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Kaiser, Hinrich, Mecke, Sven, Kaiser, Christine M., O'Shea, Mark (2021): Three's Company: discovery of a third syntype of Stegonotus lividus, a species of colubrid snake from Pulau Semau, Lesser Sunda Islands, Indonesia, with comments on an unpublished 19 Century manuscript by the naturalist Salomon Müller. Zootaxa 5039 (1): 56-70, DOI: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5039.1.2

Stegonotus caligocephalus sp. nov. Dark-headed Sabah Groundsnake (Figs. 3–6, Table 2) Holotype. FMNH 251054 (field number RFI 49331), an adult female from near the Gunung Emas [Gunung Alab] Telekom tower, Crocker Range National Park, Tambunan District, Sabah State, Malaysia, ca. 5.83°N, 116.34°E (Fig. 1), elevation ca. 1950 m, collected on 19 January 1993 by the American herpetologist Robert F. Inger (1920–2019), Curator of Amphibians and Reptiles at the Field Museum, Chicago, Illinois, USA, from 1954–1994 (Matsui 2019). Paratype. USNM 130244, an adult female, from “Bundu Tuhan, Mount Kina Balu, Ranau District, Sabah ” [Malaysia], ca. 6.05°N, 116.53°E, elevation 1370 m, collected on 1 August 1951 by the American mammalogist David H. Johnson (1912–1996), Curator of Mammals at the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., USA, from 1941–1965 (Perry 2007). Referred specimen. ZMB 47866, a juvenile female from “Mt. Kinabalu” (no further locality data), elevation 1500 m, collected on 13 December 1988. Whereas the information in the collection’s ledger indicates that the specimen was collected by the German-South African herpetologist Thomas Ulber, this appears to be an error in both date and time. Ulber (in litt.) visited Mount Kinabalu in November 1989 but collected no snake specimens. Diagnosis. Stegonotus caligocephalus is a medium-sized (maximum SVL = 1071 mm) snake with a relatively short tail (SCR ♀ = 0.21), the shortest in the genus Stegonotus. It can be distinguished from all other known Stegonotus species by the following combination of characters: (1) rostral extending onto the dorsal part of the head intruding into the internasal area but not reaching the level of the nasals (character state: gull wing +; Fig. 4A, A’); (2) area of prefrontals three times that of the internasals, internasal suture one-fourth to one-third the length of the prefrontal suture (SSR 0.25–0.33, mean = 0.28); (3) frontal clearly pentagonal with well-formed corners and a slightly concave anterior suture; (4) AE lies at the same level as the anterior end of the frontal; (5) length of frontal three-fourths that of the parietal suture (FPR = 0.75); (6) PfS one-fourth to one-third the length of external head-scale length (HSR = 0.25–0.31). (7) PF Comparisons. In the following comparisons, characteristics of S. caligocephalus are listed in parentheses. The number of specimens used to determine ranges of continuous characters follows species names. Based on our previous analysis of Stegonotus (Kaiser et al. 2019) there does not appear to be any sexual dimorphism in the Bornean or Philippine species we compare in detail below. Given how few specimens of these populations are available in museum collections, combining scale count data for females and males in the absence of sexual dimorphism therefore increases our sample size and improves our analysis. Furthermore, given the geographic position of this Bornean population, most Stegonotus species can be considered extralimital to this comparison. It is highly unlikely that a New Guinean population disperses all the way across Wallacea into Borneo. After presenting an exhaustive comparative section in the description of S. ayamaru (Kaiser et al. 2019), we are confident in limiting our detailed, formal comparisons to Stegonotus from Borneo and the Philippines and eliminate other species based on different dorsal scale counts (S. admiraltiensis, S. diehli, S. dorsalis, S. florensis, S. guentheri, S. poechi, S. sutteri), significant differences in number of gastrosteges (S. admiraltiensis, S. aruensis, S. ayamaru, S. derooijae, S. diehli, S. guentheri, S. heterurus, S. keyensis, S. lividus, S. melanolabiatus, S. modestus, S. parvus, S. poechi), strongly diverging rostral morphology (S. aruensis, S. australis, S. batjanensis, S. cucullatus, S. dorsalis, S. iridis, S. parvus, S. poechi), the configuration of supralabials touching the eye (S. aruensis, S. ayamaru, S. batjanensis, S. derooijae, S. diehli, S. florensis, S. heterurus, S. lividus, S. melanolabiatus, S. modestus, S. parvus, S. poechi, S. sutteri), and differences in head and body color (S. batjanensis, S. florensis, S. iridis, S. modestus, S. reticulatus, S. sutteri). Where appropriate, gender is indicated throughout by subscripted male (³) and female (♀) symbols for ease of reference; when sexes are combined there is no subscript. Given that the three extant specimens of S. caligocephalus are all females, we separately provide data for females of the other species. A listing of those characters most relevant for interspecies comparisons is provided in Table 2. Stegonotus borneensis (n = 1³, 1♀) has a significantly (unpaired t -test, t = 6.97, P t = 4.98, P S. borneensis, the values for ventral and subcaudal count are 193 and 78, respectively. As a consequence, the SCR in S. borneensis is higher, at 0.28–0.29 (0.21–0.24). Additional differences include (1) SSR = 1/5 (1/4 or 1/3); (2) FPR = 4/5–7/8 (3/4); and (3) a uniform dark body coloration (head darker than body). The closest known locality for S. borneensis is in Sarawak State, Malaysia, a horizontal distance of ca. 560 km by air from the type locality of S. caligocephalus. Furthermore, whereas S. borneensis appears to be a lowland tropical forest species (highest known elevation ca. 56 m at the type locality; Kaiser et al. 2018a), S. caligocephalus occupies montane forest habitat at elevations well above 1000 m. The lowest elevation for which we have found a published sighting (Malkmus et al. 2002) is 1370 m, at the locality where the paratype was found. Stegonotus muelleri (n = 13 ♀, 19 ³) is from the south-central Philippine Islands and differs by scale counts of V = 217–241 (t = 5.24, P t = 7.74, P S. muelleri is on the island of Mindanao, ca. 1000 km by air from the type locality of S. caligocephalus . Description of the holotype (FMNH 251054)—metrics (in mm) and pholidosis. An adult female; length 1071 SVL + 188 TL = 1259 TTL, TL 21% of TTL; head broad, distinct from body; snout rounded in dorsal view, angled in lateral view, mouth subterminal. Rostral character state gull wing + (Fig. 4A, B). Internasals shorter than wide, with SSR = 0.25. Prefrontal width 2/3 of prefrontal length, prefrontal area about three times the area of the internasals; HSR = 0.31. Frontal pentagonal with well-formed corners and a slightly concave anterior suture; AE lies at the same level as the anterior edge of the frontal; FPR = 0.81 (Fig. 4A); PF Nasal two-thirds as tall as wide; naris half the length and the same width as the nasal; loreal about twice as long as wide; two preoculars with the lower half the area of the upper. Nine supralabials; SL4–5 touching the eye, SL5 40% larger than SL4; relative areas of supralabials 7 = 6> 8> 5> 9 = 4> 3> 2 = 1, SL 2 is rectangular whereas SL1 is triangular (Fig. 4B, B’). Eye length two-thirds of eye-naris distance; pupil oval; internarial distance 60% of interorbital distance. Ten infralabials; IL1–5 contacting anterior genials, with two-thirds of the medial border of IL 5 in contact with the anterior genial; three gulars separating the posterior genial from the anterior-most gastrostege; length of mental groove one-third of ventral head length (VHR = 0.38; Fig. 4 C’). Dorsals in 17-17-15 rows, 214 ventrals, cloacal plate entire, 56 paired subcaudals, SCR ♀ = 0.21. Description of the holotype (FMNH 251054)—coloration in preservative (27 years after collection). Dorsum Tawny Olive (Color 17) with some dark spots on lateral edge of a few rows of dorsal scales, head Grayish Olive (273) with scattered lighter areas in Olive Gray (265). The supralabials and infralabials are Pale Buff (1) with mottled areas of Drab-Gray (256) (Fig. 3A, 4A, B). The venter is Pale Horn (11) with dark areas on the anterior edge of the ventral scales and a dark “dot” on the lateral edge (Burnt Sienna, 38); the anterior one-third of the subcaudals are Burnt Sienna (38), creating a dark tail (Figs. 3B). Key data for the paratype—metrics (in mm) and pholidosis. An adult female (Fig. 5), 965 mm SVL + 191 mm TL = 1156 mm TTL, TL = 17% of TTL. V ♀ = 218, SC ♀ = 62, SCR ♀ = 0.22, D = 17-17-15, SL E = 4+5, SL = 9, IL = 10, IL G = 5. Coloration in life. Based on a color analysis of the images in Fig. 6, which have different lighting, we estimated the coloration in life as follows. The dorsal area of the head is Dark Grayish Brown (284) with some scattered Smoky White (261) spots. The color intensity fades laterally, and a lighter brown with elements of Cinnamon-Drab (50) and Beige (254) dominates the supralabial area. The dorsal coloration of the body is in tones of Mars Brown (25) and much lighter than the head, fading in the area where dorsal and ventral scales meet to a light shade of Light Russet Vinaceous (246). This faded color is also visible on the anterolateral margins of each ventral scale. Natural history. Whereas during several trips to the Mount Kinabalu area we have never encountered S. caligocephalus, we here provide information obtained from the literature and the field notes of colleagues. The species has only been encountered in forested areas of Crocker Range and Mount Kinabalu National Park above 1300 m, which consists mainly of montane oak-conifer rainforest (Inger & Tan 1996). Whereas there is a consensus that the species is generally nocturnal (Malkmus 1989, 1991, 1992, 1996; Manthey & Grossmann 1997; Max Dehling, pers. comm.; Tom Charlton, pers. comm.), there is some disagreement over the movement of this snake. However, Manthey & Grossmann (1997) consider this species to be an exclusively ground-dwelling form, Malkmus (1994) reported on some arboreal activity. In terms of feeding ecology, Malkmus (1994) reported on a predatory attempt on a gecko (Cyrtodactylus baluensis) in the only recorded feeding interaction. Similar species. The species could, in principle, be confused with three similarly colored species (Stuebing et al. 2014). Lycodon albofuscus 4 has keeled scales, is more slender, and its lowland habitat make it unlikely that this species occurs in sympatry with S. caligocephalus. On Borneo, older individuals of Lycodon subcinctus may have lost the characteristic light bands of younger snakes and may present an overall body coloration similar to S. caligocephalus. As is the case with L. albofuscus, the range of L. subcinctus may not extend into the higher elevations (above 1000 m) where S. caligocephalus is found. 2004; Wallach et al. 2014) but according to Das & Yaakob (2007), Das (2012), and the most recent available phylogenetic information (Figueroa et al. 2016; Wostl et al. 2017) the genus Lepturophis should be synonymized with Lycodon and this species is therefore treated as Lycodon albofuscus here. Important warning for field encounters. The snakes with which S. caligocephalus are most likely to be confused in the field are younger individuals of the venomous Sunda spitting cobra, Naja sumatrana, which actually appears to be more commonly encountered in the proximity of human habitations than S. caligocephalus. Both species are very similar in color and habits and it is difficult to tell them apart at a glance, especially in the dim cone of a flashlight by night. However, once engaged a spitting cobra will take up its characteristic threat posture with its head and body raised off the ground. In addition, spitting cobras are known to hiss dramatically when threatened. Needless to say, while the venom delivered by the bite of spitting cobras as well as the toxungen 5 delivered to the eyes are dangerous to humans, these snakes are quite harmless when left undisturbed. In general, great care must be taken when encountering any medium-sized dark snake in Borneo. Etymology. The species name caligocephalus is a compound word derived from the Latin caligo, with meanings including dark(ness), out of sight, fog, and the Greek kephalos (κεϕαλοζ) meaning head. We deliberately select a mixed-language name given that this name is designed to have mixed morphological and metaphorical meanings. The species name first of all references the darker head color in this species. Secondly, the dark, looming shape of Mount Kinabalu, Southeast Asia’s tallest mountain and the montane home of S. caligocephalus, is a dramatic, head-like massif, and we wish to remind people that mountain regions are wonderful places to explore and preserve nature.

Ablabes greineri Bleeker, 1860a:43 Taxonomic status. Junior synonym of S. modestus. Synonyms. None. Original name. Ablabes Greineri Bleeker 1860a:43. Pieter Bleeker (1819���1878; Fig. 3G) was a medical officer in the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) with a keen interest in natural history. He became particularly well known for his ichthyological collections and authored over 500 publications (Bleeker 1877). He named this species in honor of the physician C.G.C.F. Greiner, Health Officer 2 nd Class (Bleeker 1860a), who served alongside Bleeker as a physician in the Dutch military. The species description was presented in Dutch. The undated photograph of Bleeker (Fig. 3G; licensed under CC-BY-3.0) is from the Holthuis Collection, RMNH. Holotype. BMNH 1946.1.13.74, formerly BMNH 63.12.4.21 9 (Fig. 9; Table 1), an adult male. Type locality. ���Amboina��� [Ambon Island, Maluku Province, Indonesia]. Collection. His position with the Royal Netherlands East Indies army demanded that Bleeker���s main area of activity remained near Batavia (now Jakarta), the nexus of the Dutch power structure in what is now Indonesia (Heiningen 2010). However, his influential position allowed him to establish an excellent supplier network to obtain natural history specimens from throughout the Dutch realm in Southeast Asia. In late 1855, Bleeker accompanied the then-Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies, Albertus Duymaer van Twist (1809���1887) on a tour of northern Sulawesi and the central Moluccas, and this is the only time during his tenure in the region, outside of his regular posting on Java, when he could have personally collected specimens. The Governor-General���s posse stayed on Ambon for a week in early October 1855 (Bleeker 1856). Based on this information, the specimen was most likely collected between 2���9 October 1855. 9. Original BMNH accession numbers were composed of four numbers (e.g., 00.00.00.00) the first three of which indicated the year, month, and day of accession. Thus, the original number of the Ablabes greineri holotype (BMNH 63.12.4.21) indicates that the specimen was accessioned on 4 December 1863. In the 20 th Century, four-digit prefixes were used for the year (e.g., 1912.00.00.00). During the Second World War, the BMNH relocated type specimens preserved in alcohol to prevent their loss from air attacks. When specimens were returned to the collection after the war, they were re-accessioned into the collection with new accession numbers, such as in the case of snake specimens with a 1946 prefix (Long 1981). Key characteristics of the holotype. O (552) mm SVL + O (162) mm TL = O (714) mm TTL. V ♂ = O (206), SC ♂ = O (87), SCR ♂ = O (0.30), D = O (17-17-15), SL E = 3+4 (3+4), SL = 7 (7), IL = O (8), IL G = O (4). Bleeker (1860) commented that the body length was 4.5 times the length of the tail, which would indicate a ratio of SVL to TTL of 0.22. Using our length measurements to calculate this ratio, the result is essentially identical (0.23). Key characteristics of the species. See the account of S. modestus above. Comments. We believe that circumstantial evidence indeed points to Bleeker personally collecting this specimen during the 1855 sojourn, as opposed to receiving it subsequently through his supplier network. In an earlier publication (Bleeker 1856:63) listed among the 20 snakes species he identified for Ambon ��� Lycodon modestum Schl. ��� It appears that during his initial sorting of specimens, Bleeker considered this form conspecific with S. modestus but later changed his mind and erected a new species for the specimen from his own collection. Thus, the specimen was already in Bleeker���s possession in time for the 1856 publication, but the description under a new name occurred only four years later., Published as part of Kaiser, Christine M., Kaiser, Hinrich & O'Shea, Mark, 2018, The taxonomic history of Indo-Papuan groundsnakes, genus Stegonotus Dum��ril et al., 1854 (Colubridae), with some taxonomic revisions and the designation of a neotype for S. parvus (Meyer, 1874), pp. 1-73 in Zootaxa 4512 (1) on pages 19-20, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4512.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/2607575, {"references":["Bleeker, P. (1860 a) Over de Reptilien-Fauna van Amboina. Natuurkundig Tijdschrift voor Nederlandsch Indie, 22, 39 - 43.","Bleeker, P. (1877) Levensbericht van P. Bleeker. Jaarboek van de Koninklijke Akademie van Wetenschappen, 1877, 11 - 158.","Heiningen, T. W. van (2010) Pieter Bleeker (1819 - 1878), medecin et naturaliste passionne. Histoire des Sciences Medicales, 44, 257 - 267.","Bleeker, P. (1856) Reis door de Minahassa en de Molukschen Archipel, gedaan in de Maanden September en Oktober 1855 in het Gevolg van den Gouverneur Generaal Mr. A. J. Duymaer van Twist. Lange & Co., Batavia [Jakarta, Indonesia], 350 pp.","Long, C. (1981) Centenary of The Natural History Museum: a hundred years of zoology, entomology, palaeontology, mineralogy. London Newspaper Group. Available from: http: // www. christopherlong. co. uk / pri / nathistmus. html (accessed 14 October 2017)"]}

