Achalinus yunkaiensis WANG, LI & WANG, 2019
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Achalinus yunkaiensis
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| Higher Taxa | Xenodermidae, Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | E: Yunkai Mountain’s Odd-scaled Snake, Yunkai Mountain’s Burrowing Snake Chinese: Yun Kai Ji She (云开脊蛇) |
| Synonym | Achalinus yunkaiensis WANG, LI & WANG in WANG et al. 2019 Achalinus yunkaiensis — MA et al. 2023 |
| Distribution | China (Guangdong) Type locality: Dawuling Forestry Station (22.27580°N, 111.19524°E; 1,500 m a.s.l.), Maoming City, Guangdong Province, China |
| Reproduction | |
| Types | Holotype: SYS r001903 (Figure 2), adult male, collected by Jian Wang and Honghui Chen on 10 April 2018. Paratypes. Adult male, SYS r001443 (Figure 3, A1−A3), collected by Jian Wang and Zhao-Chi Zeng on 16 April 2016; juvenile males, SYS r001502, 1503 (Figure 3, B1−B3), collected by Jian Wang, Can-Rong Lin, Zhao- Chi Zeng and Chun-Peng Guo on 27 June 2016; and a single adult female, SYS r001902, collected by Jian Wang and Hong-Hui Chen on 10 April 2018; all from the same locality as the holotype. |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis: (1) dorsal scales strongly keeled, in 23 rows throughout the body, the most outer rows on both sides smooth and significantly enlarged; (2) tail relatively shorter, TaL/TL ratio 18.5–20.0%; (3) maxillary teeth 20–22; (4) length of suture between internasals subequal to that between the prefrontals; (5) nasal divided into two sections by nasal cleft, posterior one nearly half as long as anterior, LaSN/LpSN 0.4–0.5; (6) loreal elongated, nearly twice as wide as high, HiL/LeL 0.5–0.6; (7) supralabials six, the fourth and fifth ones widely in contact with eye; (8) infralabials six, the first three (rarely the first four) in contact with the first pair of chin shields; (9) temporals 2+2+3 (rarely 2+2+4), the two anterior temporals in contact with eye; (10) ventrals 151–162, subcaudals 49–56 arranged in single row, not paired; (11) cloacal entire; (12) uniform brown (in adults) or black (in juveniles) above, tinged weakly iridescent, with a longitudinal dark-colored vertebral line; (13) light brown (in adults) or greyish white (in juveniles) beneath; and (14) dorsum with a longitudinal dark brown vertebral stripe from posterior margin of parietals to tail tip. (Wang et al. 2019) Additional details (5876 characters) are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. |
| Comment | Habitat: leaf litter in well-preserved montane evergreen broadleaf forest (900–1,600 m a.s.l.). |
| Etymology | The specific epithet, yunkaiensis, is in reference to the type locality, Dawuling Forestry Station and adjacent Xianrendong Scenic Area in Guangdong Province, China located in the Yunkai Mountains. |
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