Calamophis katesandersae, Murphy, 2012

Murphy, John C., 2012, Synonymised And Forgotten, The Bird’S Head Stout-Tailed Snakes, Calamophis Meyer (Squamata: Serpentes: Homalopsidae), Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 60 (2), pp. 515-523 : 518-520

Calamophis katesandersae , new species

( Fig. 3a )

Brachyorrhos jobiensis: Peters & Doria, 1878: 371

Brachyorrhos albus: Boulenger, 1893: 305 Material examined. — Holotype – MSNG 56343-1, presumably an adult female 223 mm in total length, collected by A. A. Bruijn in Dec.1875 at Andai , West Papua, Indonesia (~ 0°54'58"S, 134°00'25"E) . Paratype – MSNG 56343-2, a smaller, subadult female, 163 mm in total length collected at the same time and at locality as the holotype .

Diagnosis. — A Calamophis with a laterally compressed body (mid body width is 75–79% of the body’s height) and an exceptionally short tail (3.7–3.8% of the SVL). This species may be distinguished from the other three species by its compressed body; a frontal that is pentagonal but almost triangular; five or six upper labials; seven lower labials; a low subcaudal count (eight or nine), and an exceptionally short tail. The rostral to frontal distance is less than the length of the parietal seam. Based on its original description C. jobiensis may be most similar to this species. However it has a hexagonal frontal, eight lower labials, and a colour pattern of narrow white stripes running the length of the body (the pattern of this species could be interpreted to be similar to jobiensis ). This species lacks the constriction at the base of the tail, present in the other two species. See Fig. 2 .

Description of holotype. — Presumably an adult female, SVL 215 mm, 8 mm tail, T/SVL=3.7%. Tail is short, thick and ends with a small conical, somewhat blunt tip. The body is strongly compressed laterally; its width is about 75% of its height at mid body. Rostral broader than tall, slightly visible from above, separates the nasals; nasal scales are undivided, quadrangular, not lobed, very small nostril centered in the scale, posterior edge penetrates the loreal-labial seam; PLP shield contacts a upper labials 2–3 and the orbit; frontal triangular, longer than broad, about equal in length to the parietal seam; six upper labials, 3+4 enter the orbit; the fifth labial is the tallest. Eye diameter less than the eye-mouth distance, orbit bordered by one supraocular, one postocular, two upper labials and the PLP shield. Primary temporal scale is larger than the nearby dorsal scales and contacts large occipital scale on left, not on right; secondary temporals are not differentiated. Lower labials seven; the first pair of lower labials make contact on the midline of the chin posterior to the mental; first four contact the chin shields. Dorsal scales are smooth, in 19 rows on the anterior body, at mid body, followed by a posterior reduction to 17 rows in front of the vent. Ventrals 160, rounded and reduced in width; subcaudals paired, 9/8.

In alcohol, each dorsal scale has a brown center and a light edge making each scale appear as a small dot surrounded by cream. The first scale row has a smaller central brown spot and combined with a light edge on the outer venter forms a ventrolateral stripe. Each ventral scale has a broad central dark blotch. There are light cream patches on the rostral and nasals, on the edges of the labial scales, and on the parietals and adjacent dorsal scales immediately behind the head. The light coloured transverse parietal band forms a distinctive mark on the crown. The chin is mostly cream with dark brown blotched on the chin shields and the second row of gulars.

Paratype. — Possibly a subadult female, 157 mm SVL, 6 mm tail, tail/ SVL =3.8%; 157 ventrals; 8/9 subcaudals. It is very similar to the holotype in colouration and scale counts with one exception, it has five upper labials on each side, the second contacts the PLP shield and enters the orbit on the right side, on the left side the second labial does not enter the orbit, the third does, and it also contacts the PLP shield with the second upper labial .

Etymology. — Named in honour of Kate Laura Sanders for her work on the evolution of sea snakes and interests in snake phylogeny.

Figures

Fig. 3. A comparison of the three new species of Calamophis: A, Calamophis katesandersae; B, Calamophis ruuddelangi; C, Calamophis sharonbrooksae.

Fig. 2. Comparison of the tapering tail of Brachyorrhos (MSNG 30211) on left and the stout tail of Calamophis (BPBM 3850) on right.