Stegonotus iridis Ruane et al., 2017:8 Taxonomic status. Valid. Synonyms. None. Original name. Stegonotus iridis Ruane et al., 2017:8. The species epithet comes from the Latin for rainbow, in reference to ���the high level of iridescence shown both dorsally and ventrally by this species.��� The species description was presented in English. Type specimens. Holotype: MZB Ophi.3306 (Fig. 31 A���E; Ruane et al. 2017: Fig. 5), an adult male (Table 1). Paratypes: SAMA R70466, an adult male. MZB Ophi.3305 (Fig. 31 L���N), an adult male. MZB Ophi.3303 (Fig. 31 I���K), listed as possibly female. MZB Ophi.3311, an adult male. MZB Ophi.3302 (Fig. 31 F���H), an adult male. Type localities. All type specimens were collected in Raja Ampat Regency, West Papua Province, Indonesia. Holotype: Warinkabom, Batanta Island, elev. 50 m (ca. 0.8369��S, 130.72��E). Paratypes: SAMA R70466, Waire Camp, Batanta Island, elev. 25 m (ca. 0.8397��S, 130.53��E); MZB Ophi. 3303, Yakut Camp, Batanta Island, elevation 55 m (ca. 0.8958��S, 130.64��E); MZB Ophi. 3302, 3311, Waibya, Salawati Island, elev. 75 m (ca. 0.9564��S, 130.78��E); MZB Ophi. 3305, Urbinasopen, Waigeo Island, elev. 45 m (ca. 0.3372��S, 131.26��E). 19. The original description states that TL represents 22% of TTL in the holotype. This means that SVL represents 78%, and TL can be calculated as 221 mm. We applied the same calculation to the paratype. 20. This value was established right at the neck, and we confirmed this count. However, within one head length posteriorly, the number of dorsal scale rows reduces to 17. The author noted that this reduction occurred ���before level of twelfth ventral.��� The same generally applies to species of Stegonotus, with the possible exception of S. muelleri. Collection. All type specimens were collected by Stephen Richards (South Australian Museum, Adelaide, South Australia), Burhan Tjaturadi (Sanata Dharma University, Yogyakarta, Indonesia), and Keliopas Krey (University of Papua, Manokwari, Indonesian New Guinea) in June 2005. Key characteristics of the type specimens. (1) Holotype, MZB Ophi.3306: 713 mm SVL + 238 mm TL = 951 mm TTL. V ♂ = 201, SC ♂ = 88, SCR ♂ = 0.30, D = 17-17-15, SL E = 4+5, SL = 8, IL = 10, IL G = 5. (2) Paratype, SAMA R70466: 675 mm SVL + 190+ mm TL = 865+ mm TTL. V ♂ = 204, SC ♂ = O, SCR ♂ = O, D = O-19-O, SL E = O, SL = 8, IL = 10, IL G = O. (3) Paratype, MZB Ophi.3305: 790 mm SVL + 235 mm TL = 1025 mm TTL. V ♂ = 198, SC ♂ = 78, SCR ♂ = 0.28, D = O-17-O, SL E = O, SL = ���8/9?���, IL = 10, IL G = O. (4) Paratype, MZB Ophi.3303: 870 mm SVL + 265+ mm TL = 1135+ mm TTL. V ? = 203, SC ? = O, SCR ? = O, D = O-19-O, SL E = O, SL = 8, IL = 10, IL G = O. (5) Paratype, MZB Ophi.3311: 682 mm SVL + 213 mm TL = 985 mm TTL. V ♂ = 204, SC ♂ = 85, SCR ♂ = 0.29, D = O-17-O, SL E = O, SL = 8, IL = 9, IL G = O. (6) Paratype, MZB Ophi.3302: 778 mm SVL + 240 mm TL = 1018 mm TTL. V ♂ = 205, SC ♂ = 85, SCR ♂ = 0.29, D = O-19-O, SL E = O, SL = 8, IL = 9, IL G = O. Key characteristics of the species. According to their specimen list, Ruane et al. (2017: Appendix) included seven specimens of S. iridis in their analysis. Of these, three (one unsexed, 2 ♂♂) were collected on Batanta, three (3 ♂♂) on Salawati, and one male on Waigeo. Characteristics include V ♂ = 198���211 (204 �� 4.4); SC ♂ = 78���88 (84 �� 3.7); SCR ♂ = 0.29; D = 17-19-15 (n = 5, 71%) or 17-17-15 (n = 2, 29%); SL E most likely 4+5; SL = 8 (100%); IL = 9 (n = 2, 29%) or 10 (n = 5, 71%); IL G most likely 5. Comment. In their description of S. iridis, Ruane et al. (2017) listed one specimen as possibly female. For the purposes of our discussion, we considered it unsexed and omitted it from parts of the analysis where sexual dimorphism could play a role (i.e., for values of V, SC, and SCR)., Published as part of Kaiser, Christine M., Kaiser, Hinrich & O'Shea, Mark, 2018, The taxonomic history of Indo-Papuan groundsnakes, genus Stegonotus Dum��ril et al., 1854 (Colubridae), with some taxonomic revisions and the designation of a neotype for S. parvus (Meyer, 1874), pp. 1-73 in Zootaxa 4512 (1) on pages 54-56, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4512.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/2607575

Lycodon magnus Meyer, 1874:136 Taxonomic status. Junior synonym of S. cucullatus. The only certain type specimen was destroyed. Synonyms. None. Original name. Lycodon magnus Meyer, 1874:136. Adolf Bernhard Meyer (1840���1911; Fig. 3L) was a German naturalist and anthropologist, who conducted an expedition to the Malay Archipelago and Papuasia in the early 1870s (Meyer 1873a, b, 1875). Upon his return, he served as the director of the K��nigliches Naturhistorisches Museum (now Senckenberg Naturhistorische Sammlungen, Museum f��r Tierkunde) in Dresden, Germany from 1874���1906. Meyer���s portrait (Fig. 3L; public domain) is from ca. 1880. The species description was presented in German. We assume that the species epithet magnus [great] was selected to reflect the size of the specimens available for study. Syntypes. The assessment of type material for S. magnus is not straightforward. It is clear from the species description that Meyer used a single specimen to report scale characteristics, including counts. However, in the last sentence of the text, after detailing aspects of color and pattern in the species, he stated, ���[e]inige Exemplare theilweise geringelt��� [some specimens partly banded]. This statement shows that the specimen series available to Meyer included several specimens, and presumably more than two. The Dresden type catalog of Sch��z (1929), however, listed only a single specimen of L. magnus (MTKD 573), as does the collection���s specimen ledger. It is therefore reasonable to assume that some of the type material was exchanged to other museums. This specimen, along with most of the remaining alcoholic specimens and the city itself, were destroyed during the night of 13���14 February 1945 in the Allied bombing of Dresden. We were able to locate only one contemporary specimen (ZMB 8794; Fig. 15) whose catalog entry lists it as L. magnus with a notation that it is a type specimen (a notation reflected by a label affixed to the jar), and whose characteristics are close to those of MTKD 573 (Table 1). According to the catalog information, this specimen was also collected by Meyer. The collection locality for the ZMB specimen, however, is flagged with a question mark in the specimen ledger: it is Rubi, a locality 250 km distant at the southern extreme of Cenderawasih Bay (3.3897��S, 135.3179��E). No other specimen from Biak Island we have been able to examine conforms to the middorsal count of 19 reported by Meyer. At this point, we are unable to resolve the conundrum surrounding the type specimens of L. magnus. Nevertheless, in the interest of clarity and stability, we hereby designate MTKD 573, the specimen whose characteristics Meyer (1874) used to describe the scale counts of his new species, as the lectotype of L. magnus (Code, Article 74.7). If and when the need arises to designate a neotype of this species the characteristics of this specimen must therefore inform the selection of a neotype (ICZN 1999; Article 75). Type locality. ���Neu-Guinea, Mysore.��� The locality here identified by Meyer (1874) by the single name ���Mysore��� actually comprises a complex of two islands separated by only a narrow channel, as described by Meyer (1873b). However, Meyer (1873a, b) decided to use the single name ���Mysore��� in his collection records for these islands, and he used ���Mysore��� and ���Willem Schoutens Insel ��� in popular accounts of his journeys (Meyer 1873a, b). The island in the east is called Supiori (also Sipiori on historic Dutch maps or Kordo on historic German maps), and the port of Korido on Supiori was where Meyer made landfall (Meyer 1873a, b; Wichmann 1910). The second, western island, Biak (or Wiak), was at the time considered to be composed of two islands by some, Biak itself and the region around its northernmost tip (called Meossoir on historic Dutch maps, or Misory on historic German maps; Meyer 1873a, b, 1875). Even though Meyer (1887) listed ���Kordo��� as one of his collecting localities, this was done in reference to L. cucullatus, with which he had synonymized L. magnus. Meyer���s locality was later restricted under the name L. magnus by Sch��z (1929), who included the town name ���Kordo��� [Korido] and added information found in the MTKD specimen ledger. We therefore restrict the type locality of L. magnus to the area around Korido, Supiori Island, Papua Province, Indonesia (ca. 0.8178��S, 135.5643��E). Collection. According to Meyer (1875) and Wichmann (1910), Meyer arrived in Korido on 25 March 1873 and departed on 5 April. The specimens must therefore have been collected between those dates. Key characteristics of the lectotype. The information presented here is taken from Meyer (1874). With the destruction of the specimen in 1945, we are unable to provide any first-hand information regarding this specimen���s characteristics. Based on the SCR value, we believe it was most likely a female and we list it here as such. O (O) mm SVL + O (O) mm TL = O (O) mm TTL. V ♀ = 207 (O), SC ♀ = 74 (O), SCR ♀ = 0.26 (O), D = O-19-O (O), SL E = 4+5 (O), SL = 8 (O), IL = O (O), IL G = O (O). Key characteristics of the species. See the account of S. cucullatus above. Comments. The species was synonymized with S. cucullatus by Meyer (1887), who listed it without further comment as part of his account for Lycodon cucullatus., Published as part of Kaiser, Christine M., Kaiser, Hinrich & O'Shea, Mark, 2018, The taxonomic history of Indo-Papuan groundsnakes, genus Stegonotus Dum��ril et al., 1854 (Colubridae), with some taxonomic revisions and the designation of a neotype for S. parvus (Meyer, 1874), pp. 1-73 in Zootaxa 4512 (1) on pages 28-30, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4512.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/2607575, {"references":["Meyer, A. B. (1874) [Eine Mittheilung von Hrn. Dr. Adolf Meyer] uber die von ihm auf Neu-Guinea und den Inseln Jobi, Mysore und Mafoor im Jahre 1873 gesammelten Amphibien. Monatsberichte der Koniglich Preussischen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin, 1874, 128 - 140.","Meyer, A. B. (1873 a) Neu-Guinea. Reiseskizze von Dr. Adolf Bernhard Meyer. Das Ausland, Wochenschrift fur Erd- und Folkerkunde, 46 (49), 961 - 965 and 46 (50), 987 - 992.","Meyer, A. B. (1873 b) Bericht uber meine Reise nach Neu-Guinea. Mittheilungen der kaiserlich und koniglichen geographischen Gesellschaft in Wien, 16, 481 - 487 and 534 - 550.","Meyer, A. B. (1875) Auszuge aus den auf einer Neu Guinea-Reise im Jahre 1873 gefuhrten Tagebuchern von Adolf Bernhard Meyer als Erlauterung zu den Karten der Geelvink-Bai und des MacCluer Golfes. Dresden, Germany, Koniglich Zoologisches und Anthropologisch-Ethnographisches Museum zu Dresden, 20 pp.","Schuz, E. (1929) Verzeichnis der Typen des Staatlichen Museums fur Tierkunde in Dresden. 1. Teil. Fische, Amphibien und Reptilien. Abhandlungen und Berichte der Museen fur Tierkunde und Folkerkunde zu Dresden, 17, 1 - 16.","ICZN (1999) International Code of Zoological Nomenclature. Fourth Edition. The International Trust for Zoological Nomenclature, London, United Kingdom, 306 pp.","Wichmann, A. (1910) Adolf Bernhard Meyer, 1873. In: Wichmann, A. (Ed.), Resultats de l'expedition scientifique neerlandaise a la Nouvelle-Guinee en 1903. Folume II. Premiere Partie. Entdeckungsgeschichte von Neu-Guinea (1828 bis 1885), pp. 167 - 178.","Meyer, A. B. (1887) Verzeichniss der von mir in den Jahren 1870 - 1873 im Ostindischen Archipel gesammelten Reptilien und Batrachier. Abhandlungen und Berichte des Koniglich Zoologischen und Anthropologische-Ethnographischen Museums zu Dresden, 1886 / 87 (2), 1 - 16."]}

