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TAXONOMY and DISTRIBUTION of Liopeltis Calamaria (GÜNTHER, 1858) (REPTILIA: COLUBRIDAE), INCLUDING REDESCRIPTION of the SYNTYPES

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TAXONOMY and DISTRIBUTION of Liopeltis Calamaria (GÜNTHER, 1858) (REPTILIA: COLUBRIDAE), INCLUDING REDESCRIPTION of the SYNTYPES MAJOR ARTICLE TAPROBANICA, ISSN 1800–427X. April, 2020. Vol. 09, No. 01: pp. 39–49, pls. 15–18. © Research Center for Climate Change, University of Indonesia, Depok, Indonesia www.taprobanica.org urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:B2D867F0-009C-4D4D-91E1-A86AE89B059F TAXONOMY AND DISTRIBUTION OF Liopeltis calamaria (GÜNTHER, 1858) (REPTILIA: COLUBRIDAE), INCLUDING REDESCRIPTION OF THE SYNTYPES Section Editor: Ivan Ineich Submitted: 01 December 2019, Accepted: 11 March 2020 A. A. Thasun Amarasinghe1,6, Suranjan Karunarathna2, Patrick D. Campbell3, S. R. Ganesh4 & Gernot Vogel5 1 Research Center for Climate Change, University of Indonesia, Gd. PAU Lt. 8.5, Kampus UI, Depok 16424, Indonesia 2 Nature Explorations & Education Team, No: B-1 / G-6, De Soysapura Flats, Moratuwa 10400, Sri Lanka 3Department of Life Sciences, Darwin Centre, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, South Kensington, London SW7 5BD, England 4 Chennai Snake Park, Rajbhavan Post, Chennai 600 025, Tamil Nadu, India 5 Society for Southeast Asian Herpetology, Im Sand 3, D-69115 Heidelberg, Germany 6 Association of Asian Herpetology (Asosiasi Herpetologi Asia), Jl. BSD Bintaro No. 88, Pondok Aren 15228, Tangerang Selatan, Indonesia 1 Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected] Abstract Liopeltis calamaria, a rare non-venomous colubrid snake of South Asia, is redescribed. Its syntypes and all the available type specimens of its recognized synonyms are examined, including information about the respective populations found across India and Sri Lanka. Our literature compilation and mapping analyses reveal three distinct populations – (I) Sri Lankan (probably also present in some parts of South India as well), (II) Peninsular Indian, and (III) Himalayan / Nepalese, separated by the Palk Strait and the Indo-Gangetic plains respectively. Key words: Reed snake, Sri Lanka, India, population variation, synonyms, sexual dimorphism. Introduction Jan (1862) described, then (1865) illustrated a The Calamaria Reed Snake, Liopeltis calamaria, morphologically similar species, Homalosoma was described by Günther (1858) as Cyclophis baliolum from an unknown locality. Günther calamaria, based on two adult specimens (1864) later described another species, collected from ―Ceylon‖ (=Sri Lanka, Cyclophis nasalis, also from an unknown catalogued as types: BMNH 1946.1.21.64 and locality, which he regarded as similar to his 1946.1.5.60). Even though Günther (1858) used previous species. In the description he stated two specimens for the description he did not ―This species agrees in almost every aspect with provide specific data for any one of them. Later, Cyclophis calamaria, but it may be readily 39 TAPROBANICA VOL. 09: NO. 01 TAXONOMY AND DISTRIBUTION OF Liopeltis calamaria distinguished by the presence of two specimens, and museum collections. preoculars…‖. Boulenger (1890) nonetheless synonymized Material and methods Homalosoma baliolum and Cyclophis nasalis Specimens were examined in the collections of with Liopeltis calamaria. Smith (1943) followed the Natural History Museum, London UK this decision, and though he did not examine the (BMNH); Ecological Resource Monitoring Lab, holotype (by monotypy) specimen of Sri Sailam India (ERM); Madras Government Homalosoma baliolum, he regarded it as a Museum, India (MAD); Naturhistorisches subjective synonym of Liopeltis calamaria and Museum Wien, Vienna, Austria (NMW); this scheme has been followed by later workers. Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Nationaal Boulenger (1890, 1894) provided detailed Natuurhistorische Museum (Rijksmuseum), meristic data for Liopeltis calamaria (as Ablabes Leiden, The Netherlands (RMNH); Vietnam calamaria), and reported its geographic range as National University, Hà Nội, Vietnam (VNUH); Madras Presidency and Bombay (=Mumbai), Zoological Research Museum Alexander India, aside from its type locality in Sri Lanka. Koenig, Bonn, Germany (ZFMK); Zoological Wall (1921) described the variation of Museum of Moscow University, Moscow, ventral and subcaudal counts within Sri Lankan Russia (ZMMU); and Zoological Survey of populations, commenting that the snake found India, Kolkata, India (ZSI). Museum acronyms on that island is rather distinct from Indian follow Uetz et al. (2019). Morphometric and populations. In contrast, Smith (1943) contended meristic data for species comparisons were that the meristic character variation observed obtained from examined specimens (see between Indian and Sri Lankan populations was Appendix I). Natural history data were taken due to sexual dimorphism rather than from our own field