Herpetology Notes, volume 13: 199-201 (2020) (published online on 01 March 2020)

New geographic distribution record of the rare skink Scincella huanrenensis Zhao and Huang, 1982 (Squamata, Scincidae)

Kyo Soung Koo1, Se-Ra Kwon2, Min-Ho Chang3, and Jae-Young Song4,*

Scincella huanrenensis is endemic to northeastern and cream-colored stripes between dorsal and lateral Asia, where it is known only from the Korean Peninsula parts of the body (Fig. 2A). The two prefrontal scales and Liaoning in northeastern China, from where it was were in contact (Fig. 2B). The 4th pair of chin scales first recorded in 1982 (Zhao and Huang, 1982; Chang was single on the left side (Fig. 2C). There were four et al., 2006; Song, 2007). This species has not been dorsal scales at mid-body, enlarged to approximately intensively studied, and most publications are related 1.5 times of regular scales (Fig. 2D). The skink was to its distribution (Zhao and Huang, 1982; Chen et found approximately 3.6 km from the entrance of the al., 2001; Chang et al., 2006; Song, 2007; Jang et al., national park. It was found in a mountain valley without 2016). In terms of its natural history, it is known that S. canopy and with large boulders. The skink was observed huanrenensis is diurnal, found mainly in forests (Song, basking in the sun on a boulder when discovered, and 2007; Lee, 2011), and reproduces ovoviviparously the temperature and humidity were 27.6°C and 28.1%, (Kim and Han, 2009; Lee, 2011). The morphological respectively. classification, behaviour, and mitochondrial DNA of S. huanrenensis were also studied, but there is insufficient data to understand this rare species (Chen et al., 2001; Dong et al., 2007; Lee, 2011; Park et al., 2016). Moreover, Kim et al. (2015) suggested that the species be added to the list of threatened species based on its rarity. We here add another new distribution record for the species. On 13 August 2008 an adult S. huanrenensis was collected in Juwangsan National Park, Cheongsong- gun, Republic of Korea (ca. 36.3861°N 129.2026°E; elevation 427 m; Fig. 1). Established morphological characteristics were used to identify the species (Chen et al., 2001; Chang et al., 2006; Lee, 2011). The adult skink had no keels on the dorsal scales and showed clear

1 Research Center of Ecomimetics, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 61186, Republic of Korea. 2 Interdisciplinary Program of EcoCreative, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 07804, Republic of Korea. 3 National Institute of Ecology, Seocheon 33657, Republic of Figure 1. The distribution of Scincella huanrenensis in the Korea. Republic of Korea. Previous records are annotated as square 4 Korea National Park Research Institute, KNPS, Wonju 26441, (Chang et al., 2006), circles (Lee, 2011), and triangles (Jang Republic of Korea. et al., 2016). The new record reported in this study is denoted * Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected] by a star. 200 Kyo Soung Koo et al.

Figure 2. A male Scincella huanrenensis from Juwangsan National Park, Cheongsong-gun, Republic of Korea. (A) Lateral view of the body. (B) Dorsal head scales. (C) Chin scales. (D) Dorsal scales. Photos by Kyo Soung Koo.

Juwangsan National Park, the new locality for S. References huanrenensis, is located more than 80 km south of the Chang, M.H., Song, J.Y., Lee, J.N., Oh, H.S. (2006): The current previously known locality (Lee, 2011). Considering that status of Korean lizards (Reptilia: Squamata). Korean Journal of the Republic of Korea is the southernmost part of the Environment and Ecology 20: 352–358. range of S. huanrenensis, this new locality now marks Chen, S.L., Hikida, T., Han, S.H., Shim, J.H., Oh, H.S., Ota, H. the southernmost distribution limit for the species (Chen (2001): Taxonomic status of the Korean populations of the et al., 2001; Chang et al., 2006). According to Chang genus Scincella (Squamata: Scincidae). Journal of Herpetology et al. (2006), S. huanrenensis may also occur in Imsil- 35: 122–129. Dong, B.J., Wang, J.Q., Zhou, Z.Y., Lu, Y.Y., Li, P.P. (2007): gun, approximately 192 km further to the south than the Research on reproductive behavior and strategy of Scincella locality described here. However, after communicating huanrensis [sic]. Sichuan Journal of Zoology 26: 302–304. with the senior author of that study, the data point in Jang, H.J., Kim, D.I., Chang, M.H. (2016): Distribution of Imsil-gun was confirmed to be an erroneous record. reptiles in South Korea based on the 3rd National Ecosystem Survey. Journal of Korean Herpetology 7: 30–35. Acknowledgments. This study includes the results of the “Natural Kim, I.H., Jang, H.J., Roh, N.H., Park, D. (2015): Endangered Resources Survey” organized by the Korea National Park Research risk analysis of three rare Korean reptile species. The Korean Institute. Research Society of Herpetologists: 3–4. Kim, L.T., Han, G.H. (2009): Chosun Animal: Amphibian-Reptile. Pyongyang, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Science and Technology Publishing House. 138 pp. New geographic distribution record of the rare skink Scincella huanrenensis 201

Lee, S.C. (2011): Systematic and ecological studies of the suborder Sauria (Reptilia, Squamata) in Korea. Unpublished PhD Thesis, Incheon University, Republic of Korea. 167 pp. Park, J., Koo, K.S., Kim, I.H., Park, D. (2016): Complete mitochondrial genomes of Scincella vandenburghi and S. huanrenensis (Squamata: Scincidae). Mitochondrial DNA B Resource 1: 237–238. Song, J.Y. (2007): Current status and distribution of reptiles in the Republic of Korea. Korean Journal of Environmental Biology 25: 124–138. Zhao, E.M., Huang, K.C. (1982): A survey of amphibians and reptiles in Liaoning Province. Acta Herpetologica Sinica 1: 1–23.

Accepted by Hinrich Kaiser