Stegonotus lividus (M��ller in Dum��ril et al., 1854:381) n. comb. Taxonomic status. Lycodon lividum has heretofore been considered as a synonym of S. modestus. With the restriction of that species to some of the islands in the central Moluccas, and given the absence of the neck band, smaller adult size, and the much lower SC count in L. lividum, we hereby remove this species from the synonymy of S. modestus. As a member of the genus Stegonotus, the species name needs to be emended to lividus. This population therefore takes the name Stegonotus lividus n. comb. Synonyms. None. Original name. Lycodon lividum S. M��ller in Dum��ril et al., 1854:381. The Latin term lividus, meaning ���bluish metal-colored��� or ���lead-colored,��� was likely selected to reflect the coloration of the syntypes. The species description was presented in French. Syntypes. RMNH. RENA 325 A (Fig. 6 A���E; Table 1) and 325B (Fig. 6 F���H), two specimens, both likely adult females. 7. In the language of Biak islanders the suffix ���ri is added as an emphasis in spoken communication. The spoken word dore-ri means ���bay.��� Considering the geographical perspective from Biak Island, this dore-ri was not just any bay, but specifically the largest bay on the nearby mainland, whose small islands (such as Mansinam) had been settled by people from Biak. Unfortunately, this means that the colonial terms Dorery Bay or H��vre Dorey translate to ���bay bay,��� a duplication similar to the Indonesian-Portuguese construct for the country name Timor-Leste, meaning ���east-east.��� In the interest of retaining a unique name for the bay on which the city of Manokwari lies, we believe that combining the traditional Biak name doreri with the English noun ���bay��� works best, the nonsensical duplication notwithstanding. Thus, this locality should prop- erly be known as Doreri Bay. 8. There appears to be some confusion over the year when this publication appeared. The information was published inPart 1 of Volume 2 of the French naval officer Louis Isidore Duperrey's (1786���1865) series describing the findings of some of the voyages he captained. The publication year 1830 is printed on the frontispiece. Chapter IX was authored by Lesson and, according to the meticulous research by Sherborn & Woodward (1901, 1906) the volume was released on 12 June 1830. Type locality. The species was discovered on ���l�����le de Pulo-Samao��� [Semau Island, East Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia]. Collectors. Exploration of Timor Island by the Dutch Commissie was not limited to the area around Kupang in the southwest but included several sojourns into the interior as well as to the nearby islands of Semau and Kambing. The collecting was done by M��ller and Pieter van Oort (1804���1834; Fig. 3F), under the direction and with the participation of Heinrich Macklot (1799���1832). Specimens in the RMNH collected at this time usually include the notation ��� MM,��� indicating specimens collected by M��ller and Macklot. Even though we have not been able to find specific dates for a visit to Semau by the Commissie team, elimination of dates during which collections were made elsewhere allow us to state that the visit to the islands must have occurred in mid-1829 (see dates provided by Steenis-Kruseman 1950). The image of Van Oort (Fig. 3F; public domain) is a self-portrait originally colored in red chalk from the collection of the Centraal Museum in Utrecht, The Netherlands. Key characteristics of the syntypes. RMNH. RENA 325 A: 420 (489) mm SVL + 140 (118) mm TL = 560 (607) mm TTL. V ♀ = 196 (197), SC ♀ = 72 (67), SCR ♀ = 0.27 (0.25), D = O-17-O (17-17-15), SL E = O (3+4), SL = O (7), IL = O (9), IL G = O (4). RMNH. RENA 325 B: O (480) mm SVL + O (120) mm TL = O (600) mm TTL. V ♀ = O (199), SC ♀ = O (68), SCR ♀ = O (0.25), D = O (17-17-15), SL E = O (3+4), SL = O (7), IL = O (8), IL G = O (4). Key characteristics of the species. There are only two specimens of Stegonotus from Semau in museum collections, the two syntypes of S. lividus. As a consequence, it is not possible to adequately characterize the species. Values for V and SC appear to be near 200 and 70, respectively, with tail length around one quarter of the total length of the animal based on SCR values, and D = 17-17-15. Other consistent scale counts include SL = 7, SL E = 3+4, IL = 9, and IL G = 4. Comments. In their original description, Dum��ril et al. (1854) listed scale counts for a single specimen, and the listed numbers conform almost exactly to our counts for RMNH.RENA 325A. However, near the end of their description, the authors stated that ���Le Mus��e de Leyde possede les seuls individus qu���il y ait recueillis et que nous avons ��tudi��s.��� [The Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Historie has the only specimens that M��ller collected and which we have studied.] Use of the plural ���les seuls individus��� clearly indicates that more than one specimen was used to compile the species description, even if the numbers were provided only for one. In order to avoid any confusion over which specimen was used for the species description and to enhance the stability of the species, we hereby designate RMNH.RENA 325A as the lectotype of S. lividus, rendering RMNH.RENA 325B as a paralectotype (Code, Article 74.7). Stegonotus lividus was listed in the synonymy of S. modestus by McDowell (1972), but McDowell flagged this synonymy by adding a question mark in front of the species name���a question mark that our new data show to be justified. Iskandar & Colijn (2002) considered the possibility that S. lividus could be a synonym of S. florensis, but this was dispelled by de Lang (2011) based on a series of comparative characteristics. The latter considered S. lividus to potentially be a synonym of S. modestus and included that species, based on the S. lividus records, among his category of doubtful records for the Lesser Sunda Islands. De Lang (2011) also raised the issue that the locality information for the type specimens of S. lividus could have been ���mixed up somewhere in the past,��� given that the collector Salomon M��ller traveled to Ambon, where S. modestus occurs but did not specifically list these specimens in his account of his travels (M��ller 1857). However, none of the descriptions of S. lividus include mention of the characteristic neck band of S. modestus and additional morphological differences exist and allow differentiation of S. lividus and S. modestus., Published as part of Kaiser, Christine M., Kaiser, Hinrich & O'Shea, Mark, 2018, The taxonomic history of Indo-Papuan groundsnakes, genus Stegonotus Dum��ril et al., 1854 (Colubridae), with some taxonomic revisions and the designation of a neotype for S. parvus (Meyer, 1874), pp. 1-73 in Zootaxa 4512 (1) on pages 14-16, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4512.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/2607575, {"references":["Dumeril, A. - M. - C., Bibron, G. & Dumeril, A. - H. - A. (1854) Erpetologie generale ou histoire naturelle complete des reptiles. Tome septieme, Partie 1. Librairie Encyclopedique de Roret, Paris, France, 780 pp. https: // doi. org / 10.5962 / bhl. title. 112229","Sherborn, C. D. & Woodward, B. B. (1901) Notes on the dates of publications of the natural history portions of some French voyages. Part 1. ' Amerique meridionale'; ' Indes orientales'; ' Pole Sud' (' Astrolabe' and ' Zelee'); ' La Bonite'; ' La Coquille'; and ' L'Uranie et Physicienne. ' Annals and Magazine of Natural History, Series 7, 7 (3), 388 - 392.","Sherborn, C. D. & Woodward, B. B. (1906) Notes on the dates of publications of the natural history portions of some French voyages. ' Voyage autour du Monde … sur … la Coquille pendant … 1822 - 25 … Par L. J. Duperry [sic], ' & c. A correction. Annals and Magazine of Natural History, Series 7, 17 (9), 335 - 336.","Steenis-Kruseman, M. J. van (1950) Alphabetical list of collectors. In: Steenis, C. G. G. J. van (Ed.), Flora Malesiana. Series 1 - Spermatophyta. Folume 1, pp. 5 - 598.","McDowell, S. B. (1972) The species of Stegonotus (Serpentes, Colubridae) in Papua New Guinea. Zoologische Mededelingen, 47 (2), 6 - 26.","Iskandar, D. T. & Colijn, E. (2002) A Checklist of Southeast Asian and New Guinean Reptiles. Part 1. Serpentes. Department of Biology, Institute of Technology, Bandung, Indonesia, 195 pp.","de Lang, R. (2011) The Snakes of the Lesser Sunda Islands (Nusa Tenggara), Indonesia: a Field Guide to the Terrestrial and Semi-Aquatic Snakes with Identification Key. Edition Chimaira, Frankfurt am Main, Germany, 349 pp.","Muller, S. (1857) Reizen en Onderzoekingen in den Indischen Archipel, gedaan op last der Nederlandsche Indische Regering, tusschen de Jaren 1828 en 1836. In: Anonymous (Ed.), Werken van het koninklijk Instituut voor Taal-, Land- en Folkenkunde van Nederlandsch-Indie. Tweede Afdeeling. Afzonderlijke Werken. Frederik Muller, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 326 pp."]}

Stegonotus florensis (de Rooij, 1917:110) Taxonomic status. Valid. Synonyms. Stegonotus sutteri Forcart, 1953. Original name. Lycodon florensis de Rooij, 1917:110. Petronella Johanna “Nelly” de Rooij (1883–1964; Fig. 17I) was a Dutch zoologist and, from 1907–1922, the curator of the collection in the Zoological Museum at the University of Amsterdam. During this time, de Rooij compiled two important volumes, presenting the first comprehensive descriptions of the reptiles in the Indo-Australian Archipelago (de Rooij 1915, 1917). It is noteworthy that during her career de Rooij experienced heavy discrimination by policies then in place that discriminated against women (Beolens et al. 2011), first against her academic advance, which required her to complete her doctorate (earned in 1907) in Zürich, Switzerland, and later in her position as curator in Amsterdam, from which she elected to resign in 1922 at the age of only 39 due to discriminatory administrative reforms (Adler 2007). Unfortunately, this effectively ended de Rooij’s research career. De Rooij’s portrait (Fig. 17I) is from the archives of the RMNH. The species name reflects the type locality, Flores Island. The species description was presented in English. Holotype. ZMA 11080, an adult female (Fig. 26; Table 1). The specimen is now housed in the Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Leiden, The Netherlands. The specimen was figured by de Rooij (1917: Figs. 46, 47). Type locality. “ Flores (near Kotting)” [Koting, ca. 3 km S Maumere, Flores Island, East Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia, ca. 8.68°S, 122.19°E]. The catalog entry for the specimen in the ZMA collection reads “ Flores, Omgeving van Kotting, Maumeri-Rivier” [Flores, vicinity of Koting, Maumere River], and in the Koting area there are numerous small tributaries that drain into one larger riverbed that runs through the city of Maumere on the north coast of Flores. Collection. According to the catalog entry in the ZMA collection, the specimen was collected by G.A.J. van de Sande, a member of the Koninklijk Instituut voor de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde van Nederlandsch-Indië [Royal Institute for Linguistics, Geography, and Ethnology of the Dutch Indies], who died in 1909 (Anonymous 1911). Key characteristics of the holotype. 456 (447) mm SVL + 112 (109) mm TL = 568 (556) mm TTL. V ♀ = 218 (217), SC ♀ = 66 (65), SCR ♀ = 0.23 (0.23), D = O-21-O (21-21-19), SL E = 3+4+5 (3+4+5), SL = 9R 8L (9R 8L), IL = O (10), IL G = O (5). Other than S. heterurus and S. sutteri (see below), this species is the only other Stegonotus with unpaired subcaudal scales. Key characteristics of the species. We were only able to find and examine two specimens of this form from Flores Island (the terra typica) in collections accessible to us, the female holotype and a male specimen in the Western Australian Museum, Perth, Australia (WAM 104606) collected in 1991. The dearth of specimens in collections makes any assessment of the characteristics of S. florensis at the species level tenuous at best. Characteristics include V ♀ = 217, V ♂ = 230; SC ♀ = 65, SC ♂ = 82; SCR ♀ = 0.23, SCR ♂ = 0.26; D = 21-21-19; SL E = 3+4+5; SL = 8 or 9; IL = 9 or 10; IL G = 5. It appears that sexual dimorphism in the numbers of ventral and subcaudal scales might exist, with males possessing higher numbers of both and a relatively longer tail. However, given the low sample size this is speculative. Comments. Based on x-ray images, Forcart (1954) noted that L. florensis did not possess the characteristic separation dividing the maxillary teeth into two sets, with some enlarged teeth anterior to the gap. Instead, he considered the maxillary dentition of L. florensis to reflect the characteristics used by Duméril et al. (1854) to the genus Stegonotus. It should be noted that this specimens presents with an aberration in the set of supralabial scales on both sides of the head. Unrecognized by de Rooij (1917) and drawn incorrectly in her line drawing of the right lateral side of the head, SL5 appears to be divided into two parts. While this does not change the overall supralabial count, it influences whether SL5 contacts the eye or not. In the second specimen of S. florensis we examined, as well as in all specimens of the likely related S. sutteri (see below), SL5 is a single, large supralabial. De Lang (2011) stated that specimens of S. florensis he studied varied in SL E, with some specimens showing values of 3+4 and 4+ 5 in addition to the diagnostic 3+4+5. We cannot confirm or deny this, but none of the specimens of S. florensis (as well as of S. sutteri, see below) we examined had conditions of SL E other than 3+4+5. All other data listed by de Lang (2011) conform to our concept of the species S. florensis., Published as part of Kaiser, Christine M., Kaiser, Hinrich & O'Shea, Mark, 2018, The taxonomic history of Indo-Papuan groundsnakes, genus Stegonotus Duméril et al., 1854 (Colubridae), with some taxonomic revisions and the designation of a neotype for S. parvus (Meyer, 1874), pp. 1-73 in Zootaxa 4512 (1) on pages 46-47, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4512.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/2607575, {"references":["de Rooij, N. (1917) The Reptiles of the Indo-Australian Archipelago. Volume II. Ophidia. E. J. Brill, Leiden, The Netherlands, 334 pp. https: // doi. org / 10.5962 / bhl. title. 24239","Forcart, L. (1953) Die Amphibien und Reptilien von Sumba, ihre zoogeographischen Beziehungen und Revision der Unterarten von Typhlops polygrammicus. Ferhandlungen der naturforschenden Gesellschaft zu Basel, 64, 356 - 388.","de Rooij, N. (1915) The Reptiles of the Indo-Australian Archipelago. Folume I. Lacertilia, Chelonia, Emydosauria. E. J. Brill, Leiden, The Netherlands, 384 pp. https: // doi. org / 10.5962 / bhl. title. 24239","Beolens, B., Watkins, M. & Grayson, M. (2011) The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, Maryland, USA, 312 pp.","Adler, K. (2007) Contributions to the History of Herpetology. Folume 2. Society for the Study of Reptiles and Amphibians, Lawrence, Kansas, USA, 400 pp.","Anonymous (1911). Bestuursvergadering van 19 Februari 1910. Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Folkenkunde van Nederlandsch-Indie, 65 (1 / 2), vi-viii.","Forcart, L. (1954) Die Taxonomie von Lycodon florensis Rooij und Stegonotus sutteri Forcart (Ophidia, Colubridae). Ferhandlungen der naturforschenden Gesellschaft zu Basel, 65, 7 - 8.","Dumeril, A. - M. - C., Bibron, G. & Dumeril, A. - H. - A. (1854) Erpetologie generale ou histoire naturelle complete des reptiles. Tome septieme, Partie 1. Librairie Encyclopedique de Roret, Paris, France, 780 pp. https: // doi. org / 10.5962 / bhl. title. 112229","de Lang, R. (2011) The Snakes of the Lesser Sunda Islands (Nusa Tenggara), Indonesia: a Field Guide to the Terrestrial and Semi-Aquatic Snakes with Identification Key. Edition Chimaira, Frankfurt am Main, Germany, 349 pp."]}

