Xenochrophis Cerasogaster (Cantor, 1839) (Serpentes: Colubridae)

n Xenochrophis cerasogaster

istributio (Cantor, 1839) (Serpentes: D Sharif Hossain Sourav Colubridae): 1Distribution extension 2,3* in Bangladesh

raphic and Jayaditya Purkayastha g eo 1 Jahangirnagar University, Savar, Department of Botany, Dhaka-1342, Bangladesh G

n 2 HelpEarth. Guwahati 781007, Assam,[email protected] India o

3 South Point School. Guwahati, 781018, Assam, India * Corresponding author. E-mail: otes N

Abstract: Xenochrophis cerasogaster Barisal Division. We report the first locality record of from Bangladesh, at the Patuakhali District in

Bangladesh, situated in subtropical Asia, is rich in extends the range of the species ca. biodiversity. Nonetheless, its herpetofauna remains poorly explored. Survey efforts of the herpetofauna of Bangladesh 230 km SE (aerial distance) from the closest known areaEnhydra (Calcutta; fluctuans, see, NymphaeaMalnate and nouchali Minton 1965). The snake was located in a Xenochrophisare limited andcerasogaster many published works are deficient wetland, with dense aquatic vegetation ( in data specificity (Mahony and Reza 2008). Although ). It was observed on 10 Augustet al 2009, et al (Cantor, 1839) is mentioned in at around 10:00 h on floating vegetation. Since the species thebeen national provided. herpetofaunal checklists of Bangladesh (Khan voucheris considered photographs vulnerable were in Bangladeshtaken from a(Kabir distance of. 2009), about 1988;Xenochrophis Kabir . cerasogaster2009); no specific locality records have no specimen was collected from the study site. Rather has a cylindrical body, narrow head, (Figure elongated 1) is a pupil, medium- and four meters with a Sony Cyber Shot DSC -H50 camera. One nostrilsized snake in single with nasal. a maximum Dorsal scales total are length strongly of 970 keeled mm. in It of these photographs (ZRC(IMG) 2.123) is deposited at the zoological image collection of the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research, Department of Biological Sciences, olive19-19-17 brown rows, to ventral greenish rounded brown ranging or russet 144–148 dorsum in males and a National University of Singapore. and 153–159 in females. A very distinctive snake, it has an Xenochrophis cerasogaster limitedreddish geographicalventer (Schleich range. and Literature Kästle 2002). reviews reveal the is a little-known snake with geographic range of this species to be Bengal, Assam (Khasi Hills) in Indio-Malay Peninsula, Malaysia (Günther 1864; Boulenger 1890). Wall (1923) mentioned mentioned this speciesit from from Ganga valley, Fyzabad, Purnia (now in Bihar), Assam, and Khasi Hills in India. Smith (1943) Fyzabad (Uttar Pradesh), Bengal, Khasi Hills, GoalparaX. cerasogaster(Assam) in India. Khan (2004) added Pakistan to its range. We present herein the first specific locality record of from Bangladesh, from the Patuakhali district in Barisal Division (Figure 2). The snake was foundet al at the offshore of Char Kajol islands (22°5’42.50” N, 90°30’12.60” Figure 1. Xenochrophis cerasogaster amongst aquatic vegetation from E) falling under bio-ecological Zone 8b (Nishat . 2002). Char Kajol is an island in the river Tetulia. This locality Chor Kajol, Bangladesh.

Check List | Volume 7 | Issue 3 | 2011 352 Sourav and Purkayastha | Distribution of Xenochrophis cerasogaster in Bangladesh

Figure 2. A map of Bangladesh showing the new locality of Xenochrophis cerasogaster.

Acknowledgments: Xenochrophis cerasogaster, with comments on its taxonomic status. We would like to thank Gernot Vogel, Aaron Bauer Malnate,Proceedings E.V. and ofS.A. the Minton. Academy 1965. of ANatural redescription Sciences of of the Philadelphia natricine snake and Lim Kok Peng Kelvin for their inputs into the manuscript. We also thank the Principal, South Point School, Guwahati for support. 117 Literature Cited Bio-ecological(2): 19-43. Zones of Bangladesh The Fauna of British India Nishat, A., S.M.I. Huq, S.P. Barua, A.H.M.A. Reza and M.A.S. Khan. 2002. Amphibians. IUCN Bangladesh and Reptiles Country of Office, Nepal. Boulenger, G.A. 1890. , including Proceedings Ceylon and Biology,Dhaka, Bangladesh, Systematics, xii Field + 141 Guide p. . Burma.of the Zoological Reptilia and Society Batrachia. of London London: Taylor and Francis. 541 p. Schleich, H.H. and W. Kästle. 2002. Cantor, T.E. 1839. SpicilegiumThe Reptiles serpentium of British India indicorum [part 1]. The Fauna of BritishA.R.G. India, Gantner Ceylon and Verlag Burma, K.G., Including Ruggell, 1839: 31-34. theGermany. Whole 1200 of the p. Indo-chinese Sub-Region. Reptilia and Amphibia. 3 Günther, A. 1864. . London:Encyclopedia Ray Society. of 452p.Flora Smith,(Serpentes) M.A. 1943. Kabir,and S.M.H., Fauna M. of Ahmed, Bangladesh A.T.A. .Volume Ahmed, 25. A.K.A. Amphibians Rahman, and Z.U. Reptiles Ahmed, Z.N.T Begum, M.A. Hassan and M. Khondker. 2009. Journal of the. London: Bombay Taylor Natural and History Francis. Society 583 p. Hamadryad. Dhaka: Wall, F. 1923. A Hand-list of the Snakes of the Indian Empire. Part 2. Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. 204 p. 29: 598-632. Khan, M.A.R. 1988. An updated list of snakes of Bangladesh. 13(1): 6-8.Asiatic Herpetological Research Khan, M.S. 2004. Annotated checklist of Amphibians and Reptiles of Received: January 2011 Pakistan. 10: 191-201 Last Revised: April 2011 Mahony,the country. S. and A.H.M. Hamadryad Ali Reza. 2008. A herpetological collection from the Accepted: April 2011 Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh, with two new species records for Published online: June 2011 32 (1): 45-56 Editorial responsibility: Diego Francisco Cisneros-Heredia

Check List | Volume 7 | Issue 3 | 2011 353