination of morphological characters: (1) 7–9 maxillary teeth, with the posterior two teeth enlarged and blade-like; (2) dorsal scales in 15–15–15 rows; (3) cloacal plate divided; (4) ventral scales 179–188 in males, 193–214 in females; (5) subcaudals 48–52 in males, 44–51 in females; (6) total body scales 232–240 in males, 240–266 in females (232–266 scales combined); (7) subcaudal ratio 0.203–0.224 in males, 0.177–192 in females; (8) almost always five supralabials (sometimes six according to Latifi, 1991), with only the 3rd supralabial contacting the orbit; (9) loreal and preocular scales present, presubocular sometimes present; (10) posterior temporal scales three (rarely 2), with the lowest temporal causing 4th and 5th supralabial to contact narrowly; (11) dorsal color pattern beige or light brown with of 42–57 dark transverse crossbars on body and 12–17 crossbars on the tail; (12) dorsal color pattern on tail resembling the rest of the body, with no vertebral stripe. (Lee et al. 2023) Additional details (4378 characters) are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. |
| Comment | Similar species: Has been confused and synonymized with O. taeniolatus. Distribution: see map in Lee et al. 2023: 5 (Fig. 1) Synonymy: Contia transcaspica NIKOLSKY 1903 has been resurrected from the synonymy of O. taeniolatus by Lee et al. 2023. Note that the resurrection is apparently based on DNA sequences from a single specimen from Iran. |
| Etymology | Named after the type locality; transcaspica [= transcaspian], comes from Latin trāns "across, on the far side, beyond" + caspica "Caspian Sea". |
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