1. A new species of Achalinus Peters, 1869 (Squamata, Xenodermidae) from Hunan Province, China
- Author
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Ma, Shun, Shi, Sheng-Chao, Xiang, Sun-Jun, Shu, Fu, and Jiang, Jian-Ping
- Subjects
Vertebrata ,Tetrapoda ,Sarcopterygii ,divergence time ,Amniota ,Achalinus hunanensis sp. nov ,phylogeny ,Biota ,Xenodermidae ,taxonomy ,Achalinus ,Gnathostomata ,Osteichthyes ,morphology ,Squamata ,Animalia ,Chordata - Abstract
A new species, Achalinus hunanensis sp. nov., is described from middle and western Hunan Province based on the results of molecular systematics and morphological characters. It diverges from known congeners by a significant genetic divergence (p-distance 3.2%–16.9% based on CO1 mitochondrial gene), and it can be distinguished from all known congeners by the following morphological characters: (1) all dorsal scales strongly keeled, 23 rows throughout the body, the outmost one strongly keeled and enlarged; (2) tail relatively short, TaL/TL 0.221 ~ 0.225; (3) maxillary teeth 23; (4) the suture between internasals 2 × as long as that between prefrontals; (5) loreal one, subrectangular, LorH/LorL 0.62 ~ 0.70; (6) supralabials 6, the 4th and 5th touch the eye; (7) the two anterior temporals in contact with eye; (8) ventrals 163–165, subcaudals 69–72, not paired. This raises the number of known species of Achalinus to 24.
- Published
- 2023