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Calamaria arcana YEUNG, LAU & YANG, 2022

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Higher TaxaColubridae, Calamariinae, Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Lingnan Reed Snake
Chinese: 岭南两头蛇 
SynonymCalamaria arcana YEUNG, LAU & YANG 2022
Calamaria pavimentata – LI et al. 2011 
DistributionChina (Mt. Dadongshan, Nanling National Nature Reserve, Guangdong Province)


Type locality: Mt. Dadongshan, Nanling National Nature Reserve, Lianzhou County, Qingyuan City, Guangdong Province, China (中国广东南岭国家级自然保护区大东山管理站). (24°55’58.5”N 112°42’51.8”E)  
Reproduction 
TypesHolotype: KFBG 14611, male. The specimen was found at between the hydroelectric station near Dadongshan Management Station (24°55’58.5”N 112°42’51.8”E) and Shizi Ping (石仔坪), 800–900 m above sea level, collected by Michael W.N. Lau on 7 July 2000 at 9:20 am. 
DiagnosisDiagnosis: Calamaria arcana sp. nov. is assigned to the genus Calamaria by its molecular phylogenetic position and the following morphological characters: dorsal scales in 13 rows throughout body, possessing elongate, cylindrical bodies, along with internasals and prefrontals fused, four supralabials and five infralabials (Inger and Marx 1965; Ziegler et al. 2008). Calamaria arcana sp. nov. could be distinguished from all other species of Calamaria by the combination of the following characters: (1) ten modified maxillary teeth; (2) four supralabials, second and third supralabials entering orbit; (3) preocular present; (4) mental not touching anterior chin shields; (5) six scales and shields surrounding the paraparietal; (6) 170 ventral scales; (7) 22 paired subcaudals; (8) tail not gradually tapering, abruptly tapering at the tip; (9) dorsal scales reduced to five rows above last subcaudal at tail; (10) dorsum of body and tail brownish; (11) dark collar on nuchal region absent; (12) two outermost dorsal scale rows light yellow with upper margins partly dark pigmented; (13) ventral scales immaculate, without dark outermost corners and pigmentation anteriorly; and (14) absence of distinct dark longitudinal line or scattered spots on the underside of tail. (YEUNG et al. 2022).


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CommentCalamaria arcana sp. nov. is currently only known from a single specimen. 
EtymologyThe species epithet “arcana” is the nominative form the Latin adjective “arcanus” meaning “hidden”, “secret” and is given in feminine form to match the female genitive declension of the genus name Calamaria. It refers to the fact that this species is difficult to find with only a single specimen discovered during our long term survey in southern China.

The common name refers to the Lingnan (岭南, means ‘South of the Nanling Mountains’) region where the new species is found. Lingnan is a geographic area referring to the lands in the south of the Nanling Mountains, covering the modern Chinese provinces of Guangdong, Guangxi and Hainan, as well as northern Vietnam. 
References
  • Cai, Bo, Jianping, J., Yayong, W., Song, H., Dongbo, F., & Li, D. 2023. A New Species of Calamaria (Reptilia: Serpentes: Colubridae) from Western Jiangxi Province, China. Russian Journal of Herpetology, 30(2), 101-111 - get paper here
  • Inger, R. F. & H. MARX 1965. The systematics and evolution of the oriental colubrid snakes of the genus Calamaria. Fieldiana: Zoology 49: 1-304. - get paper here
  • Kwet, A. 2023. Liste der im Jahr 2022 neu beschriebenen Reptilien. Elaphe 2023 (3): 48-73
  • Li ZC, Xiao Z, Liu SR 2011. Amphibians and reptiles of Guangdong. [In Chinese] Guangdong Science and Technology Press, Guangzhou, 266 pp.
  • Liang, Y. T., Huang, Z. D., Ding, L., Vogel, G., Ananjeva, N. B., Orlov, N. L., ... & Chen, Z. N. 2024. Revalidated after having been described more than a century ago: Calamaria berezowskii Günther, 1896 (Squamata, Colubridae) from Sichuan, Southwestern China. Zoosystematics and Evolution, 100(3): 897-911 - get paper here
  • Yeung HY, Lau MWN, Yang J-H 2022. A new species of Calamaria (Squamata: Colubridae) from Guangdong Province, southern China. Vertebrate Zoology 72: 433-444 - get paper here
  • Ziegler, Thomas; Nguyen Van Sang, Nguyen Quang Truong 2008. A New Reed Snake of the Genus Calamaria Boie (Squamata: Colubridae) from Vietnam. Current Herpetology 27 (2): 71-80 [2009] - get paper here
 
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