Published November 27, 2025
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First record of Achalinus hunanensis Ma, Shi, Xiang, Shu & Jiang, 2023 (Serpentes, Xenodermidae) in Guangxi, China, with supplementary morphological information
Authors/Creators
- 1. Key Laboratory of Ecology of Rare and Endangered Species and Environmental Protection (Guangxi Normal University), Ministry of Education, Guilin, China|Guangxi Key Laboratory of Rare and Endangered Animal Ecology, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin, China|College of Life Sciences, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin, China, Guilin, China|Authors contributed equally to this work, Guilin, China
- 2. Key Laboratory of Ecology of Rare and Endangered Species and Environmental Protection (Guangxi Normal University), Ministry of Education, Guilin, China|Guangxi Key Laboratory of Rare and Endangered Animal Ecology, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin, China|College of Life Sciences, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin, China, Guilin, China
Description
The family Xenodermidae comprises six recognised genera: Xenodermus Reinhardt, 1836; Achalinus Peters, 1869; Stoliczkia Jerdon, 1870; Fimbrios Smith, 1921; Parafimbrios Teynié, David, Lottier, Le, Vidal & Nguyen, 2015; and Paraxenodermus Deepak, Lalronunga, Lalhmingliani, Das, Narayanan, Das & Gower, 2021. Amongst these, Achalinus Peters, 1869, is the most species-rich taxon. It is widely distributed across eastern and south-eastern Asia, ranging from northern Vietnam to south-western China and extending partially into Japan.
Achalinus hunanensis Ma, Shi, Xiang, Shu & Jiang, 2023 was originally described, based on two male specimens collected from Huaihua City and Changsha City, Hunan Province, China. Subsequent surveys also recorded this species in Dushan County, Guizhou Province, marking its first known occurrence there and providing the first description of female specimens. During our herpetological surveys in 2024, three Achalinus specimens were collected from Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China. Due to severe desiccation, DNA extraction was unsuccessful for specimen GXNU2024090120. However, we analysed mitochondrial DNA sequence data from the remaining two specimens and compared them with all known congeners. Both the morphological and molecular evidence strongly support the identification of the specimens from Jiuwanshan National Nature Reserve as A. hunanensis. Additional morphological data are provided here, based on the examination of three newly-collected individuals.
In this study, we provide a detailed morphological description of A. hunanensis, based on newly-collected specimens. We also present an updated species diagnosis incorporating additional morphological characters and revise the known distribution of A. hunanensis.
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References
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