Coluber holochrous G��nther, 1863a:59 Taxonomic status. Junior synonym of S. modestus. The species holochrous is the type species of the genus Lielaphis (described as a subgenus of Colubri). Synonyms. None. Original name. Coluber holochrous G��nther, 1863a:59. Albert G��nther (1830���1914; Fig. 3K) was a German zoologist, whose influential position as Keeper of Zoology (head of the zoology department) at the British Museum of Natural History (now The Natural History Museum) led him to become one of the most productive reptile taxonomists of all time (Uetz 2010). In his species definition, of C. holochrous G��nther (1863a) specified that the body coloration was ���uniform brownish grey.��� We therefore assume that the species epithet (the Greek prefix holoplus the suffix chro[m]us = all one color) was chosen to reflect this uniform coloration. The species description was presented in English. The photographic portrait of G��nther (Fig. 3K; public domain) was taken in ca. 1900 and is housed in the collection of the BMNH. Holotype. BMNH 1946.1.11.40 (Fig. 12; Table 1), formerly BMNH 63.3.28.31, an adult male, illustrated by G��nther (1863a: Fig. 11). Type locality. ���North Ceram��� [northern Seram Island, Maluku Province, Indonesia]. Collection. In Boulenger���s (1893) Catalogue, the specimen is listed as the ��� Type of L [ielaphis] holochrous,��� and it is implied that it was collected by Pieter Bleeker (although the specific designation of ���C.��� for ���collector��� used elsewhere in Boulenger���s listing is not printed in this case). However, this could merely indicate that Bleeker had shipped the specimen to London. Bleeker (1856) reported that his party left Ambon for the Banda Islands on 11 October 1855 and made a stop of only a few hours at Amahai on the south coast of Seram. Therefore, Bleeker would have been unable to collect this specimen himself in northern Seram, and it was most likely sent to him by someone in his network of suppliers, including Rosenberg, who is known to have collected there. Key characteristics of the holotype. O (915) mm SVL + O (277) mm TL = 43 in [1092 mm] (1192) mm TTL. V ♂ = 206 (206), SC ♂ = 87 (87), SCR ♂ = 0.30 (0.30), D = O (17-17-15), SL E = 3+4 (3+4), SL = 7 (7), IL = 8 (8), IL G = 5 (4). We believe that G��nther must have counted the fifth infralabial scale as touching the anterior genial, even though that scale���s anteromedial corner does not touch the genial, but is positioned diagonally opposite. Since we do not believe that this character state has changed during preservation, we believe it to be G��nther���s error. Key characteristics of the species. See the account of S. modestus above. Comments. Following the description of this species, G��nther (1863a) discussed the division of Colubri 10 into subgenera, listing Coluber, Elaphis, Cynophis, Spilotes, and Coryphodon, and referencing his Catalogue of Colubrine Snakes (G��nther 1858). He noted that the species he described under the name holochrous did not fit into any of these subgenera and proposed the name Lielaphis as a sixth group, defined in the text, to accommodate C. holochrous as the type species and referring Spilotes samarensis to this new subgenus. His paper on new reptile records from Seram therefore not only featured the description of the species C. holochrous, it also originated the genus-level name Lielaphis., Published as part of Kaiser, Christine M., Kaiser, Hinrich & O'Shea, Mark, 2018, The taxonomic history of Indo-Papuan groundsnakes, genus Stegonotus Dum��ril et al., 1854 (Colubridae), with some taxonomic revisions and the designation of a neotype for S. parvus (Meyer, 1874), pp. 1-73 in Zootaxa 4512 (1) on pages 22-25, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4512.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/2607575, {"references":["Gunther, A. (1863 a) Contribution to the herpetology of Ceram. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, 3 (12), 58 - 60.","Uetz, P. (2010) The original descriptions of reptiles. Zootaxa, 2334, 59 - 68.","Boulenger, G. A. (1893) Catalogue of the snakes in the British Museum (Nat. Hist.) Folume I. Containing the families Typhlopidae, Glauconiidae, Boidae, Ilysiidae, Uropeltidae, Xenopeltidae, and Colubridae Aglyphae, part. Taylor & Francis, London, United Kingdom, 448 pp.","Bleeker, P. (1856) Reis door de Minahassa en de Molukschen Archipel, gedaan in de Maanden September en Oktober 1855 in het Gevolg van den Gouverneur Generaal Mr. A. J. Duymaer van Twist. Lange & Co., Batavia [Jakarta, Indonesia], 350 pp.","Gunther, A. (1858) Catalogue of Colubrine Snakes in the Collection of the British Museum. Trustees of the British Museum, London, United Kingdom, 281 pp."]}

Stegonotus keyensis (Doria, 1874:351) n. comb. Taxonomic status. Lycodon keyensis has heretofore been considered as a synonym of S. cucullatus. Based on lower ventral and subcaudal counts, a much shorter tail relative to overall body size as indicated by SCR values, and a distance of over 500 km from the type locality of S. cucullatus across the Bird���s Head Peninsula of West Papua and the Seram Sea, we hereby remove this species from the synonymy of S. cucullatus. The Kei Island populations of Stegonotus therefore take the name Stegonotus keyensis n. comb. Synonyms. None. Original name. Lycodon keyensis Doria, 1874:351. The species was described by Giacomo Doria (see above), who presented the description in Italian. It is named for the Kei Islands, its geographic origin. Holotype. MSNG 7521 (Fig. 19; Table 1), most likely an adult male (see below). Type locality. ���Isole Kei��� [the Kei Islands, Maluku Province, Indonesia]. Just as in the case of the Aru Islands, the locality ���Isole Kei��� is not specific enough to determine on which of the Kei Islands the specimen was collected. A description of Beccari���s visit to these islands, supported by Beccari���s own cited letters to Doria (Gigliolo 1874), shows that Beccari spent most of his time on Dullah and Kei Kecil, after having been shipwrecked on the voyage from Aru on Kei Besar (Anonymous 2018a). It is therefore not possible to restrict the type locality further. Collector. The specimen was collected by Odoardo Beccari (see above), who arrived in the Kei Islands on 6 July 1872 and departed from the main town of Tual on Dullah for Ambon on 4 September 1872. It was therefore collected between those dates. Key characteristics of the holotype. O (651) mm SVL + 170 (164) mm TL = 800 (815) mm TTL. V ♂ = 200 (200), SC ♂ = 73 (73), SCR ♂ = O (0.27), D = O-17-O (17-17-15), SL E = 4+5 (4+5), SL = 9 (9), IL = O (9L 10R), IL G = O (5). Based on the SC count of 73 and then non-overlapping sexual dimorphism in SC numbers (see below), we believe this specimen to be a male and treat it as such. Key characteristics of the species. We were able to examine seven specimens of S. keyensis that were collected on one of the Kei Islands. Of these, two females were collected on Dullah, two males on Kei Besar, one male on Taam, and two (1 ♀, 1 ♂), including the male holotype, were collected at unspecified localities. Characteristics include V ♀ = 188���200 (193 �� 6.1), V ♂ = 200���207 (204 �� 3.5); SC ♀ = 59���66 (63 �� 3.5), SC ♂ = 70���80 (74 �� 5.1); SCR ♀ = 0.25, SCR ♂ = 0.27; D = 17-17-15 (100%); SL E = 4+5 (n = 6, 86%) or 3+4 (n = 1, 14%); SL = 8 (n = 5, 71%) or 9 (n = 2, 29%); IL = 8 (n = 2, 29%), 9 (n = 3, 43%), or 10 (n = 2, 29%); IL G = 5. The species shows sexual dimorphism with respect to the numbers of both ventral and subcaudal scales. This difference does not result in obviously different SCR values, but this may be a statistical artifact of comparing ratios when sample sizes are small. Roux (1910) reported on two specimens (no numbers provided), one from Dullah and the other from Kei Besar. Both of these fit within the parameters for S. keyensis, as reported above. Comments. The set of infralabial scales on the right side of the holotype presents one unusual feature, a fragmentation of IL9 into two small, shallow scales, each of which we counted to arrive at our count of IL = 10 L. Boulenger (1893) synonymized the species with S. cucullatus, but Roux (1910) considered it more likely that the synonymy should be with S. modestus. We have found no evidence for the occurrence of either S. cucullatus or S. modestus in the Kei Islands. The existence of the species has so far only been confirmed for Dullah and Kei Besar using voucher specimens, but it is likely that it occurs on other nearby islands as well., Published as part of Kaiser, Christine M., Kaiser, Hinrich & O'Shea, Mark, 2018, The taxonomic history of Indo-Papuan groundsnakes, genus Stegonotus Dum��ril et al., 1854 (Colubridae), with some taxonomic revisions and the designation of a neotype for S. parvus (Meyer, 1874), pp. 1-73 in Zootaxa 4512 (1) on pages 35-36, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4512.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/2607575, {"references":["Doria, G. (1874) Enumerazione dei rettili raccolti dal Dott. O. Beccari in Amboina alle Isole Aru ed alle Isole Kei durante gli anni 1872 - 73. Annali del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale Giacomo Doria, 6, 325 - 357.","Anonymous (2018 a) Dedication to the memory of Odoardo Beccari. In: Nooteboom, H. P., de Wilde, W. J. J. O., Kirkup, D. W., Stevens, P. F., Coode, M. J. E. & Saw, L. G. (Eds.), Flora Malesiana. Available from: http: // portal. cybertaxonomy. org / floramalesiana / node / 235 appendix 3 (accessed 17 February 2018)","Roux, J. (1910) Reptilien und Amphibien der Aru- und Kei-Inseln. Abhandlungen der senckenbergischen naturforschenden Gesellschaft, 33, 211 - 247.","Boulenger, G. A. (1893) Catalogue of the snakes in the British Museum (Nat. Hist.) Folume I. Containing the families Typhlopidae, Glauconiidae, Boidae, Ilysiidae, Uropeltidae, Xenopeltidae, and Colubridae Aglyphae, part. Taylor & Francis, London, United Kingdom, 448 pp."]}

Stegonotus derooijae Ruane et al., 2017:13 Taxonomic status. Valid. Synonyms. None. Original name. Stegonotus derooijae Ruane et al., 2017:13. The species epithet honors Nelly de Rooij (Fig. 17I), who described S. florensis (see above). The species description was presented in English. Type specimens. Holotype: MZB Ophi.3288 (Fig. 32 A���E; Ruane et al. 2017: Fig. 6), an adult male (Table 1). Paratypes: MZB Ophi.3293 (Fig. 32 F���H), listed as possibly female. SAMA R70467 (Fig. 32 I���K), listed as possibly female. Type localities. All type specimens were collected in Raja Ampat Regency, West Papua Province, Indonesia. Holotype: Waibya Camp, Salawati Island, elev. 75 m (ca. 0.9564��S, 130.78��E). Paratypes: MZB Ophi.3293, same data as the holotype; SAMA R70467, Warinkabom, Batanta Island, elev. 50 m (ca. 0.8369��S, 130.72��E). Collection. All type specimens were collected by Stephen Richards, Burhan Tjaturadi, and Keliopas Krey between 5 and 28 June 2005. Key characteristics of the type specimens. (1) Holotype, MZB Ophi.3288: 455 mm SVL + 193 mm TL = 648 mm TTL. V ♂ = 181, SC ♂ = 94, SCR ♂ = 0.34, D = 17-17-15, SL E = 3+4, SL = 7, IL = 8, IL G = 5. (2) Paratype, MZB Ophi.3293: 450 mm SVL + 168+ mm TL = 618+ mm TTL. V ? = 178, SC ? = O, SCR ? = O, D = O-17-O, SL E = O, SL = 7, IL = 9, IL G = O. (3) Paratype, SAMA R70467: 290 mm SVL + 108 mm TL = 398 mm TTL. V ? = 178, SC ? = 90, SCR ? = 0.34, D = O-17-O, SL E = O, SL = 7, IL = 8, IL G = O. Key characteristics of the species. According to their specimen list, Ruane et al. (2017: Appendix) included four specimens (three types, one without type status) of S. derooijae in their analysis. Those the authors considered as possibly female we considered as unsexed for the purposes of our analysis and lumped them into a questionable category for the potentially sexually dimorphic values of V, SC, and SCR, as indicated by a subscripted question mark (?). Of the examined series, one unsexed specimen was collected on Batanta, one male and one unsexed specimen on Salawati, and one unsexed specimen on Waigeo. Characteristics include V ? = 178���197 (184 �� 11.0), V ♂ = 181; SC ? = 90���91, SC ♂ = 94; SCR ? = 0.33, SCR ♂ = 0.34; D = O-17-O (100%); SL E most likely 3+4; SL = 7 (n = 3, 75%) or 9 (n = 1, 25%); IL = 8 (n = 2, 50%) or 9 (n = 2, 50%); IL G most likely 5. The range in ventral scales gives us pause, as it is large and with a very high standard deviation. In other species of Stegonotus, standard deviations for ventral scales range from 4���8 scales, and 11 appears to be very high, even if two sexes are lumped together in this data set. Comment. Ruane et al. (2017) considered S. derooijae to be a member of their S. diehli complex., Published as part of Kaiser, Christine M., Kaiser, Hinrich & O'Shea, Mark, 2018, The taxonomic history of Indo-Papuan groundsnakes, genus Stegonotus Dum��ril et al., 1854 (Colubridae), with some taxonomic revisions and the designation of a neotype for S. parvus (Meyer, 1874), pp. 1-73 in Zootaxa 4512 (1) on page 56, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4512.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/2607575

