MACROCALAMUS VOGELI DAVID & PAUWELS, 2004

VOGEL’ S REED SNAKE

(FIG. 18)

Macrocalamus vogeli David & Pauwels, 2004: 635–645.

Macrocalamus lateralis (non Günther, 1864) – Smith, 1922: 266, 1930: 57 (in part); Norsham & Lim, 2002: 88.

Macrocalamus cf. lateralis Vogel & David, 1999: 317.

Macrocalamus vogeli Das, 2010: 285, pl. 48.

Holotype: BMNH1968.764. Type locality ‘ Camp Padang, Gunong Tahan, Pahang, Malaya, 5400– 5700 ft’ = Gunung Tahan, Pahang, West Malaysia, Malaysia.

Diagnosis: Only known adult male is 163 mm SVL, 192 mm TL. Head triangular, flat, tapered anteriorly when viewed dorsally, not depressed anteriorly, indistinct from neck; snout rounded, elongate; body cylindrical, moderately elongate; tail relatively long, ending in a sharp spine; rostral longer than broad, triangular, separates nasals and touching prefrontals; nostril piercing the anterior lower margin of the nasal, adjacent to the upper margin of the first supralabial and to edge of rostral; internasals absent, fused with prefrontals; one pair of prefrontals; one elongate loreal; one preocular; one postocular; one supraocular; suboculars absent; 1 + 2 temporals; eight supralabials, first and second in contact with nasal, second, third and fourth in contact with the loreal, fourth and fifth entering orbit; seven infralabials, first pair in contact, first to fourth in contact with anterior chin shield; 15 dorsal scale rows at midbody; dorsal scales smooth; 125 ventral scales; single cloacal scale; 29 divided subcaudals (David & Pauwels, 2004).

Coloration: The dorsum is a dark yellowish brown, with many scales faintly and thinly edged with darker brown. On the upper part of the sixth dorsal scale row on each side of the body is a row of small ochre–brown ocelli that are irregularly shaped and edged in darker brown. The ocelli are clearly visible on the anterior part of the body but fade at midbody. The outer edges of the ventral scales are dark brown and form a broad, distinct ventrolateral stripe, beginning on the first ventral and extending to the vent. The ventrolateral stripe is bordered above by a pale ochre–brown stripe on the first dorsal scale row. The head is dark yellowish brown above, much darker posteriorly on the occipital region and bearing a wide, yellow temporal streak extending from the parietals, through the temporals, corner of the jaw and neck, then onto the throat. There are two faint, narrow oblique yellow bands that are edged anteriorly with dark brown on the sides of the neck and anterior part of body. The supralabials are light yellow, whereas the chin and throat dark yellow, with extensive brown flecks on the infralabials, except on the last two and to a lesser extent on the chin and throat. The venter and subcaudal region are a dusky yellow, and the ventral scales are speckled with brownish black spots and become progressively more heavily speckled towards the end of the tail. The subcaudal scales are heavily marked with dark brown and a dark, median, zig-zag subcaudal stripe is present (David & Pauwels, 2004).

Distribution: Known only from the type locality of Gunung Tahan, Pahang, Peninsular Malaysia.

Natural history: Nothing is known about the natural history of this species except that it was caught between 1650 and 1750 m a.s.l.

Relationships: This species is known only from the type specimen, but based on the size, colour pattern and scalation is hypothesized to be related to either M. chanardi or M. cf. chanardi 1 and M. cf. chanardi 2. Similarities between the species are their small size as adults (<200 mm SVL); brown coloration of the dorsum; a single, dark ventrolateral stripe; presence of oblique streaks on the head and body; and presence of ocelli on the flanks. Other characters are presented in Table 5.

Material examined: Peninsular Malaysia, Pahang, Gunung Tahan BMNH 1968.764 (photographs only).