identifier	taxonID	type	CVterm	format	language	title	description	additionalInformationURL	UsageTerms	rights	Owner	contributor	creator	bibliographicCitation
A92D04029B6C5BEAB7D58D671D1BE6A7.text	A92D04029B6C5BEAB7D58D671D1BE6A7.taxon	http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text	http://rs.tdwg.org/ontology/voc/SPMInfoItems#GeneralDescription	text/html	en	Gloydius chambensis Kuttalam 2022	<div><p>Gloydius chambensis Kuttalam et al., 2022</p><p>Common name.</p><p>Chamba Pitviper</p><p>Type material examined.</p><p>Holotype. • HARC R 259 (DNA reference number 18.13), an adult male from <a href="https://tb.plazi.org/GgServer/search?materialsCitation.longitude=76.1493&amp;materialsCitation.latitude=32.8391" title="Search Plazi for locations around (long 76.1493/lat 32.8391)">Bhanjraru village</a>, Chamba District, Himachal Pradesh, India, 32.8391°N, 76.1493°E, 1738 m altitude, found dead on road on 10 July 2018 by Kuttalam, Vishal Santra, John Benjamin Owens, Vipin Dhiman, Anita Malhotra, Nilanjan Mukherjee, Stuart Graham, and Anatoli Togridou . Paratype (s) not designated (Kuttalam et al. 2022).</p><p>Revised diagnosis.</p><p>A single loreal, wider than high; nasal completely divided, or partly divided below the naris; always two elongated preoculars, the lower narrower; a single supraocular; two postoculars, upper reaching onto top of head and touching the parietal, the lower can be described as postsubocular and touches, with its anterior side, the upper posterior edge of the third supralabial; rostral scale wider than high; two internasals wider than long; two prefrontals, ratio of length to width variable sometimes almost the same length; frontal bell-shaped, longer than wide; predominantly three, exceptionally one anterior and predominantly three or sometimes four posterior temporals; usually seven, rarely six or eight supralabials, always the third in contact with the eye; 15–18 circum-pileus scales; usually ten, sometimes nine, rarely eight sublabials, predominantly first three, sometimes first four, rarely only first two in contact with anterior submaxillars; two pairs of submaxillars, anterior usually twice as wide and 30–43 % longer than posterior; followed by three rows of paired gular scales, increasing in size posteriorly; anterior dorsal scales in 21, 23 or 25 rows, midbody dorsal scales in 21 rows, posterior dorsal scales in 17 rows; 0–5 preventrals; 157–164 ventrals (males 162–164, females 157–163); cloacal plate entire; 41–49 usually paired subcaudal scales (males 42–49, females 41–48), rarely up to two subcaudals undivided; sum of ventral and subcaudal scales 204–218 (males 211–218, females 204–217). Body compact, subcylindrical; tail short, ratio TaL / TL of 0.129 –0.202 (males 0.153 –0.202, females 0.129 –0.137); maximum recorded SVL in examined material: males 476 mm, females 527 mm; maximum recorded TaL in examined material: males 86 mm, females 84 mm; maximum recorded TL of examined material in males 562 mm, in females 611 mm.</p><p>Sum formula of dorsal scale reduction.</p><p>Variation in dentition.</p><p>Maxillary bone with two posteriorly curved fangs on each side. Main fang 4.98–5.45 mm in length, i. e., 26.0–28.4 % of skull length. Discharge orifice 0.79–0.81 mm in length, i. e., 14.9–15.9 % of fang length. Palatine bone with three or four posteriorly curved teeth slightly decreasing in size posteriorly. Pterygoid bone with nine posteriorly curved teeth, shorter than the palatine tooth, all nearly the same size. The posterior 60.9–61.1 % of the pterygoid bone is without teeth. Mandibular bone with 10 or 11 posteriorly curved teeth gradually decreasing in size posteriorly. The first two teeth closer together than the rest. Splenial either 67.1 % of length of angular or fused. The total length of splenial-angular complex spans 28.2–32.4 % of the mandibular bone. The dental is 38.7–39.6 % as long as the mandibular bone. The complete skull of the specimen BMNH 1898.5.17.4 is presented in Fig. 10.</p><p>Variation in life colouration and pattern.