Coronella rosenbergii Bleeker, 1860b:37 Taxonomic status. Junior synonym of S. modestus. Synonyms. None. Original name. Coronella Rosenbergii Bleeker 1860b:37. This species was named for the German naturalist Hermann von Rosenberg (1817���1888; Fig. 3H), who made an herpetological collection along the southern coast of Seram Island. Rosenberg was originally a cartographer and the Acting Civil Administrator of southern Seram (Bleeker 1860b; Steenis-Kruseman 1950) but his interest in ornithology connected him to Hermann Schlegel at the RMNH in Leiden. The species description was presented in Dutch. Rosenberg���s photograph (Fig. 3H; public domain) was taken by the photographer Conrad Spamer in 1882. Holotype. RMNH. RENA 4066 (Fig. 10; Table 1), an adult male. Type locality. ���Paulohi, Ceram, Molukschen Archipel��� [Seram Island, Maluku Province, Indonesia]. Bleeker (1860b) stated specifically that he considered this to be the first collection of reptiles from the southern coast of Seram. The locality name refers to a region in the south-central area of Seram inhabited by speakers of Paulohi, a rare Malayo-Polynesian language (Stresemann 1927; Wurm 2007). The most likely location for a collection in the mid-1800s is near the settlement of Amahai (ca. 3.3416��S, 128.9235��E), a port facing Ambon, the main population center of the region, which Bleeker visited on 11 October 1855 (Bleeker 1856). Collection. The specimen was collected in southern Seram by Rosenberg, for whom the species was named. Rosenberg was stationed on Seram from 26 April 1859 ��� 17 December 1861 (Rosenberg 1867; Steenis-Kruseman 1950) and, during that time, must have collected for Bleeker, whom he most likely met in Batavia before his deployment. Bleeker���s species description was dated April 1860, which leads us to believe that the specimen was most likely collected during the second half of 1859. Key characteristics of the holotype. O (582) mm SVL + O (178) mm TL = O (760) mm TTL. V ♂ = O (203), SC ♂ = O (80), SCR ♂ = O (0.28), D = O (17-17-15), SL E = O (3+4), SL = 7 (7), IL = O (9), IL G = O (4). Bleeker (1860b) remarked that the tail was roughly one quarter the length of the entire body, which fits well with our measurements (TL/TTL = 0.23). Key characteristics of the species. See the account of S. modestus above. Comments. Bleeker (1860b) specifically mentioned that the specimen had ���een flaauwe gele dwarsche nekband��� [a faint yellow cross neckband], which is a key characteristic of S. modestus. In his treatment of Papua New Guinean Stegonotus, McDowell (1972) included a footnote below his account for S. modestus, in which he stated that ���Bleeker based his description [of C. rosenbergii] on two specimens,��� one from the museum in Leiden (RMNH 4066) and one from London (BMNH 1946.1.13.88). McDowell further opined that Boulenger���s (1893:367) listing of the latter as ���Type of C. rosenbergii ��� constituted a lectotype designation. We carefully read Bleeker���s (1860b) species description and found no indication that Bleeker had two specimens in hand when he described the species. Furthermore, whereas Bleeker���s type locality is very specific, the one provided by Boulenger (1893) for BMNH 1946.1.13.88 is vague, listing merely ���Ceram.��� Lastly, the original collection number of the BMNH specimen is 63.12.4.9, indicating that the specimen reached London with a shipment from Bleeker in 1863, three years after the original description was published. Our interpretation of the Code leads us to conclude that Boulenger���s (1893) notation that BMNH 1946.1.13.88 (formerly 63.12.4.9) should be considered a syntype of C. rosenbergii is not supported by evidence in the original description or from the specimen itself. We therefore disagree with McDowell (1972) and hereby invalidate the purported lectotype designation (Code, Article 74.2). There is but a single type specimen of C. rosenbergii, and it is the holotype in Leiden., Published as part of Kaiser, Christine M., Kaiser, Hinrich & O'Shea, Mark, 2018, The taxonomic history of Indo-Papuan groundsnakes, genus Stegonotus Dum��ril et al., 1854 (Colubridae), with some taxonomic revisions and the designation of a neotype for S. parvus (Meyer, 1874), pp. 1-73 in Zootaxa 4512 (1) on pages 20-21, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4512.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/2607575, {"references":["Bleeker, P. (1860 b) Over de Reptilien-Fauna van van [sic] Ceram. Natuurkundig Tijdschrift voor Nederlandsch Indie, 22, 35 - 38.","Steenis-Kruseman, M. J. van (1950) Alphabetical list of collectors. In: Steenis, C. G. G. J. van (Ed.), Flora Malesiana. Series 1 - Spermatophyta. Folume 1, pp. 5 - 598.","Stresemann, E. (1927) Die Lauterscheinungen in den ambonischen Sprachen. Zeitschrift fur Eingeborenen-Sprachen, Supplement, 10. Reimer, Berlin, Germany.","Wurm, S. A. (2007) Australasia and the Pacific. In: Moseley, C. (Ed.), Encyclopedia of the World's Endangered Languages. Routledge Publishers, London, United Kingdom, pp. 425 - 578.","Bleeker, P. (1856) Reis door de Minahassa en de Molukschen Archipel, gedaan in de Maanden September en Oktober 1855 in het Gevolg van den Gouverneur Generaal Mr. A. J. Duymaer van Twist. Lange & Co., Batavia [Jakarta, Indonesia], 350 pp.","Rosenberg, C. B. H. von (1867) Beschrijving van eenige gedeelten van Ceram. Tijdschrift voor Indische Taal-, Land- en Folkenkunde, 16, 97 - 182.","McDowell, S. B. (1972) The species of Stegonotus (Serpentes, Colubridae) in Papua New Guinea. Zoologische Mededelingen, 47 (2), 6 - 26.","Boulenger, G. A. (1893) Catalogue of the snakes in the British Museum (Nat. Hist.) Folume I. Containing the families Typhlopidae, Glauconiidae, Boidae, Ilysiidae, Uropeltidae, Xenopeltidae, and Colubridae Aglyphae, part. Taylor & Francis, London, United Kingdom, 448 pp."]}

Stegonotus dorsalis Werner, 1924:32 Taxonomic status. Wallach et al. (2014) listed S. dorsalis in the synonymy of S. diehli without further comment. Werner (1924) himself stated at the beginning of his description that he considered this species ���n��chstverwandt��� [sister species] to S. diehli but provided a definitive series of differentiating characteristics. Based on the understanding of Stegonotus we have gained by examining nearly 1500 museum specimens, we consider the characteristics differentiating S. dorsalis from S. diehli, in addition to the uncertain taxonomy of the latter, sufficient to uphold a taxonomic distinction at the species level. None of the well-defined taxa in the genus Stegonotus (S. batjanensis, S. guentheri, S. heterurus, S. keyensis, S. modestus, S. muelleri) display ventral scales of sexes combined with a range of 29 scales (179 in the holotype of S. diehli to 208 in the holotype of S. dorsalis), which already provides strong evidence for species-level distinction. Furthermore, differences include (features of S. diehli provided in parentheses) SL = 8 (7), SL E = 4+5 (3+4), and IL G = 5 (4). We therefore remove S. dorsalis from the synonymy of S. diehli. Synonyms. None. Original name. Stegonotus dorsalis Werner, 1924:32. Franz Werner (1867���1939; Fig. 17J) was an Austrian herpetologist and entomologist, as well as lecturer and professor at the Institute for Zoology at the University of Vienna from 1891���1933. It is noteworthy that Werner was initially unable to use specimens at the NMW for his research, having been barred by Franz Steindachner (1834���1919), the then-curator. However, after Steindachner���s death, these restrictions appear to have been loosened, as attested by Werner���s description of S. dorsalis. The undated portrait of Werner (Fig. 17J; public domain) was taken by the Viennese portrait photographer Albin Kob�� (1884���1963) and hangs in the office of the herpetology curator at the NMW. Holotype. NMW 14861 (Fig. 27; Table 1), an adult male. Type locality. Neither jar label nor specimen catalog entry provide any information regarding the type locality. The historic jar label states ���Fundort?��� [locality?], indicating that no information about the type locality appeared to be available at the time the specimen was accessioned into the collection. However, based on the specimens included in Werner���s (1924) account of snakes in the Vienna museum it becomes clear that the only possible origin for specimens of Stegonotus housed there is New Guinea. Furthermore, the only zoological collection in New Guinea that would have found its way exclusively into the Vienna museum was made by the anthropologist and explorer Rudolf P��ch (1870���1921; Fig. 17K), later a professor of anthropology at Vienna University, who spent several months in New Guinea in 1904 (28 July���25 November; P��ch 1907, 1908), and whose name is associated with the (falsely identified) specimen of ��� Stegonotus modestus ��� that Werner (1924) included in his account. Further research we conducted in the archives of the Vienna collection led to the discovery of historic specimen inventory slips indicating New Guinea as the collection locality, as well as letters from P��ch to the then-curator, Franz Steindachner, in which the former recounts some of his travels. In one of these letters, P��ch wrote that specimens that had been sent without any specific locality information (i.e., those merely listing New Guinea) were all collected at ���Monumbo, K��stenstrich von Potsdamhafen, Deutsch-Neu-Guinea��� [Monumbo, in the coastal region around Potsdamhafen, German New Guinea, now Papua New Guinea]. A notation in the margin of the letter reveals that one package of specimens from this area was indeed inventoried. Alas, modern maps and gazetteers of Papua New Guinea show neither Monumbo nor Potsdamhafen. German maps of the early 1900s and, specifically, one created by P��ch himself in accordance with the Deutscher Kolonialatlas [German colonial atlas] (see P��ch 1908), reveal that the location of Potsdamhafen was in a small bay across from Manam Island, Madang Province, Papua New Guinea (ca. 4.2280��S, 144.9333��E). P��ch���s map and text also show that he used the term ���Monumbo��� for both a New Guinean tribe and the mountains bordering Potsdamhafen on the landward side. P��ch made several excursions into and through these mountains and included some biological aspects of his surveys in his travelogue (P��ch 1908). The image of P��ch (Fig. 17K; licensed under CC-BY-SA-4.0) is from the photographic collection of the archives at the University of Vienna, Austria. Collection. The label affixed to the jar lists only the comment ���Coll.?��� [collector?], indicating that no information was available. The most likely scenario for the collection of the holotype of Stegonotus dorsalis is that P��ch encountered the snake on one of his forays into the interior during the months of August���November 1904. With no opportunity to specify a locality on these expeditions, and with a focus on anthropological research, P��ch could have grouped his collected zoological specimens and provided the general locality of Monumbo for any specimens from the area inland of Potsdamhafen. The type locality of S. dorsalis (see below) is ca. 160 km NW of the type locality of S. diehli, across the mountains of the Adelbert Range. Key characteristics of the holotype. 805 (805) mm SVL + 245 (245) mm TL = 1050 (1050) mm TTL. V ♂ = 208 (208), SC ♂ = 88 (88), SCR ♂ = 0.30 (0.30), D = O-15-O (15-15-15), SL E = 4+5 (4+5), SL = 8 (8), IL = O (10), IL G = O (5). Key characteristics of the species. With only a single specimen available, any species-level characterization must remain very general. It appears that S. dorsalis has a relatively high ventral count (V = 208) compared to other species with 15 middorsal scale rows (S. diehli, S. guentheri), whose counts reach only the mid-190s. Other characteristics include SL E = 4+5, IL G = 5, and a relatively high IL count (10). Comment. This species was not mentioned in the works of McDowell (1972) and Ruane et al. (2017)., Published as part of Kaiser, Christine M., Kaiser, Hinrich & O'Shea, Mark, 2018, The taxonomic history of Indo-Papuan groundsnakes, genus Stegonotus Dum��ril et al., 1854 (Colubridae), with some taxonomic revisions and the designation of a neotype for S. parvus (Meyer, 1874), pp. 1-73 in Zootaxa 4512 (1) on pages 48-49, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4512.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/2607575, {"references":["Werner, F. (1924) Neue oder wenig bekannte Schlangen aus dem Naturhistorischen Staatsmuseum in Wien. Sitzungsberichte der Kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften in Wien, 133, 29 - 56.","Wallach, V., Williams, K. L. & Boundy, J. (2014) Snakes of the World: a Catalogue of Living and Extinct Species. CRC Press, New York, USA, 1237 pp. https: // doi. org / 10.1201 / b 16901","Poch, R. (1907) Travels in German, British, and Dutch New Guinea. The Geographical Journal, 30 (6), 609 - 616. https: // doi. org / 10.2307 / 1776812","Poch, R. (1908) Reisen an der Nordkuste von Kaiser Wilhelmsland. Globus, 93 (9), 139 - 143, continued in 93 (10), 149 - 155, continued in 93 (11), 169 - 173.","McDowell, S. B. (1972) The species of Stegonotus (Serpentes, Colubridae) in Papua New Guinea. Zoologische Mededelingen, 47 (2), 6 - 26."]}

