Psammophis, Boie, 1825

Chen, Minli, Liu, Jinlong, Cai, Bo, Li, Jun, Wu, Na & Guo, Xianguang, 2021, A new species of Psammophis (Serpentes: Psammophiidae) from the Turpan Basin in northwest China, Zootaxa 4974 (1), pp. 116-134 : 126-127

The key to Asian Psammophis

1. Dorsal scale 17 rows at midbody, rostral visible from above.................................................... 2

2a. Anal scale not divided........................................................................... P. leithii

2b. Anal scale divided.................................................................................... 3

3a. 4 th –5 th or 5 th –6 th supralabials in contact with eye.............................................................. 4

3b. 4 th –6 th supralabials in contact with eye..................................................................... 5

4a. Dorsal stripes with black edged scales............................................................ P. longifrons

4b. Dorsal stripes without black edged scales.................................................................. 6

5a. Ventrals 181–206. Dorsum with longitudinal series of four black stripes from head to tail end, the median pair of stripes arising from between the supraocular, the outer pair to the nostrils, passing through the eyes. Head with a median, dark stripe, head length twice as long as wide.................................................................... P. lineolatus

5b. Ventrals 209. Nostril between one anterior and one superpose posterior nasals, anterior nasal touching 2 nd supralabial. Body slightly compressed, head length not twice as long as wide, dorsum with longitudinal five stripes, both the median three of stripes from parietals termination and the outer pair from nostrils extending together to tail end...... P. turpanensis sp. nov.

6a. 5 th –6 th supralabials in contact with eye, nasal scale completely divided................................... P. schokari

6b. 4 th –5 th supralabials in contact with eye and nasal scale incompletely divided....................................... 7

7a. Ventrals 156–173, subcaudals 66–85, and four lighter dorsal stripes starting from the nasal opening....... .. P. indochinensis

7b. Ventrals 165–179, subcaudals 75–93, and three or five darker dorsal stripes starting from prenasal........... P. condanarus