Published August 22, 2025
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First record of Achalinus zugorum Miller, Davis, Luong, Do, Pham, Ziegler, Lee, De Queiroz, Reynolds & Nguyen, 2020 from China (Serpentes, Xenodermidae), with updated diagnosis of this species
Authors/Creators
- 1. Kunming Natural History Museum of Zoology, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China|Yunnan Key Laboratory of Biodiversity Information, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
- 2. Southwest Survey and Planning Institute of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Kunming, China
- 3. College of Continuing (Online) Education, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, China
- 4. Key Laboratory of Biodiversity Conservation in Southwest China (State Forestry and Grassland Administration) / Yunnan Academy of Biodiversity, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming, China
- 5. Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
Description
The enigmatic odd-scaled snake Achalinus zugorum Miller, Davis, Luong, Do, Pham, Ziegler, Lee, De Queiroz, Reynolds & Nguyen, 2020, was described, based on only one male specimen from Ha Giang Province, northern Vietnam. To date, no other specimen was reported, except for the holotype and this species was considered to be endemic to Vietnam.
Based on one specimen collected from Malipo County, Wenshan Prefecture, Yunnan Province, China, we provide the first record of Achalinus zugorum from China. The specimen from China agrees well with the original morphological description of the species and has a minor genetic distance of 2.9% in the COI gene with the type specimen of this species. This study reports the second specimen and the first female specimen of this species. We also provide an updated diagnosis of this species combined with the morphological data of the newly-collected specimen.
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References
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