Rhinophis martin GOWER, SAMPAIO, VIDANAPATHIRANA & WICKRAMASINGHE, 2024
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Rhinophis martin
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| Higher Taxa | Uropeltidae, Henophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | Sinhala: Martinge thudulla Tamil: Maartinin nilakael pambu E: Martin’s rhinophis, Martin’s shieldtail |
| Synonym | Rhinophis martin GOWER, SAMPAIO, VIDANAPATHIRANA & WICKRAMASINGHE 2024: 333 |
| Distribution | Sri Lanka (Sabaragamuwa) Type locality: , “Hayes/Gongala”, Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka. Hayes (6.37° N, 80.65° E; ca. 820 m) is a tea estate and Gongala is a nearby mountain (peaking at 6.386° N, 80.654° E; 1,358 m elevation), < 2 km to the north-northwest on the eastern edge of Sinharaja Forest Reserve, part of the Rakwana Massif. |
| Reproduction | |
| Types | Holotype. USNM 548119 (Fig. 1, Table 1), adult female (Fig. 2). Collected by Lalith Jayawickrama, 24 October 1979. Paratypes (n = 10; Table 1). USNM 548100 (female) collected “Hayes”, 10 August 1977. USNM 548117 and 548118 (males) collected “Hayes/Gongala”, 24 October 1979. USNM 548120 (female), 548121 (female), 548122 (male), and 548123 (male) collected “Hayes/Gongala”, 26 October 1979. All seven of these USNM paratypes were collected by Lalith Jayawickrama. NMSL-NH 2024.01.01 (female) and NMSL-NH 2024.01.02 and DWC 2024.05.01 (males) collected from Burusgala, near Deniyaya, Southern Province, Sri Lanka (6.38° N, 80.60° E; ca. 750 m) by Dulan Ranga Vidanapathirana and L. J. Mendis Wickramasinghe, 22 August 2018. Other specimens (n = 22; Table 2). Eight males, 11 females, and three incomplete specimens for which sex is less confidently inferred (Table 2): USNM 548096–548099 and 548101–548110 collected by Lalith Jayawickrama from Hayes 14 July–18 August, 1977; USNM 548111–548116, 548124, 548125 collected by Lalith Jayawickrama from Hayes/Gongala 24–26 October, 1979. These are considered referred rather than type material because they were examined in less detail than the type series. |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis (n=72): A Rhinophis restricted to the Rakwana Massif of Sri Lanka with 17 dorsal scale rows at midbody, more than 166 and fewer than 190 ventral scales (167–186 in the 33 known specimens; 167–178 in males, 175–186 in females), a large, domed tail shield with small, homogenous spines, and a distinctive colour pattern (at least in adults) with a dark belly and paler, orange-bronze dorsum (except for darker anterior sixth) with irregular, blackish transverse markings. Rhinophis martin sp. nov. differs from all six Indian species of Rhinophis by having a ventral count of > 165 and < 190 (versus more than 200 in R. goweri Aengals and Ganesh, 2013, fewer than 150 in R. travancoricus Boulenger, 1893); and in having 17 dorsal scale rows at or just behind midbody (versus 15 in R. fergusonianus Boulenger, 1896, R. sanguineus Beddome, 1863, R. melanoleucus Cyriac, Narayanan, Sampaio, Umesh & Gower, 2020, and R. karinthandani Sampaio, Narayanan, Cyriac, Venu & Gower, 2020. (Gower et al. 2024) Additional details (4483 characters) are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. |
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