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Plagiopholis styani (BOULENGER, 1899)

IUCN Red List - Plagiopholis styani - Least Concern, LC
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Higher TaxaColubridae (Pseudoxenodontinae), Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Chinese Mountain Snake
Chinese: 福建颈斑蛇 
SynonymTrirhinopholis styani BOULENGER 1899: 159
Trirhinopholis styani — STEJNEGER 1926: 77
Trirhinopholis styani — POPE 1934
Trirhinopholis styani — BOURRET 1934: 132
Trirhinopholis styani — BOURRET 1937: 72
Plagiopholis styani — DING & ZHENG 1974
Plagiopholis styani — INGER et al. 1990: 20
Plagiopholis styani — NGUYEN et al. 2009
Plagiopholis styani — WALLACH et al. 2014: 562
Plagiopholis styani — WANG et al. 2022
Plagiopholis styani — CAI et al. 2025
Plagiopholis styani — LIU et al. 2025 
DistributionVietnam, S China (Fujian, Chekiang, Anhwei, Jiangxi, Sichuan, northward to SE Gansu), Taiwan (iNaturalist), elevation 1200-1230 m.

Type locality: Kuatun, Fukien (= Fujian); Wuyishan Mountain, Fujian Province, China (fide Liu et al. 2025)  
Reproductionoviparous 
TypesLectotype: BMNH 1946.1.14.11, adult male; paralectotype: BMNH 1946.1.14.11, juvenile female.
Referred specimens (n = 9): CIB 10194 (field number 64I6669, adult male), FJNU 3625004 (adult male), FJNU SR (adult male), FJNU 3625005 (adult female), FJNU 3525002 (adult female), FJNU3625006 (adult female) from Wuyishan City, Fujian Province, China; WYS 2024001 (adult male) from Mt. Huanggang (the main peak of the Wuyi Mountains), Yanshan County, Jiangxi Province, China; ZJFRR 202207001 (subadult male) from Anji County, Zhejiang Province, China; and ZJFRR 202407001 (adult female) from Lin’an District, Zhejiang Province, China. 
DiagnosisUnfortunately we had to temporarily remove additional information as this was scraped by multiple AI companies who sell that data. These details, e.g. detailed descriptions are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us if you need any of this material. 
CommentDistribution: for a map of localities see Cai et al. 2025: 1777 (Fig. 1). 
EtymologyNamed after Frederick William Styan (1838-1934), a tea trader and collector in Kiukiang, China for 27 years. He was a Fellow of the Zoological Society and a Member of the British Ornithologists' Union. 
References
  • Beolens, Bo; Michael Watkins, and Michael Grayson 2011. The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, USA - get paper here
  • Boulenger, GEORGE A. 1899. On a collection of reptiles and batrachians made by Mr. J. D. La Touche in N.W. Fokien, China. Proc. Zool. Soc. London 1899: 159-172 - get paper here
  • Bourret, R. 1934. Notes herpétologiques sur l'Indochine Française I. Ophidiens de Chapa. Bull. Gen. Instr. Pub. Hanoi 7 (March 1934): 129-138 - get paper here
  • Bourret,R. 1937. Notes herpétologiques sur l’indochine française. XV. Lézards et serpents reçu au laboratoire des Sciences Naturelles de l’Université au cours de l’année 1937. Descriptions de deux espèces et de deux variétés nouvelles. Bulletin Générale de l’Instruction Publique 5. Gouvernement Généneral de l’Indochine, pp. 57-82
  • Cai B, Xu Y, Vogel G, Peng L, Xu J, Cheng L, Liang D, Li M, Wang Y, Ma S 2025. Redescription of Plagiopholis styani (Serpentes, Pseudoxenodontidae), with description of two new species from China. Zoosystematics and Evolution 101(4): 1775-1797 - get paper here
  • Ding, HAN BO, and JI ZHENG. 1974. Snakes of Fujian Province (in Chinese). Publ. Dept. Biol. Fujian Nor-mal Univ., Fuzhou. (6), 93, (1) pages
  • Fu, C., Fan, H., Zhao, T., & Zong, H. 2021. The complete mitochondrial genome of Plagiopholis styani (Reptilia: Squamata: Colubridae). Mitochondrial DNA Part B, 6(10), 3044-3045 - get paper here
  • Inger R F; Zhao E; Bradley Shaffer H; Guanfu Wu 1990. Report on a collection of amphibians and reptiles from Sichuan, China. Fieldiana: Zoology (No. 58) : i-iii, 1-24 - get paper here
  • Lin, T.Y.; Huang, B.J.; Wang, S.M.; Mao, J.J. 2025. Natural history notes: Plagiopholis styani (Chinese Mountain Snake). Diet. Herpetological Review 55 (2): 289-290. [2024]
  • Liu S, Luo Z, Xiao X, Peng C, Zhang D, Li S 2025. Re-discovery and re-description of the true Plagiopholis styani (Boulenger, 1899) (Serpentes, Pseudoxenodontidae), with the taxonomic status of the populations previously considered as P. styani. Biodiversity Data Journal 13: e151488 - get paper here
  • Mell,R. 1931. List of Chinese snakes. Lingnan Sci. Jour., Canton, 8 [1929]: 199-219.
  • Nguyen, S.V., Ho, C.T. and Nguyen, T.Q. 2009. Herpetofauna of Vietnam. Chimaira, Frankfurt, 768 pp.
  • Orlov, N. L., S. A. Ryabov, N. Van Sang and N. Q. Truong 2003. New records and data on the poorly known snakes of Vietnam. Russ. J. Herpetol. 10: 217-240 - get paper here
  • Pope, Clifford H. 1934. List of Chinese turtles, Crocodilians, and Snakes with keys. American Museum Novitates (733): 1-29 - get paper here
  • Qi S, Song H-M, Yang H-C, Xu Y-H, Fang R-J, Su J-R, Liu Z-F, Gong Y-N, Li F-H, Lyu C-H, Wang B-Y, Wang Y-Y 2025. A new species of Plagiopholis Boulenger, 1893 (Serpentes, Pseudoxenodontidae) from Guangdong, China. Zoosystematics and Evolution 101(4): 2171-2180 - get paper here
  • Stejneger, L. 1925. Chinese amphibians and reptiles in the United States National Museum. Proc. US Natl. Mus. 66 (2562): 1-115. - get paper here
  • Wallach, Van; Kenneth L. Williams, Jeff Boundy 2014. Snakes of the World: A Catalogue of Living and Extinct Species. [type catalogue] Taylor and Francis, CRC Press, 1237 pp.
  • Wang, C. G. M. Z. X., Jia, S. Y. K. T. L., & Hu, C. Z. J. 2022. An updated species checklist of amphibians and reptiles in Fujian Province, China. Biodiversity Science, 22090 - get paper here
  • Wang, Kai; Jinlong Ren, Hongman Chen, Zhitong Lyu, Xianguang Guo Ke Jiang, Jinmin Chen, Jiatang Li, Peng Guo, Yingyong Wang, Jing Che 2020. The updated checklists of amphibians and reptiles of China. Biodiversity Science 28 (2): 189-218 - get paper here
  • Zhao, E.M. 2006. The snakes of China [in Chinese]. Hefei, China, Anhui Sience & Technology Publ. House, Vol. I, 372 pp., Vol. II (color plates), 280 pp.
  • Zhao,E. & Adler,K. 1993. Herpetology of China. SSAR, Oxford/Ohio, 1-522
 
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