observation notes made geographical variation. during the last ten years, as well as published Deraniyagala (1955) disagreed with Smith‘s literature. suggestion, and following Wall‘s (1921) The following characters were measured assumption, named a new subspecies Liopeltis with a digital caliper (±0.1 mm): eye diameter calamaria indicus (sic) for the Indian population (ED, horizontal diameter of eye); eye–nostril without designating a type specimen [only length (distance between anterior most point of referred to the Indian specimens examined in eye and middle of nostril); snout length (ES, Wall (1921)], and the name, Liopeltis calamaria distance between anterior most point of eye and calamaria remained with the Sri Lankan snout); nostril diameter (horizontal diameter of population. Subsequent authors have not nostril); internarial distance (least distance accepted Deraniyagala‘s subspecific separation between nostrils); mandible–posterior eye and have considered Liopeltis calamaria a rare distance (distance between posterior edge of but widely distributed monotypic species in Sri mandible and posterior most edge of eye); Lanka and India (De Silva 1969, 1980, de Silva interorbital width (IO, least distance between 1990, Das 1994, Batuwita 2001, Somaweera upper margins of orbits); head length (HL, 2006). distance between posterior edge of mandible and In much of the historical literature, Liopeltis tip of snout); head width (HW, maximum width calamaria is considered uncommon throughout of head); snout–vent length (SVL, measured its range (Willey 1906, Sarasin 1910, Cazaly from tip of snout to anterior margin of vent); tail 1914, Wall 1919, 1921). More recent work on length (TL, measured from anterior margin of Indian and Sri Lankan snakes (Daniel 2002, Das vent to tail tip). Meristic characters were taken 2002, Das & de Silva 2005, Whitaker & Captain as follows: supralabials and infralabials (first 2008) have not shed any further light on this labial scale to last labial scale bordering gape); species. Recently it has been observed in Sri costal scales (counted around the body from one Lanka (Karunarathna et al. 2004, Karunarathna side of ventrals to the other in three positions, on & Perera 2010). To provide more clarity on this one head length behind neck, at mid body and at taxon, we hereby illustrate and redescribe one of one head length prior to anal plate); when the two syntypes of Cyclophis calamaria and all counting the number of ventral scales, we scored other available types of all its subjective specimens according to the method described by synonyms. Dowling (1951). We counted subcaudal scales We also map its distribution in Sri Lanka from first subcaudal scale to the scale before the and India based on published records, observed tip of the tail. 40 TAPROBANICA VOL. 09: NO. 01 AMARASINGHE ET AL. 2020 Taxonomy broader than long, and subhexagonal; frontal Liopeltis calamaria (Günther, 1858) large, subhexagonal, elongate posteriorly and (Figs. 1–4, 6; Tables 1, 2) longer than its width; supraoculars wide, Cyclophis calmaria Günther, 1858 elongated, subrectangular, posteriorly wider; Homalosoma baliolum Jan, 1862 parietals large, butterfly wing-like in shape, Cyclophis nasalis Günther, 1864 bordered by supraoculars, frontal, upper Cyclophia calamaria (sic)— Phipson 1888 postocular anteriorly, anterior and upper Ablabes calamaria — Boulenger 1890 posterior temporals, and five dorso-nuchal scales Liopeltis calamaria — Wall 1921, Smith 1943 Opheodrys calamaria — Constable 1949 posteriorly; no loreal scale; one preocular (both L. calamaria indicus (sic)— Deraniyagala, 1955 sides), vertically elongated, hexagonal, in Liopeltis calamaria indica Deraniyagala, 1955 contact with prefrontal and nasal anteriorly, nd rd Liopeltis calamarius (sic)— Wallach et al. 2014 supraocular dorsally, and 2 & 3 supralabial ventrally; eye large (ED 20.8% of HL), round, Syntypes (n=2). BMNH 1946.1.5.60 (adult nearly the same size as snout length (ED 50% of male) and BMNH 1946.1.21.64 (subadult male); ES), pupil rounded; two postoculars, upper collected from ―Ceylon‖ (=Sri Lanka) by an postocular larger, pentagonal, in contact with unknown collector [according to the museum supraocular, parietal and anterior temporal registry]. broad, in narrow contact with lower postocular; Other specimens (n=30). See Appendix I lower postocular crescent in contact with 4th and 5th supralabial ventrally, anterior temporal Diagnosis. Liopeltis calamaria can be separated posteriorly; temporals 1+2, elongated, from its congeners by the following combination hexagonal; anterior temporal larger and slightly of morphological characters: 130–136 ventrals longer than posterior temporals, in contact with in males; 66–76 subcaudals in males; longer parietal dorsally, 5th and 6th supralabial ventrally; snout, ED 60.6–65.5% of ES; no loreal; single posterior temporals smaller, lower one in contact nasal shield; dorsal scales in 15-15-15 rows, all with
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