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) |
| 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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