Stegonotus heterurus Boulenger, 1893:367 Taxonomic status. Valid. Synonyms. None. Original name. Stegonotus heterurus Boulenger, 1893:367. George Albert Boulenger (1858���1937; Fig. 17E) was a highly prolific Belgian-British naturalist associated for most of his professional life with the British Museum of Natural History. The species name heterurus is a word of Greek origin, combining ���heteros��� [different] and ���oura��� [tail] in reference to the fact that the subcaudal scales in this species are not paired, the character state in all species of Stegonotus known at the time of Boulenger���s description. The species description was presented in English. The image of Boulenger (Fig. 17E; reproduced under license no. 5449 from the National Portrait Gallery, London, United Kingdom) was taken in 1917 by the British portrait photographer Walter Stoneman (1876���1958). Syntypes. BMNH 1946.1.14.91 (formerly BMNH 83.3.17.13), 1946.1.14.95 (formerly BMNH 77.2.24.19), and 1946.1.15.10 (formerly BMNH 79.10.31.7), adult males (Fig. 22). Type localities. The localities provided by Boulenger (1893) and in the specimen register at the BMNH for the type series of S. heterurus are, unfortunately, rather vague. Two specimens (BMNH 1946.1.14.95, 1946.1.15.10) are from ���Duke of York Id.��� [Duke of York Island, East New Britain Province, Papua New Guinea], whereas BMNH 1946.1.14.91 is from ��� New Britain ��� [the largest island in the Bismarck Archipelago, comprising East New Britain Province and West New Britain Province, Papua New Guinea]. Of these, Duke of York is the largest island of the Duke of York Islands, a group of relatively small islands (total land area 58 km 2), with maximum dimensions of 10 km in a north���south direction and 9 km in an east���west direction, and with a maximum elevation of ca. 110 m. In contrast, New Britain is a large (36,520 km 2) and topographically and ecologically diverse island (with a mountainous topography, especially in the eastern part of the island, featuring a highest elevation of nearly 2500 m), and can hardly be considered a ���locality��� in the strict sense. Collection. Boulenger (1893) listed the Duke of York syntypes (BMNH 1946.1.14.95, 1946.1.15.10) as having been collected by ���Rev. G. Brown,��� who can be identified as the Methodist missionary George Brown (1835���1917; Fig. 17F), a close friend of the novelist Robert Louis Stevenson of Treasure Island fame (Anonymous 2018b). After an extended stint in Samoa, Brown spent a little over five years (1875���81) in the Bismarck Archipelago, arriving on Duke of York on 15 August 1875 at Port Hunter on the northern tip of the island (Anonymous 2018b). Port Hunter provided the base of operations for expanding the territory of the mission to New Ireland and New Britain. The specimens of S. heterurus must have been collected during this 5-year period, but we have not been able to pinpoint a specific locality or date. The photograph of Brown (Fig. 17F; public domain) is the frontispiece of his autobiography (Brown 1908). The third syntype (BMNH 1946.1.14.91) was listed as having been received from the ���Museum Godeffroy,��� the collection of the Huguenot trader Johann Cesar VI Godeffroy (1813���1885) in Hamburg, Germany. The collection was established in 1861, and for the next two decades a variety of collectors were employed to expand its holdings. Only one of the known collectors, Franz H��bner (1846���1877), is listed as having specifically collected on New Britain (Evenhuis 2007) during the years 1875���1877 (Weidner 1967). During the museum���s operation, its curator Johann Schmeltz (1839���1909) compiled a series of sales catalogs, and it is likely that the specimen appeared in one of these catalogs and was purchased by the British Museum of Natural History. Key characteristics of the type specimens. (1) BMNH 1946.1.14.91: O (364) mm SVL + O (108) mm TL = O (472) mm TTL. V ♂ = 188 (186), SC ♂ = 82 (83), SCR ♂ = 0.30 (0.31), D = O-17-O (17-17-15), SL E = 3+4 (3+4), SL = 7 (7), IL = O (8L 9R), IL G = 4 (4). (2) BMNH 1946.1.14.95: O (393) mm SVL + O (89) mm TL =O (482) mm TTL. V ♂ = 178 (179), SC ♂ = 81 (80), SCR ♂ = 0.31 (0.31), D = O-17-O (17-17-15), SL E = 3+4 (3+4), SL = 7 (7), IL = O (9), IL G = 4 (4). (3) 1946.1.15.10: 405 (477) mm SVL + 135 (135) mm TL = 540 (612) mm TTL. V ♂ = 182 (181), SC ♂ = 75 (76), SCR ♂ = 0.29 (0.30), D = O-17-O (17-17-15), SL E = 3+4 (3+4), SL = 9 (7), IL = O (O), IL G = 4 (4). It should be noted that the subcaudal counts in this species refer to subcaudal scales that span the entire width of the tail (i.e., unpaired subcaudals). Key characteristics of the species. We have been able to examine 19 specimens of S. heterurus. Of these, 11 (2 ♀♀, 6 ♂♂, 3 unsexed) were collected on New Britain, six on New Ireland (1 ♀, 5 ♂♂), and two on Duke of York (2 ♂♂). Characteristics include V ♀ = 183���193 (189 �� 5.1), V ♂ = 179���198 (188 �� 5.2); SC ♀ = 83���93 (89 �� 5.5), SC ♂ = 76���88 (82 �� 3.9); SCR ♀ = 0.32, SCR ♂ = 0.30; D = 17-17-15 (100%); SL E = 3+4 (100%); SL = 7 (100%); IL = 8 (83%) or 9 (17%); IL G = 4. Regarding the frequency of IL, it should be noted that the percentages are based on one specimen with IL = 9 on both sides of the head, three specimens with a mix of IL = 8 or 9, and 13 specimens with IL = 8 on both sides of the head. There does not appear to be any sexual dimorphism with respect to V and SC counts in S. heterurus, with values for SCR only minimally different. It is perhaps noteworthy that, unlike in any other species of Stegonotus, the females examined gave a higher maximum subcaudal count than males (93 in females, 88 in males), but this difference is within the standard deviation of the subcaudal count for either sex. The specimens of the original type series from Duke of York have the smallest values for relative tail length, and these are among the lowest for males in the entire genus. This is the only species in the genus other than S. florensis and S. sutteri that possesses entire subcaudal scales. Comments. In order to anchor the name S. heterurus to a single specimen and stabilize the species, we hereby designate BMNH 1946.1.14.95 (Fig. 22 A���E; Table 1) as the lectotype (Code, Article 74.7). It is the largest of the three syntypes, in an excellent state of preservation, and possesses the characteristics we consider diagnostic for the species. This means that the type locality for the species becomes restricted to Duke of York Island, and it renders BMNH 1946.1.14.91 and 1946.1.15.10 as paralectotypes. Given the very wide distribution of S. heterurus across New Britain and New Ireland, an archipelago generally known for its reptile diversity and endemism (e.g., Foufopoulos & Richards 2007; Richards 2011; Clegg & Jocque 2016), the presence of a single species of Stegonotus is perhaps surprising. This is especially noteworthy considering the recently unveiled endemism in the Raja Ampat Archipelago (Ruane et al. 2017) and the diversity we recognize for the Moluccas in this paper. Further research in these islands and the collection of new specimens would allow a molecular analysis to discern the genetic structure in this species and would, perhaps, uncover greater diversity., Published as part of Kaiser, Christine M., Kaiser, Hinrich & O'Shea, Mark, 2018, The taxonomic history of Indo-Papuan groundsnakes, genus Stegonotus Dum��ril et al., 1854 (Colubridae), with some taxonomic revisions and the designation of a neotype for S. parvus (Meyer, 1874), pp. 1-73 in Zootaxa 4512 (1) on pages 38-40, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4512.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/2607575, {"references":["Boulenger, G. A. (1893) Catalogue of the snakes in the British Museum (Nat. Hist.) Folume I. Containing the families Typhlopidae, Glauconiidae, Boidae, Ilysiidae, Uropeltidae, Xenopeltidae, and Colubridae Aglyphae, part. Taylor & Francis, London, United Kingdom, 448 pp.","Anonymous (2018 b) The papers of Reverence George Brown (1835 - 1917), Methodist Missionary, from the State Library of New South Wales. In: Anonymous (Ed.) Pacific Island Culture and Society. Adam Matthew Publications, Pelham, United Kingdom. Available from: http: // www. ampltd. co. uk / digital _ guides / pacific _ island _ culture / Publishers-Note. aspx (accessed 8 March 2018)","Brown, G. (1908) George Brown, D. D. Pioneer-Missionary and Explorer. An Autobiography. Hodder & Stoughton, London, United Kingdom.","Evenhuis, N. L. (2007) The Godeffroy Museum Catalogs in relation to Fiji terrestrial arthropods. Part I: Introduction and review of Myriapoda, Diptera, Odonata, and smaller hexapod orders. In: Evenhuis, N. L. & Bickel, D. J. (Eds.), Fiji Arthropods. FII. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers, Hawaii, pp. 17 - 28.","Weidner, H. (1967) Geschichte der Entomologie in Hamburg. Abhandlungen und Ferhandlungen des Naturwissenschaftlichen Fereins zu Hamburg, Neue Folge, 9 (Supplement), 5 - 387.","Foufopoulos, J. & Richards, S. J. (2007) Amphibians and reptiles of New Britain Island, Papua New Guinea: diversity and conservation status. Hamadryad, 31, 176 - 201.","Richards, S. J. (2011) Herpetofauna of the Nakanai Mountains, East New Britain Province, Papua New Guinea. RAP Bulletin of Biological Assessment, 60, 75 - 80.","Clegg, J. R. & Jocque, M. (2016) The collection of snakes made by Benoit Mys and Jan Swerts in northern Papua New Guinea in 1982 - 85. Journal of Herpetology, 50, 476 - 485. https: // doi. org / 10.1670 / 15 - 096"]}

Stegonotus aruensis (Doria, 1874:352) n. comb. Taxonomic status. Lycodon aruensis has heretofore been considered as a synonym of S. modestus. Having restricted that species to some of the central Moluccan islands, and combined with the lack of a neck band and a much higher value of SCR in aruensis, we hereby remove this species from the synonymy of S. modestus. This population therefore takes the name Stegonotus aruensis n. comb. Synonyms. None. Original name. Lycodon aruensis Doria, 1874:352. Giacomo Doria (1840–1913; Fig. 17A) was an influential Italian naturalist and founder of a natural history collection in Genoa, Italy. The species is named for the Aru Islands, and the description was presented in Italian. Holotype. MSNG 30186 (Fig. 18; Table 1), most likely an adult male (see below). Type locality. “Wokan (Isole Aru)” [Wokam, Tanahbesar Island, Maluku Province, Indonesia]. There could be some confusion regarding the specifics of the type locality. A literal translation simply yields the place name Wokam and “Aru Islands.” It should be noted that Doria used the plural for island (isole) and not the singular (isola), referencing the reality that “Aru” is actually a complex of several islands, separated by narrow saltwater channels. Specifically, “Wokam” may refer to Tanahbesar, one of the four larger islands that make up the landmass of the Aru Islands, but also to a sparsely populated administrative area on the westernmost extreme of Tanahbesar. The voyage that resulted in the collection of this specimen originated on Ambon and the vessel arrived at the main port of the Aru Islands at Dobo (Doria 1874). The administrative area called Wokam lies just across a saltwater channel from Dobo in the western region of Tanahbesar, and the short distance from Dobo makes it a very likely place for a landfall. Doria (1874) further recounted that the collector Beccari’s travels in the Aru Islands were restricted to the islands’ western coast. This is borne out by a map drawn by Beccari and reproduced in Gigliolo (1873:857), where Locality 1 is labeled as “Wokan.” We therefore restrict the type locality of S. aruensis to the Wokam administrative unit in western Tanahbesar (ca. 5.6636°S, 134.2509°E). Collector. Doria (1874) reported on a collection of specimens made by Odoardo Beccari (1843–1920; Fig. 17B), who traveled extensively in the Malay Archipelago and into Papuasia in the 1860s and 1870s. On this particular trip, Beccari departed Ambon for Dobo in the Aru Islands on 8 February 1872, where he arrived on 22 February 1872 (Anonymous 2018a). On 6 July, Beccari departed Wokam for the Kei Islands (Anonymous 2018a). Thus, the specimen must have been collected between 8 February and 6 July 1872. The photographs of Doria (Fig. 17A) and Beccari (Fig. 17B) are from Doria & Gippoliti (2006) and are used by permission of Giuliano Doria (in litt., 8 August 2018). Key characteristics of the holotype. 560 (582) mm SVL + 240 (233) mm TL = 800 (815) mm TTL. V ♂ = 190 (190), SC ♂ = 100 (103), SCR ♂ = O (0.35), D = O-17-O (17-17-15), SL E = 3+4 (3+4), SL = 7 (7), IL = O (8), IL G = O (4). Based on the high value of SCR, we believe this specimen to be a male and treat it as such. Key characteristics of the species. Other than the holotype, we were able to locate only one additional specimen of S. aruensis (SMF 18055). As a consequence, our assessment of the species-level characteristics is very limited. It appears that S. aruensis, just like S. modestus, is sexually dimorphic with respect to tail length. The putatively male holotype has a high SCR value of 0.35, whereas the second specimen, putatively a female, has an SCR of only 0.29. Beyond that, among the diversity of Stegonotus this species falls into the category of having SL E = 3+4, D = 17-17-15, the lower counts for SL and IL (7 and 8, respectively), as well as IL G = 4. Additional specimens would be needed to ascertain the variability of these characters, or to define the species more broadly.

