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Boiga multomaculata (BOIE, 1827)

IUCN Red List - Boiga multomaculata - Least Concern, LC
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Higher TaxaColubridae, Colubrinae, Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes)
SubspeciesBoiga multomaculata multomaculata (BOIE 1827)
Boiga multomaculata ochracea (THEOBALD 1868)
Boiga multomaculata septentrionalis KÖHLER, CHARUNROCHANA, MOGK, THAN, KURNIAWAN, KADAFI, DAS, TILLACK & O’SHEA 2023 
Common NamesE: Many-spotted Cat Snake, Ocellated Asian Cat snake
G: Gefleckte Katzennatter, Vielflecken-Nachtbaumnatter
Chinese: 繁花林蛇 
SynonymDipsas multomaculata BOIE 1827
Dipsas multomaculata REINWARDT 1827
Dipsas multimaculata [sic] — DUMÉRIL & BIBRON 1854: 1139
Dipsas multimaculata — THEOBALD 1868: 53
Dipsadomorphus multimaculatus — BOULENGER 1896
Boiga multimaculata SMITH 1923
Boiga multimaculata hainanensis MELL 1931
Boiga multimaculata sikiangensis MELL 1931
Boiga multimaculata multimaculata — BOURRET 1935: 8
Boiga multimaculata — SMITH 1943
Boiga multomaculata — MANTHEY & GROSSMANN 1997: 323
Boiga multomaculata — COX et al. 1998: 76
Boiga multomaculata — GROEN 2008
Boiga multomaculata — COX et al. 2012: 122
Boiga multomaculata — WALLACH et al. 2014: 105
Boiga multomaculata — WANG et al. 2022
Boiga multomaculata multomaculata — KÖHLER et al. 2023: 170
Boiga multomaculata82277

Boiga multomaculata ochracea (THEOBALD 1868)
Dipsas ochraceus THEOBALD 1868: 53
Dipsas ochraceus — GÜNTHER 1868: 425
Dipsas hexogonatus STOLICZKA 1871 (non BLYTH)
Dipsadomorphus hexogonotus — BOULENGER 1896 (non BLYTH)
Dipsadomorphus hexagonotus — WALL 1909: 154
Boiga ochracea — SMITH 1943: 348
Boiga ochracea walli SMITH 1943
Boiga ochraceus — DAS 1996: 54
Boiga ochracea cf. walli — MAHONY & ALI REZA 2007
Boiga ochraceus — GROEN 2008
Boiga ochracea walli — MAHONY et al. 2009
Boiga walli — WALLACH et al. 2014: 106
Boiga ochracea — WALLACH et al. 2014: 106
Boiga multomaculata ochracea — KÖHLER et al. 2023

Boiga multomaculata septentrionalis KÖHLER et al. 2023: 177
Boiga multomaculata indica MELL 1931: 213 [partim]
Boiga ochracea walli SMITH 1943: 349 [partim] 
DistributionW Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam (Hoa Binh),
Myanmar (= Burma),
India (Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland),
S China (Fujian, incl. Hong Kong and Hainan)
Indonesia (Java, Sumatra, Bali);
Bangladesh; Hong Kong; Laos

Type locality: Java

ochracea: India (Mizoram)

septentrionalis: N Myanmar (Kachin state and Sagaing region), NE India (Assam, Nagaland), possibly S China (1 specimen, CAS 242550 from Yunnan Province).  
Reproductionoviparous 
TypesLectotype: RMNH.RENA 979b, an adult female from Java, Holotype unlocated (fide NGUYEN et al. 2009).
Holotype. CAS 241272, an adult male from Indawgyi lake wildlife Sanctuary (25.30347, 96.35417; 235 m a.s.l.), vicinity Kyang Kyar village, Moenyin township, Myitkyina District, Kachin State, Myanmar, collected on 20 july 2008 by j.A. wilkinson, j.v. vindum, S.l. Oo, K.t. Kyaw, and M. win. Original field tag MhS 25921. Paratypes (3). CAS 241150, an adult female from Indawgyi lake wildlife Sanctuary (25.30347, 96.35417; 235 m a.s.l.), E of Nat Mouk Kan village, Moenyin township, Myitkyina District, Kachin State, Myanmar, collected on 14 july 2008 by G.O.u. wogan, j.A. wilkinson, j.v. vindum, A.K. Shein. CAS 241550, an adult female from Indawgyi lake wildlife Sanctuary (25.17869, 96.29156; 270 m a.s.l.), vicinity of lwe Mon village, Moenyin township, Myitkyina District, Kachin State, Myanmar, collected on 26 july 2008 by j.A. wilkinson, K.t. Kyaw, and j.v. vindum. SMF 106288 (formerly CAS 239222), an adult male from linpha village (25,80489, 95,52667; 140 m a.s.l.), hkanti township, hkanti District, Sagaing region, Myanmar, collected on 10 September 2006 by K.S. lwin, S.l. Oo, and A.K. Shein. [septentrionalis]
Neotype. BMNH 1946.1.2.60 (formerly BMNH 68.4.3.16), an adult female from “Pegu” [Bago, Bago region, Myanmar, approx. 17.32°N, 96.47°E], collected by william theobald and donated to the BMNh collection in spring 1868, designated by Köhler et al. 2023. Original type lost. [ochracea]
Syntypes: BMNH 1946.1.2.60–61, collected by W. Theobald [walli] 
DiagnosisDiagnosis: Taylor 1965: 869


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CommentSynonymy: B. multomaculata and B. ochracea are closely related any may be conspecific (Weinell et al. 2020, 2021).

SMITH 1943 gave “1929” for MELL’s paper. Not listed by GRANDISON 1977.

Distribution: May have been erroneously reported from Borneo, but not listed for Borneo by MALKMUS et al. (2002). There are two records from Sulawesi which are from before 1900 and are thus questionable (DE LANG & VOGEL 2005, Koch 2012). Possibly in Bhutan (Lenz 2012). Not in Singapore or not established there (Figueroa et al. 2023).

Behavior: nocturnal.

Habitat: fully arboreal (Harrington et al. 2018). 
EtymologyNamed after Latin macula = spot, for its multitude of spots.

B. m. septentrionalis was named after Latin septentrio (= “north”) and the suffix -alis (to form an adjective) and refers to the geographic distribution of this taxon. Boiga m. septentrionalis has the most northern distribution of the subspecies of B. multomaculata. 
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