</p><p>Dorsal ground colour can vary from Cinnamon-Drab (Colour 50) to Smoke Gray (266), with 32–46 very thin Sepia (279) coloured irregular cross bands their anterior borders sometimes edged with Cream White (52), the bands may be broken on the back and offset from each other; tail with 10–12 thin Sepia (279) crossbands; a row of small, irregular Sepia (279) - coloured and Cream White (52) - bordered spots runs along the outer edge of the ventrals; dorsal and lateral head same as dorsal body colour or Pale Neutral Gray (296) and densely mottled with Sepia (279); a Sepia (279) coloured postocular stripe with a mainly straight thin Cream White (52) lower margin runs from the posterior border of the eye to the posterior edge of the mandible, the height of the anterior part of the postocular stripe is variable and can cover up to two-thirds of the anterior lower temporal scale; neck with two paravertebral and two lateral wavy Sepia (279) coloured stripes and a very thin and short one in the middle of the dorsal head; venter with a colour gradient that becomes darker towards the tail; throat Pale Neutral Gray (296) coloured, gulars mottled with Dark Grayish Brown (284); subsequently, the venter ground colour changes gradually to Light Neutral Gray (297) and shows heavy Sepia (279) mottling; tail tip lighter. Examples of variation in the colouration and pattern of live individuals; see Fig. 11.</p><p>Distribution.</p><p>Gloydius chambensis is a narrowly distributed species of pitviper endemic to the western Himalaya, originally known only from the Chamba District of Himachal Pradesh, India. Confirmed records based on genetic and morphological data include the type locality Bhanjraru (1738 m) and Teppa (2543 m) in the Churah Valley. However, our results have significantly expanded the known distribution of the species. Based on a combination of distributional data and newly generated genetic evidence from museum specimens (BMNH 1898.5.17.4 –5 and NHMW 17079: 1), the known range of G. chambensis has been extended westward by approximately 260 km into the Kashmir Valley, specifically to Srinagar, where NHMW 17079: 1 was collected. This extension suggests that the species may occupy a polygonal range of up to 16,000 km 2 (less when considering suitable habitats only; Fig. 9).</p><p>Habitat and ecology.</p><p>Gloydius chambensis occurs primarily in alpine scrub and temperate pine forests, often in areas with thick pine needle litter on the forest floor. The terrain is typically rocky and interspersed with boulders and rock faces, providing natural shelter and basking spots. It inhabits an elevational range of ~ 400–2500 m in the lower montane to subalpine transition zone (Fig. 11), although most records for G. chambensis fall within the lower temperate zone (~ 1700 m; Kuttalam et al. 2022), particularly in the Churah Valley.</p><p>Conservation.</p><p>Despite this ecological specificity and documented human interaction (Kuttalam et al. 2022), the species remains unassessed by the IUCN Red List and unprotected under national conservation frameworks. The combination of its narrow range (but see the specimen from Kashmir Valley, NHMW 17079: 1), morphological and genetic distinctiveness, and known anthropogenic threats such as forest degradation, increasing road and rural development, underscores the urgent need for targeted conservation measures. These should include especially habitat preservation, ecological monitoring, community engagement programs, and formal threat assessment to support its inclusion in conservation priority lists.</p></div>	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/A92D04029B6C5BEAB7D58D671D1BE6A7	Public Domain	No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.		Pensoft via Plazi	Jablonski, Daniel;Tillack, Frank;Mahlow-Tillack, Kristin;Petzold, Alice;Wilzo, Madita;Das, Abhijit;Idrees, Muhammad;Baniya, Chitra B.;Masroor, Rafaqat;Hofmann, Sylvia	Jablonski, Daniel, Tillack, Frank, Mahlow-Tillack, Kristin, Petzold, Alice, Wilzo, Madita, Das, Abhijit, Idrees, Muhammad, Baniya, Chitra B., Masroor, Rafaqat, Hofmann, Sylvia (2026): Integrative taxonomy reveals previously undescribed diversity within the Gloydius himalayanus complex (Squamata, Viperidae, Crotalinae) from the Himalaya and Hindu Kush. ZooKeys 1280: 83-153, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1280.182768