Stegonotus batjanensis (Günther, 1865) Taxonomic status. Valid. Synonyms. Leptophis batjanensis Bleeker, 1857:473 (nomen nudum) Original name. Coluber (Lielaphis) batjanensis Günther 1865:93. In his fourth list of snakes, Günther placed his new species into a genus he erected to accommodate Coluber holochrous and Spilotes samarensis (see their respective accounts above), two species that have long been in the synonymy of other taxa (with S. modestus and S. muelleri, respectively). Due to the logistical constraints of research at the time, it is doubtful that Günther actually personally examined the type specimens of S. modestus or S. muelleri, the respective taxa in whose synonymy the two putative Lielaphis species were placed. The species epithet references Batjan, an older name for Bacan Island based on Dutch pronunciation, and the description was presented in English. Holotype. BMNH 1946.1.11.36 (Fig. 13; Table 1), formerly BMNH 63.12.4.15, an adult male. The original description included line drawings of the head in dorsal, ventral, and lateral views (Günther 1865: Plate II, Fig. A). Type locality. “Batjan” [Bacan Island, North Maluku Province, Indonesia]. Collector. The specimen is listed as having been collected by Pieter Bleeker, but Bleeker never ventured out into the northern Moluccas (Bleeker 1877; Heiningen 2010). It was most likely sent to London from Batavia as part of Bleeker’s donations, which were assembled from a variety of suppliers. However, since Bleeker departed the Dutch East Indies in the year 1860, the specimen must have been collected before his departure, and likely after his trip through the central Moluccas in 1855, where his interest in the region was kindled (Bleeker 1856). Key characteristics of the holotype. The original description includes measurements of an SVL of 61 in and a tail length of 12 in. This converts to 1549 (1280) mm SVL + 305 (300) mm TL = 1854 (1580) mm TTL. V ♂ = 236 (235), SC ♂ = 78 11 (86), SCR ♂ = 0.27; D = O-17-O (17-17-15), SL E = 3+4+5 (3+4+5), SL = 8 (8), IL = 10, counted from the figure in the original description (10), IL G = O (5). Key characteristics of the species. We were able to examine 28 specimens of S. batjanensis that were collected on one of the four islands to which we are restricting the distribution of the species. Of these, one (the male holotype) was collected on Bacan, 16 (5 ♀♀, 7 ♂♂, four of unknown sex) on Halmahera, four on Morotai (1 ♀, 3 ♂♂), and five on Ternate (2 ♀♀, 2 ♂♂, one of unknown sex). Two additional specimens we examined are clearly members of this species but no locality is available. Characteristics include V ♀ = 203–216 (211 ± 4.5), V ♂ = 221–236 (229 ± 4.3); SC ♀ = 80–90 (84 ± 3.8), SC ♂ = 78–89 (85 ± 3.3); SCR ♀ = 0.28, SCR ♂ = 0.27; D = 17-17-15 (100%); SL E = 3+4+5 (100%); SL = 8 (n = 22, 96%) or rarely 7 (n = 1, 4%); IL = 9 (n = 18, 78%), 10 (n = 4, 17%), or rarely 8 (n = 1, 4%); IL G = 5 (100%). The species displays sexual dimorphism in the non-overlapping ventral 10. Günther (1863a:60) wrote, “If we divide the Colubri with equal or subequal teeth into the subgeneric divisions of Coluber, Elaphis, Cynophis, Spilotes, and Coryphodon, as indicated in my 'Catalogue of Colubrine Snakes,' p. 84, the present species [Coluber holochrous] does not enter any of these sections; and we may propose the name of Lielaphis for a sixth group, of which C. holochrous is the type, and to which also Spilotes samarensis, Peters, belongs.” However, in his Catalogue (Günther 1858:84) these “subgenera” are listed as genera (the term Colubri is not used) and in his third account of new snakes in the British Museum (Günther 1863b:349) he listed Elaphis as a genus. Whereas the subgeneric divisions in the paper on the Ceram herpetofauna are explicit, we believe the taxon levels are better stated to be the tribe Colubri and a division of the tribe into six genera. 11. Given the large difference between our own count and the value listed by Günther (1865), we believe it most likely that Günther inadvertently reversed his numbers and that his actual count would have been 87, including the now missing tail tip scale. count. De Lang (2013) listed dorsal counts of “19, 17, or 15-17-15” for the species, citing several literature sources 12. We found only the 17-17-15 count, although there are specimens that display dorsal count oddities, whereby a few dorsal rows have 16 or 18 rows before returning to the regular count of 17. Comments. Stegonotus batjanensis is a distinctively patterned northern Moluccan regional endemic, whose presence on Bacan, Halmahera, Kasiruta, Morotai, Obi, Ternate, and Tidore is confirmed by voucher specimens (de Lang 2013). We have not seen specimens from Kasiruta, Obi, or Tidore, and we are wondering whether these are the ones with dorsal scale counts that differ from the norm. There are two specimens of S. batjanensis in the collection of the Zoölogisch Museum Amsterdam (ZMA17660 A–B) whose locality is given as Ambon (see also de Lang 2013). This locality is incongruent with the expected northern Moluccan range for the species, placing it at least 300 km to the south of confirmed localities, and on the far side of Seram, from which this species is not known. These two specimens were given to the ZMA during the retrenchment of the Koninklijk Instituut voor de Tropen [Royal Tropical Institute] without a named collector based on the collection’s specimen ledger. We believe that the locality “ Ambon ” is in error, and that Ambon, the main center of economic activity in this area of Indonesia, was merely the shipping point of origin for specimens collected in the region. This is not a unique circumstance, as the example of the Timor python (Malayopython timoriensis) shows, which was not collected and does not occur on Timor, but was merely shipped from Kupang in West Timor (Barker & Barker 1996; O’Shea & Kaiser 2018). 12. We interpret this to mean dorsal counts of 19-17-15, 17-17-15, or 15-17-15., Published as part of Kaiser, Christine M., Kaiser, Hinrich & O'Shea, Mark, 2018, The taxonomic history of Indo-Papuan groundsnakes, genus Stegonotus Duméril et al., 1854 (Colubridae), with some taxonomic revisions and the designation of a neotype for S. parvus (Meyer, 1874), pp. 1-73 in Zootaxa 4512 (1) on pages 25-26, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4512.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/2607575, {"references":["Gunther, A. (1865) Fourth account of new species of snakes in the collection of the British Museum. Annals and Magazine of Natural History, 15 (3), 89 - 98. https: // doi. org / 10.1080 / 00222936508681770","Bleeker, P. (1877) Levensbericht van P. Bleeker. Jaarboek van de Koninklijke Akademie van Wetenschappen, 1877, 11 - 158.","Heiningen, T. W. van (2010) Pieter Bleeker (1819 - 1878), medecin et naturaliste passionne. Histoire des Sciences Medicales, 44, 257 - 267.","Bleeker, P. (1856) Reis door de Minahassa en de Molukschen Archipel, gedaan in de Maanden September en Oktober 1855 in het Gevolg van den Gouverneur Generaal Mr. A. J. Duymaer van Twist. Lange & Co., Batavia [Jakarta, Indonesia], 350 pp.","Gunther, A. (1863 a) Contribution to the herpetology of Ceram. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, 3 (12), 58 - 60.","Gunther, A. (1858) Catalogue of Colubrine Snakes in the Collection of the British Museum. Trustees of the British Museum, London, United Kingdom, 281 pp.","Gunther, A. (1863 b) Third account of new species of snakes in the collection of the British Museum. Annals and Magazine of Natural History, 12 (3), 348 - 365. https: // doi. org / 10.1080 / 00222936308681536","de Lang, R. (2013) The Snakes of the Moluccas (Maluku), Indonesia: a Field Guide to the Land and Non-Marine Aquatic Snakes of the Moluccas with Identification Key. Edition Chimaira, Frankfurt am Main, Germany, 417 pp.","Barker, D. G. & Barker, T. M. (1996) The Lesser Sundas python (Python timoriensis): taxonomic history, distribution, husbandry, and captive reproduction. In: Strimple, P. D. (Ed.), Advances in Herpetoculture. International Herpetological Symposium, Boise, Idaho, USA, pp. 103 - 108.","Kaiser, C. M., Kaiser, H., Rickerl, K. & O'Shea, M. (2018) A portable, low-cost approach for photographing fluid-preserved snake specimens: recommendations with comments on optimizing natural history specimen photography. Herpetological Review. In press."]}

Stegonotus admiraltiensis Ruane et al., 2017:21 Taxonomic status. Valid. Synonyms. None. Original name. Stegonotus admiraltiensis Ruane et al., 2017:21. The species name references the Admiralty Islands of Manus Province, Papua New Guinea, where the species is thought to be endemic. The description was presented in English. Type specimens. Holotype: LSUMZ 93598 (Ruane et al. 2017: Fig. 8), an adult male (Table 1). Paratypes: LSUMZ 93597, 93599���600 (all paratypes unsexed). Type localities. All type specimens were collected in Manus Province, Papua New Guinea. Holotype: Penchal Village, Rambutyo Island, elev. 58 m (ca. 2.3283��S, 147.77��E). Paratypes: LSUMZ 93597, Peyon Village, Los Negros Island, elev. 10 m (ca. 2.0327��S, 147.43��E); LSUMZ 93599���600, northeast of Penchal Village, Rambutyo Island, elev. 100 m (ca. 2.3405��S, 147.79��E). Collection. All type specimens were collected by Christopher C. Austin (Louisiana Museum of Natural History, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA) between 29 August and 3 September 2001. Key characteristics of the type specimens. (1) Holotype, LSUMZ 93598: 658 mm SVL + 185 mm TL = 843 mm TTL. V ♂ = 208, SC ♂ = 98, SCR ♂ = 0.32, D = 17-19-15, SL E = 4+5, SL = 8, IL = 10, IL G = 6. (2) Paratype, LSUMZ 93597: 560 mm SVL + 174 mm TL = 734 mm TTL. V ? = 214, SC ? = 94, SCR ? = 0.31, D = O-17-O, SL E = x, SL = 8, IL = 10, IL G = O. (3) Paratype, LSUMZ 93599: 646 mm SVL + 190 mm TL = 836 mm TTL. V ? = 206, SC ? = 93, SCR ? = 0.31, D = O-17-O, SL E = O, SL = 8, IL = 9, IL G = O. (4) Paratype, LSUMZ 93600: 598 mm SVL + 110+ mm TL = 708+ mm TTL. V ? = 202, SC ? = O, SCR ? = O, D = O-19-O, SL E = O, SL = 8, IL = 10, IL G = O. Key characteristics of the species. According to their specimen list, Ruane et al. (2017: Appendix) included four specimens of S. admiraltiensis in their analysis. Of these, one male and two unsexed specimens were collected on Rambutyo, and one unsexed specimen on Los Negros. Given that most of the specimens were not sexed, it is not possible to draw conclusions regarding the distribution of characteristics by sex or about the presence of sexual dimorphism. The characteristics we list here are therefore somewhat limited in their overall description of the species. We consider S. admiraltiensis to be a species with a relatively high ventral scale count (V> 200) with a relatively high number of subcaudal scales (SC> 90; SCR> 0.30). The dorsal count of 17-19-15 is unique among the species of Stegonotus, and its occurrence in a species that also presents dorsal counts of O-17-O (most likely 17-17-15) is unusual. The SL E is most likely 4+5 for the species given that this character tends not to be rarely variable in Stegonotus species. The number of supralabials was eight for all specimens, and among infralabials three specimens had IL = 10, whereas one had SL = 9. Based on the ventral view of the holotype, the sixth infralabial scale barely touches the anterior genial, and we wonder whether this character can be consistently scored as IL G = 6 across all specimens. If so, then this is another unique characteristics of S. admiraltiensis among the species of Stegonotus. Comment. Ruane et al. (2017) compared S. admiraltiensis to S. modestus and S. parvus at length, but without the benefit of having examined the holotype of the former or using the original description of the latter (characteristics of S. admiraltiensis in parentheses): S. modestus has a light neck band (absent), a subcaudal count 90), SL E = 3+4 (4+5), and IL G = 4 (6). Stegonotus parvus has a ventral count 200), SL E = 3+4 (4+5), and IL G = 4 (6). Furthermore, Ruane et al. (2017) referenced two additional Manus specimens but did not include them in their analysis. We have examined an additional 38 specimens from the Admiralty Islands, which include 15-15-15 (n = 3), 17-17-15 (n = 30), and 17-19-17 (n = 5) dorsal counts, with SL E = 3+4 (n = 16) or 4+5 (n = 20), with subcaudal counts that differ from S. admiraltiensis as defined above. Two specimens have aberrant counts of SL E, with 3+4 on one side of the head and 4+5 on the other. It therefore appears to us as if S. admiraltiensis is not the only species of Stegonotus present in the Admiralty Islands and further research will be needed to ascertain the taxonomy of groundsnakes there. Specimen Type SCR SubC Species Synonym Sex SVL TL TTL V SC Dorsals SCE SL IL ILG Number Status (%) Condition BMNH heterurus LT M 393 89 482 179 80 31 single 17-17-15 3 +4 7 9 4 1946.1.14.95 MZB iridis HT M 713 238 951 201 88 30 paired 17-19-15 4 + 5 8 10 10 Ophi.3306 MSNG keyensis HT M 651 164 815 200 73 27 paired 17-17-15 4 +5 8 9 5 7521 RMNH lividus LT F 444 123 567 197 67 25 paired 17-17-15 3 +4 7 9 4 RENA.325A AMS melanolabiatus HT M 615 192 807 197 92 32 paired 17-17-15 3 +4 7 8 8 R115343 RMNH modestus HT M 656 158 814 200 83 29 paired 17-17-15 3 +4 7 8 4 RENA.324 BMNH modestus greineri HT M 552 162 714 206 86 29 paired 17-17-15 3 +4 7 8 4 1946.1.13.74 BMNH modestus holochrous HT M 537 182 719 195 83 30 paired 17-17-15 3 +4 7 8 4 1946.1.11.40 RMNH modestus rosenbergii HT M 582 178 760 203 80 28 paired 17-17-15 3 +4 7 9 4 RENA.4066 MNHN muelleri HT F 1006 302 1308 217 97 31 paired 17-17-15 4 +5 8 9 4 848 ZMB 9R muelleri samarensis HT M O O O 236 98 29 paired 17-17-15 4 + 5 10 4 4294 8L MTKD parvus ST c O O O O 177 100 36 paired O-17-O 3+ 4 7 O O 876A MTKD parvus ST c O O O O O O O O O 3+4 O O O 876B RMNH parvus NT F 217 75 292 173 87 33 paired 17-17-15 3 +4 7 8 4 RENA.46844 NMW 164 poechi HT F 860 O 200 55+ O paired 19-19-17 4 +5+ 6 9 10 4 23406 + BMNH reticulatus LT F 880 238 1118 201 78 28 paired 17-17-15 4 +5 8 9 4 1946.1.14.87 NMBA sutteri HT M 567 144 711 230 83 27 single 21-21-19 3 +4+ 5 9 10 5 14872 a MTKD 573 is definitely a type specimen of Lycodon magnus Meyer, 1874, which was destroyed in 1945. b ZMB 8794 may be a syntype of L. magnus, but its status is inconclusive at this time. c MTKD 876A and 876B were destroyed in 1945. Values given are from the original description by Meyer (1874)., Published as part of Kaiser, Christine M., Kaiser, Hinrich & O'Shea, Mark, 2018, The taxonomic history of Indo-Papuan groundsnakes, genus Stegonotus Dum��ril et al., 1854 (Colubridae), with some taxonomic revisions and the designation of a neotype for S. parvus (Meyer, 1874), pp. 1-73 in Zootaxa 4512 (1) on pages 60-62, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4512.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/2607575, {"references":["Meyer, A. B. (1874) [Eine Mittheilung von Hrn. Dr. Adolf Meyer] uber die von ihm auf Neu-Guinea und den Inseln Jobi, Mysore und Mafoor im Jahre 1873 gesammelten Amphibien. Monatsberichte der Koniglich Preussischen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin, 1874, 128 - 140."]}

Spilotes samarensis Peters, 1861:685 Taxonomic status. Junior synonym of S. muelleri. Synonyms. None. Original name. Spilotes Samarensis Peters, 1861:685. Wilhelm Peters (1815���1883; Fig. 3I) was an influential German zoologist who, for a time, worked as an assistant to Johannes M��ller (for whom S. muelleri was named; see above) in the anatomical institute of the Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universit��t in Berlin. At the time he wrote this species description, Peters had succeeded Martin Hinrich Lichtenstein (1780���1857) as director of the Museum f��r Naturkunde in Berlin. The species was named for the island on which it was collected. The species description was presented in German. The undated portrait of Peters (Fig. 3I; public domain) is from the archives of the ZMB. Holotype. ZMB 4294 (Fig. 11; Table 1), an adult male (according to the original description). The specimen consists of only the skin with the complete head, and it was originally described in this state. Some data (including sex and length measurements) must therefore have been obtained from the specimen by someone other than Peters before it was skinned. Type locality. ���Cubo-Cubo, Insel Samar��� [Coboc��bo, northern Samar Island, The Philippines]. Collection. The specimen was collected by Fedor Jagor (1816���1900; Fig. 3J), a German ethnologist and collector, who for several decades supplied specimens from various parts of Southeast Asia to European museums. Jagor arrived in the town of Laoang on Samar Island by boat on 5 July 1859 and proceeded shortly thereafter (the exact timing is not discernable from Jagor���s own travelogue) into the island���s interior from Catarm��n, a settlement on the northern coast of Samar at the mouth of the Catarm��n River (Jagor 1873, 1875). This journey then continued up the Catarm��n River, along which the settlement of Coboc��bo was reached by rowing continuously for 24 h. Based on the circumstantial evidence provided in Jagor���s account, it is most likely that the specimen was collected during the first half of July 1859. Jagor���s portrait (Fig. 3J; public domain) was drawn in 1886 by the German painter Christian Wilhelm Allers (1857���1915) and published by Olinda (1900). Key characteristics of the holotype. 1680 (O) mm SVL + 390 (O) mm TL = 2070 (O) mm TTL. V ♂ = 232 (236), SC ♂ = 81 (78), SCR ♂ = 0.26 (0.25), D = O-17-O (17-17-15), SL E = 4+5 (4+5), SL = 9 (9R 8L; on the left side, there is an irregular fusion of two SLs), IL = O (10), IL G = O (4). Key characteristics of the species. See the account of S. muelleri above., Published as part of Kaiser, Christine M., Kaiser, Hinrich & O'Shea, Mark, 2018, The taxonomic history of Indo-Papuan groundsnakes, genus Stegonotus Dum��ril et al., 1854 (Colubridae), with some taxonomic revisions and the designation of a neotype for S. parvus (Meyer, 1874), pp. 1-73 in Zootaxa 4512 (1) on page 22, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4512.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/2607575, {"references":["Peters, W. C. H. (1861) Eine zweite Ubersicht (vergl. Monatsberichte 1859 p. 269) der von Hrn. F. Jagor auf Malacca, Java, Borneo und den Philippinen gesammelten und dem Kgl. zoologischen Museum ubersandten Schlangen. Monatsberichte der Koniglich Preussischen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin, 1861 (Juli), 683 - 691.","Jagor, F. (1873) Reisen in den Philippinen. Weidmannsche Buchhandlung, Berlin, Germany, 406 pp.","Jagor, F. (1875) Travels in the Philippines. Chapman and Hall, London, United Kingdom, 380 pp.","Olinda, A. (1900) Freund Allers: ein Kunstlerleben. Union Deutsche Verlagsgesellschaft, Berlin, Germany."]}

