A new genus and species of natricine snake from northeast India

Giri, Varad B and Gower, David J and Das, Abhijit and Lalremsanga, HT and Lalronunga, Samuel and Captain, Ashok and Deepak, V (2019) A new genus and species of natricine snake from northeast India. In: ZOOTAXA, 4603 (2). pp. 241-264.

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Abstract

Based on the first molecular phylogenetic analyses of samples from northeast India, specimens referred to Rhabdops from this region are more closely related to the southeast and east Asian natricine genera Opisthotropis Gunther, 1872 and Sinonatrix Rossman & Eberle, 1977 (as well as to New World and western Palearctic natricines) than to peninsular Indian (true) Rhabdops. Morphologically, these northeast Indian populations differ from other natricines by having a single ('fused' or unpaired) internasal shield and a single prefrontal shield. Given the morphological and phylogenetic distinctiveness of these northeast Indian populations, we refer them to a new genus, Smithophis gen. nov., and transfer Rhabdops bicolor (Blyth, 1854) to Smithophis bicolor comb. nov. Based on morphological and molecular variation within our northeast Indian sample, we additionally describe Smithophis atemporalis sp. nov. from the state of Mizoram.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Publication:	ZOOTAXA
Publisher:	MAGNOLIA PRESS
Additional Information:	Copyright of this article belongs to MAGNOLIA PRESS
Keywords:	Mizoram; Natricinae; Opisthotropis; Rhabdops; Smithophis gen. nov.; taxonomy
Department/Centre:	Division of Biological Sciences > Centre for Ecological Sciences
Date Deposited:	23 May 2019 12:00
Last Modified:	23 May 2019 15:21
URI:	http://eprints.iisc.ac.in/id/eprint/62721

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