B6B9CCFF76035A5D80AD6567D371F49E.text	B6B9CCFF76035A5D80AD6567D371F49E.taxon	http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text	http://rs.tdwg.org/ontology/voc/SPMInfoItems#GeneralDescription	text/html	en	Gloydius hazarensis Jablonski & Tillack & Mahlow-Tillack & Petzold & Wilzo & Das & Idrees & Baniya & Masroor & Hofmann 2026	<div><p>Gloydius hazarensis sp. nov.</p><p>Proposed common names.</p><p>Hazara Pitviper (English), हज ़ ा र ा प ि ट व ा इपर (Hazārā Pi ṭ Vāipar; Hindi) and ہزارہ گڑھے والا سانپ (Hazara gaday wali afee; Urdu).</p><p>Type material.</p><p>Holotype. • UF 70652 (field no. SRT 4283), an adult female from <a href="https://tb.plazi.org/GgServer/search?materialsCitation.longitude=73.6494&amp;materialsCitation.latitude=34.9061" title="Search Plazi for locations around (long 73.6494/lat 34.9061)">Naran town</a>, Mansehra District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, 34.9061°N, 73.6494°E, 2375 m altitude, collected on 11 July 1975 by Sam Rountree Telford Jr. (Fig. 18) . Paratypes. • NHMW 17078: 1, adult male from <a href="https://tb.plazi.org/GgServer/search?materialsCitation.longitude=73.38333&amp;materialsCitation.latitude=34.066666" title="Search Plazi for locations around (long 73.38333/lat 34.066666)">Murree</a>, Murree District, Punjab Province, collected in 1878 by the Moravian-Austrian zoologist Ferdinand Stoliczka ; UF 70656–70657 (field nos. SRT 5162 –5163), adult females, other data as for the holotype; UF 82634, adult female from <a href="https://tb.plazi.org/GgServer/search?materialsCitation.longitude=73.38333&amp;materialsCitation.latitude=34.066666" title="Search Plazi for locations around (long 73.38333/lat 34.066666)">Nathia Gali</a>, Abbottabad District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, 34°04'N, 73°23'E, ~ 2400 m altitude, collected on 14 July 1986 by Walter Auffenberg .</p><p>Description of the holotype.</p><p>Adult female, indicated by the absence of hemipenes; 1 / 1 loreal, as high as wide; nasal partially divided below naris; 3 / 3 elongated preoculars, the lowest is the narrowest; 1 / 1 supraocular; 2 / 2 postoculars, upper reaching onto top of head and touching the parietal, the lower can be described as postsubocular, because it extends under the eye, up to the level of the posterior border of the third supralabial; rostral scale wider than high; two internasals wider than long; two prefrontals, wider than long; a small oval scale between posterior end of prefrontal suture and frontal; frontal trapezoidal, as long as wide, anterior edge wider than posterior; 2 / 3 anterior temporals, upper significantly smaller than the lower one, and 3 / 2 posterior temporals, the lower one slightly larger than upper and in contact with the second last supralabial; supralabials 7 / 7, second last two and a half times higher than the previous one, in contact with lower posterior temporal, 3 rd / 3 rd in contact with the eye; pit opening shorter than horizontal diameter of eye and encircled by 3 / 3 scales; 15 circum-pileus scales; 10 / 10 sublabials, first four in contact with anterior submaxillars; two pairs of submaxillars, anterior nearly twice as wide and 50 % longer than posterior; followed by four rows of paired gular scales, increasing in size posteriorly; dorsal scales in 21-20 - 17 rows, strongly keeled, except the outer row, which is only very slightly keeled, paired apical pits on some dorsals, very weakly developed; three preventrals; 163 ventrals; cloacal plate entire; 40 / 41 paired subcaudal scales. Body compact, subcylindrical; tail short (TaL / TL 0.123); SVL 400 mm; TaL 56 mm, head length measured from tip of snout to posterior border of parietals 13.7 mm, head length measured from tip of snout to posterior edge of mandible 20.3 mm, head width 11.3 mm.</p><p>Dorsal scale reduction formula.</p><p>Dentition.