Pareas chinensis (BARBOUR, 1912)
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Pareas chinensis
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| Higher Taxa | Pareidae, Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | E: Chinese Slug Snake Chinese: 中国钝头蛇 |
| Synonym | Amblycephalus chinensis BARBOUR 1912: 132 Pareas chinensis — HU et al. 1980: 110 Amblycephalus monticola chinensis — MELL 1931 [1929] Amblycephalus monticola yunnanensis — MELL 1931 [1929] Amblycephalus monticola kuangtungensis — MELL 1931 [1929] Amblycephalus monticola kwangtungensis — MELL 1931 [1929] Pareas chinensis — ZHAO & ADLER 1993: 249 Pareas chinensis — GUO et al. 2011 Pareas chinensis — WALLACH et al. 2014: 535 Pareas (Eberhardtia) chinensis— POYARKOV et al. 2022 |
| Distribution | S China (Fujian, Jiangxi, Guandong, Guangxi, W Guizhou, Sichuan, E Tibet, Hong Kong), NE Myanmar? Type locality: Luluping (= Ebian Co.), western Szechwan (= Sichuan Prov.), China not recognized any more: kuangtungensis: China (Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi); Type locality: Southern China yunnanensis: Yunnan; Type locality: Southern China |
| Reproduction | oviparous |
| Types | Holotype: MCZ R-7326 |
| Diagnosis | |
| Comment | Similar species: Due to the overlapping number of ventrals and subcaudals, Jiang (2004b) concluded that P. chinensis should be a synonym of P. formosensis. However, molecular phylogenetic results indicate that the two species are not especially closely related within Pareas. Pareas formosensis is the sister species to P. hamptoni, and P. chinensis the sister of P. boulengeri. Close examination of maxillary teeth is consistent with this result. Both P. formosensis and P. hamptoni have 7–8 maxillary teeth, while P. chinensis and P. boulengeri have only 4–5 maxillary teeth (Rao and Yang, 1992). Synonymy partly after ZHAO & ADLER 1993, Jiang (2004) and Guo & Deng 2009 but after the revalidation of chinensis from formosensis by Guo et al. 2011. Zhao 2006 listed Pareas chinensis as synonym of P. formosensis. Subspecies: it is unclear whether the subspecies listed by MELL 1931 are synonyms of chinensis or possibly formosensis. Distribution: Mell (1922) gave the type locality of Amblycephalus kuangtungensis as Su-liu-gun (=Shiliuguan), Lofau (=Mt. Luofu), 500 meters, and east of Siu-dsau (=Qujiang Co.), Drachenkopf (=Longtoushan), 600 meters, both Guangdong Province, and that of A. yunnanensis as Talifu (=Dali Co.), western Yunnan Province, 2,200 meters, and Drachenkopf (=Longtoushan), Guangdong Province. However, records from Yunnan are questionable (Wang et al. 2022). Habitat: partly arboreal (Harrington et al. 2018). Group: The Pareas chinensis species group includes P. stanleyi, P. boulengeri, and P. chinensis (POYARKOV et al. 2022). |
| Etymology | Named after the type locality. |
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