PeerJ 2020 6;8:e8332. Epub 2020 Jan 6.
Faculty of Biology, Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia.
We describe a new species of from the highlands of the Langbian Plateau, southern Truong Son Mountains, Vietnam, based on morphological and molecular phylogenetic analyses. The new species, is distinguished from its congeners by the following morphological characters: medium size in adults (male TL = 582 mm); small and broad head with long protruding snout; dorsal scale row formula 15-15-13; 167 ventrals, 47 subcaudals; single preocular, single postocular; loreal and presubocular absent; six supralabials, third and fourth entering orbit; six infralabials, anterior four contacting first pair of chin shields; internasals separate from prefrontals; nasal divided; single anterior and two posterior temporals; cloacal plate undivided; hemipenes short, bilobed, bifurcating in anterior one third of their length, extending to 8th subcaudal, lacking spines and papillae, with a prominent transverse flounces and distal calyces; six maxillary teeth, the posterior three enlarged; dorsal pattern consisting of 14+4 large dark-brown blotches and a bright-orange vertebral stripe on tail and dorsum; and ventral surfaces in life cream laterally with dark quadrangular spots; dark temporal streak present, edged with white. We also provide additional information on , including a morphological dataset of all specimens known from natural history collections and confirmation of an earlier record of from Cambodia. Read More