Herbertophis plumbeus Macleay, 1884:434 Taxonomic status. Junior synonym of S. australis. Type species of the genus Herbertophis Macleay, 1884:434. Synonyms. None. Original name. Herbertophis plumbeus Macleay, 1884:434. The genus name translates as ���Herbert snake,��� in reference to the Herbert River, Queensland, Australia. The species name comes from the Latin, with plumbeus meaning lead-like, presumably to denote the snake���s ���nitid 17 leaden-black colour above��� (Macleay 1884:434). The species description was presented in English. Holotype. AMS R31895 (Fig. 21; Table 1), an adult male. Type locality. ���Ripple Creek, Herbert River��� [Ripple Creek Plantation along the Herbert River, near Ingham, Queensland, Australia, ca. 18.58��S, 146.21��E]. Ripple Creek is a small tributary to the Herbert River, but it is unlikely that collection activity was specific to the creek only. Instead, the specimen could have been collected anywhere on the lands of the Ripple Creek Plantation (Connor 2017). The sugar cane plantation, now defunct, extended from the northern bank of the Herbert River, in the area where Ripple Creek enters the river, to the Seymour River (ca. 3 km to the north). Collection. At the beginning of his account, Macleay (1884) recounted that a few days before the writing of this paper commenced, ���Mr. Archibald Boyd of Ripple Creek, Herbert River��� brought him ���an earthenware jar��� with a series of unidentified vertebrates. We believe that the jar���s contents came from the collecting activities of the then-plantation overseer, John Archibald Boyd (1846���1926; Fig. 17D), who had become an expert collector of natural history specimens during nearly two decades spent in Fiji (Henry 2014; Greer et al. 2016). The photograph of Boyd (Fig. 17D; public domain) was taken in 1888 by the Australian photographer Algernon Hall (1828���1905), who made his name photographing towns and portraits in Victoria and Queensland. Key characteristics of the holotype. [984] (1025) mm SVL + ���9�� inches��� [235] (250) mm TL = ��� 4 feet ��� [1219] (1275) mm TTL. V ♂ = 219 (220), SC ♂ = 74 (74), SCR ♂ = 0.25 (0.25), D = O-17-O (17-17-15), SL E = 3+4+5 (3+4+5), SL = 9 (9), IL = 10 (10), IL G = O (5). The dorsal count of 17 was provided in the generic description, as a diagnostic feature of Herbertophis. Key characteristics of the species. See the account of S. australis above. Comment. Macleay (1884) placed his new genus Herbertophis into ���Gray���s family or group, Coronellidae��� (now part of Colubridae). 17. The term ���nitid��� comes from the Latin and means shiny or glistening. We assume that this term is used here to indicate that the snake���s color is not a matte black but a shiny black. It could also be used to imply the presence of iridescent sheen., Published as part of Kaiser, Christine M., Kaiser, Hinrich & O'Shea, Mark, 2018, The taxonomic history of Indo-Papuan groundsnakes, genus Stegonotus Dum��ril et al., 1854 (Colubridae), with some taxonomic revisions and the designation of a neotype for S. parvus (Meyer, 1874), pp. 1-73 in Zootaxa 4512 (1) on page 37, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4512.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/2607575, {"references":["Macleay, W. (1884) Notes on some reptiles from the Herbert River, Queensland. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales, 8, 432 - 436. https: // doi. org / 10.5962 / bhl. part. 28670","Connor, A. G. (2017). Robert Mitchell Boyd (1849 - 1912), Eliza Agnes Brown (1855 - 1884) and Emily Burton Bradley (1862 - 1954). Available from: https: // connorhistorycom. files. wordpress. com / 2017 / 12 / robert-mitchell-eliza-agnes-and-emilyburton-boyd. pdf (accessed 7 March 2018)","Henry, R. (2014) John Archibald Boyd. In: Greer, S., Henry, R., McGregor, R. & Wood, M. (Eds.), Objects of Possession: Artefact Transactions in the Wet Tropics of North Queensland, 1870 - 2013. Available from: http: // www. jcucollections. org /? page _ id = 143 (accessed 7 March 2018)","Greer, S., Henry, R., McGregor, R. & Wood, M. (2016) Aboriginal artefacts, collectors and the wet tropics: an introduction. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum-Culture, 10, 1 - 7."]}

Lycodon darnleyensis Macleay, 1877:38 Taxonomic status. Junior synonym of S. australis. Synonyms. None. Original name. Lycodon Darnleyensis Macleay, 1877:38. William Macleay (1820���1891; Fig. 17C) was an Australian naturalist and politician, who personally financed the voyage of the sailing ship Chevert to New Guinea, the first Australian foreign exploration. He named this species for one of the islands in the Torres Strait Archipelago. The species description was presented in English. The undated photograph of Macleay (Fig. 17C; public domain) is from the archives of the AMS. Holotype. AMS R31894 (Fig. 20; Table 1), an adult female. Type locality. ���Islands of Torres Straits and Hall Sound, New Guinea ��� [Darnley Island, Torres Strait, Queensland, Australia, ca. 9.5870��S, 143.7710��E, by implication]. Even though Macleay (1877) did not specify a type locality, it is unequivocally provided by the species name. Darnley (or Erub, in the indigenous language) is a small (5.5 km 2) volcanogenic island, lying only ca. 80 km off the coast of Western Province, Papua New Guinea. Collector. The Chevert anchored at Darnley Island (called Darnly Island in the ship���s log) from 31 July���12 August 1875 (Davidson 2017). There were daily trips to the island by members of the research party, so it is not possible to pinpoint the collection date with greater accuracy. Key characteristics of the holotype. 661 (720) mm SVL + ��� 6 inches ��� [152] (145+) mm TL = ��� 2 feet 8 inches ��� [813] (865+) mm TTL. V ♀ = 198 (198), SC ♀ = 53+ (53+), SCR ♀ = O (O), D = O-17-O (17-17-15), SL E = 4+5 (4+5), SL = 9 (9), IL = 10 (10), IL G = O (5). Key characteristics of the species. See the account of S. australis above. Comments. The set of infralabial scales on the right side of the holotype presents one unusual feature, a fragmentation of IL9 into two small, shallow scales, each of which we counted to arrive at our count of IL = 10 L. Boulenger (1893) synonymized the species with S. cucullatus, he indicated some doubt regarding his decision by including a question mark before the species name., Published as part of Kaiser, Christine M., Kaiser, Hinrich & O'Shea, Mark, 2018, The taxonomic history of Indo-Papuan groundsnakes, genus Stegonotus Dum��ril et al., 1854 (Colubridae), with some taxonomic revisions and the designation of a neotype for S. parvus (Meyer, 1874), pp. 1-73 in Zootaxa 4512 (1) on pages 36-37, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4512.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/2607575, {"references":["Macleay, W. (1877) The ophidians of the Chevert Expedition. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales, 2, 33 - 41.","Davidson, R. (2017) The Chevert Expedition. [Ship's log transcription] The Australian Museum, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Available from: https: // volunteer. ala. org. au / project / index / 20771758 (accessed 7 September 2018)","Boulenger, G. A. (1893) Catalogue of the snakes in the British Museum (Nat. Hist.) Folume I. Containing the families Typhlopidae, Glauconiidae, Boidae, Ilysiidae, Uropeltidae, Xenopeltidae, and Colubridae Aglyphae, part. Taylor & Francis, London, United Kingdom, 448 pp."]}

Stegonotus guentheri Boulenger, 1895:31 Taxonomic status. Valid. Synonyms. None. Original name. Stegonotus Guentheri Boulenger, 1895:31. Boulenger (1895) named this species for Albert G��nther (see the account of Coluber holochrous above), his predecessor at the British Museum of Natural History. The species description was presented in English. Syntypes. BMNH 1946.1.11.37���38 (formerly 95.4.26.47���48), an adult male and an adult female, respectively, and 1946.1.11.39 (formerly BMNH 95.4.26.49), an adult female (Fig. 23). Type locality. ���Fergusson Island, D���Entrecasteaux Group, British New Guinea ��� [Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea; ca. 9.54��S, 150.67��E]. Collection. The collection from which Boulenger obtained these specimens was made by the English naturalist Albert Stewart Meek (1871���1943; Fig. 17G), who visited the D���Entrecasteaux Archipelago in 1894���95. In reports on Meek���s exploits in the region (Hartert 1895; Rothschild & Hartert 1896; Meek 1913; O���Shea & Kaiser 2018), the earliest date listed for discoveries on Fergusson is September 1894, the latest June 1895. Meek decamped from Fergusson after a 4-month stay (likely in January 1895) and traveled to Samarai Island, the British administrative center at the time, in order to reprovision and dispatch his specimens to London (Meek 1913). Given that the description of S. guentheri appeared in the July 1895 issue of the Annals and Magazine of Natural History, this leaves enough time for the collection to reach the BMNH. Later collections on Fergusson during 1895 would not have had sufficient transit time for shipping to the United Kingdom. The specimens therefore must have been collected during Meek���s initial 4-month stay on Fergusson, during the months of September���December 1894. The undated photograph of Meek (Fig. 17G; public domain) was also published by D���Abrera (2003). Key characteristics of the type specimens. (1) BMNH 1946.1.11.37: 920 (929) mm SVL + 230 (234) mm TL = 1150 (1163) mm TTL. V ♂ = 197 (196), SC ♂ = O (69+), SCR ♂ = O (O), D = O-15-O (15-15-13), SL E = 4+5 (4+5), SL = 8 (8), IL = O (9), IL G = O (5). (2) BMNH 1946.1.11.38: x (683) mm SVL + O (165) mm TL = O (848) mm TTL. V ♂ = O (192), SC ♂ = O (64), SCR ♂ = O (0.25), D = O-15-O (15-15-13), SL E = O (4+5), SL = O (8), IL = O (9), IL G = O (4). (3) BMNH 1946.1.11.39: O (647) mm SVL + O (201) mm TL = O (848) mm TTL. V ♀ = O (185), SC ♀ = 75 (78), SCR ♀ = O (0.30), D = O-15-O (15-15-13), SL E = O (4+5), SL = O (8), IL = O (9), IL G = O (5). Key characteristics of the species. We have been able to examine 38 specimens of S. guentheri. Of these, 37 were collected in the D���Entrecasteaux Archipelago, eight (3 ♀♀, 5 ♂♂) on Fergusson Island, 16 on Normanby Island (3 ♀♀, 13 ♂♂), and 13 (3 ♀♀, 10 ♂♂) without further locality data. One male was collected on Kuia [Kuyau] Island in the Trobriand Islands, ca. 90 km north of Fergusson. Characteristics include V ♀ = 174���198 (187 �� 6.4), V ♂ = 185���198 (191 �� 3.5); SC ♀ = 64���80 (74 �� 4.9), SC ♂ = 64���80 (73 �� 4.3); SCR ♀ = 0.28, SCR ♂ = 0.28; D = 15-15-13 (100%); SL E = 4+5 (n = 37, 97%) or, rarely, 3+4 (n = 1, 3%); SL = 8 (n = 38, 97%) or 7 (n = 1, 3%); IL = 9 (100%); IL G = 5. A key difference between S. guentheri and all other species of Stegonotus is the number of dorsal scale rows, which diminishes from 15 to 13 along the body. There is no other species of Stegonotus with 15- 15-13 dorsal rows; S. diehli and S. dorsalis (see below) have 15-15-15 rows. There does not appear to be any sexual dimorphism when considering the numbers of ventrals or subcaudals. Comments. In the interest of nomenclatural stability, we hereby designate BMNH 1946.1.11.38 (Fig. 23 A���E; Table 1) as the lectotype of S. guentheri (Code, Article 74.7). This specimen is a female syntype with a complete tail. This renders BMNH 1946.1.11.37 and 1946.1.11.39 as paralectotypes. In the D���Entrecasteaux Archipelago, the distribution of S. guentheri appears to be limited to Fergusson and Normanby Islands, the two largest islands. The species has not been recorded from Goodenough Island, the third larger island in the group. One specimen (AMS 86835) that fits the characteristics of S. guentheri was collected farther afield, on Kuia Island (variant spellings include Kuyau and Kuiao; Austen 1939; Fitzer & Geelan 1956; Hensley & Allen 1977), a small island in the Trobriand Islands to the north., Published as part of Kaiser, Christine M., Kaiser, Hinrich & O'Shea, Mark, 2018, The taxonomic history of Indo-Papuan groundsnakes, genus Stegonotus Dum��ril et al., 1854 (Colubridae), with some taxonomic revisions and the designation of a neotype for S. parvus (Meyer, 1874), pp. 1-73 in Zootaxa 4512 (1) on page 41, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4512.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/2607575, {"references":["Boulenger, G. A. (1895) On a collection of reptiles and batrachians from Fergusson Island, D'Entrecasteaux group, British New Guinea. Annals and Magazine of Natural History, Sixth Series, 16 (91), 28 - 32. https: // doi. org / 10.1080 / 00222939508680222","Hartert, E. (1895) Some new and other rare birds from Fergusson Island. Novitates Zoologicae, 2, 61 - 64.","Rothschild, W. & Hartert, E. (1896) Contributions to the ornithology of the Papuan Islands. Novitates Zoologicae, 3, 233 - 258.","Meek, A. S. (1913) A naturalist in cannibal land. Fisher Unwin, London, United Kingdom, 238 pp.","Kaiser, C. M., Kaiser, H., Rickerl, K. & O'Shea, M. (2018) A portable, low-cost approach for photographing fluid-preserved snake specimens: recommendations with comments on optimizing natural history specimen photography. Herpetological Review. In press.","Austen, L. (1939) Megalithic structures in the Trobriand Islands. Oceania, 10, 30 - 53. https: // doi. org / 10.1002 / j. 1834 - 4461.1939. tb 00255. x","Fitzer, J. D. & Geelan, R. M. (1956) Patrol Reports. Milne Bay District, Losuia, 1953 - 1955. Accession 496. National Archives of Papua New Guinea, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, 121 pp.","Hensley, D. A. & Allen, G. R. (1977) A new species of Abudefduf (Pisces: Pomacentridae) from the Indo-Australian Archipelago. Records of the Western Australian Museum, 6, 107 - 118."]}