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Gerrhopilus persephone KRAUS, 2017

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Higher TaxaGerrhopilidae, Typhlopoidea, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes)
Subspecies 
Common Names 
SynonymGerrhopilus persephone KRAUS 2017 
DistributionPapua New Guinea (Milne Bay Province)

Type locality: forest near Normanby Mining Camp, above Awaiara Bay (10.0592° S, 151.0722° E, 620 m a.s.l.), Normanby Island, D’Entrecasteux Archipelago, Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea.  
Reproductionoviparous 
TypesHolotype: UMMZ 242536, Immature female (field number FK 16708), collected by F. Francisco on 10 September 2013. 
DiagnosisDiagnosis: This species belongs to Gerrhopilus based on the presence of head glands in the centers of the anterior head shields in addition to their anterior margins (McDowell 1974; Wallach 1996b). A small, thin species of Gerrhopilus having the unique combination of head glands evenly and densely dispersed among the anterior head scales but absent from the centers of the ocular and subocular scales and from all supralabials except the third, a rostrate snout with a transverse keel on the ventral margin of the rostral that lies dorsal to the rictus, angle of pre- oral snout in lateral aspect inclined at a 25° angle to the horizontal, distinct pupil in the eye, longitudinal scale rows 26/24/22, mid-dorsal scales between the rostral and tail spine 780, supralabial imbrication pattern T-V, subocular scale one, presubocular scale absent, subcaudal scales 32, and L/W ratio 82. Refer to Table 1 for additional diagnostic qualitative and quantitative features.


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CommentHabitat: The holotype was collected while climbing a tree trunk at night in primary foothill rainforest having a canopy height of ca. 30 m. 
EtymologyThe specific epithet is the name of the Greek goddess―daughter of Zeus and Demeter―who was abducted by Hades, Greek god of the underworld, and forced to reside underground for a portion of each year. It is a proper noun in apposition. 
References
  • Kraus, Fred 2017. New Species of Blindsnakes (Squamata: Gerrhopilidae) from the offshore islands of Papua New Guinea. Zootaxa 4299 (1): 075–094 - get paper here
  • O’Shea, M. 2018. The Book of Snakes. Ivy Press / Quarto Publishing, London, - get paper here
  • O’Shea, Mark and Simon Maddock 2023. Serpents of Paradise: Biogeography of the Snake Fauna on New Guinean Islands. In: Lillywhite & Martins, eds., Islands and snakes, vol. II. Oxford University Press, p. 22 ff - get paper here
 
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