</p><p>Maxillary bone with two posteriorly curved fangs on each side. On both sides the medial fang is not connected to the maxilla. Behind the main fangs are 5 / 6 replacement fangs at different growth stages. Main fang 3.98 mm in length, i. e., 24.1 % of skull length. Discharge orifice 0.76 mm in length, i. e., 19.1 % of fang length. Palatine bone with 4 / 3 posteriorly curved teeth slightly decreasing in size posteriorly. Teeth one and three loose on left, all teeth loose on right side. Lateral to each palatine tooth is a single replacement tooth at different growth stages. Pterygoid bone with 9 / 9 posteriorly curved teeth, shorter than the palatine tooth, all nearly the same size. Teeth II, V, VII and IX loose on left side. Teeth I, II, IV, VI and VIII loose on right side. The posterior 60.8 % of the pterygoid bone is without teeth. Mandibular bone with 12 / 12 posteriorly curved teeth gradually decreasing in size posteriorly. The first two teeth closer together than the rest. Medial to each mandibular tooth are up to two replacement teeth in different growth stages. Teeth I, III, V, VII, IX, XI and XII loose on left side. Teeth I, III, V, VII, IX and XI loose on right side. Splenial and angular bones are fused. The total length of splenial-angular complex spans 27.0 % of the mandibular bone. The dental is 36.4 % as long as the mandibular bone. The complete skull of the holotype UF 70652 is presented in Fig. 19.</p><p>Colouration and pattern.</p><p>Colouration after ~ 50 years preservation in ~ 70 % ethanol was recorded as follows: dorsal ground colour Pale Neutral Gray (Colour 296), with 34 Olive-Brown (278) coloured dorsolateral roundish blotches that are 4–6 dorsal scales wide and show a light Pale Neutral Gray (296) centre; most blotches open vertebrally and ventrolaterally or the lower outer edges disintegrate and form a ventrolateral row of small spots; below that a row of small, irregular Olive-Brown (278) coloured spots runs along the outer edge of the ventrals; dorsal tail with five irregular blotches in the same colouration as on the body; dorsal head Pale Neutral Gray (296) coloured and densely Olive-Brown (278) mottled; loreal and upper temporal region of head Pale Neutral Gray (296) with dense Olive-Brown (278) mottling; a wide Light Neutral Gray (297) postocular stripe from the posterior border of the eye to the posterior edge of the mandible, whose lower edge is bordered by a Dark Grayish Brown (284), wavy narrow line; lower parts of posterior supralabials Cream White (52) with Sepia (279) speckles; lower labials with Sepia (279) coloured markings on their sutures; venter with a colour gradient that becomes darker towards the tail; throat Pale Neutral Gray (296) coloured with dense Sepia (279) mottling; in the further course, venter ground colour changes gradually to Medium Neutral Gray (298) and shows a very dense Sepia (279) mottling; tail tip Drab-Gray (256) coloured. Examples of variation in the colouration and pattern of live individuals; see Fig. 20.</p><p>Variation.</p><p>The paratypes and other examined material agree well with the holotype in general appearance. For differences based on sexual dimorphism, morphometrics and scalation we refer to Tables 3, 4, 7.</p><p>Sum formula of dorsal scale reduction in males.</p><p>Sum formula of dorsal scale reduction in females.</p><p>Variation in dentition.</p><p>Maxillary bone with two posteriorly curved fangs on each side. Main fang 3.98–5.99 mm in length, i. e., 24.1–29.2 % of skull length. Discharge orifice 0.76–1.17 mm in length, i. e., 14.7–22.3 % of fang length. Palatine bone with 3–5 posteriorly curved teeth slightly decreasing in size posteriorly. Pterygoid bone with 8–11 posteriorly curved teeth, shorter than the palatine tooth, all nearly the same size. The posterior 56.3–61.6 % of the pterygoid bone is without teeth. Mandibular bone with 11 or 12 posteriorly curved teeth gradually decreasing in size posteriorly. The first two teeth closer together than the rest. Splenial either 94.3 % of length of angular or fused. The total length of splenial-angular complex spans 24.2–27.2 % of the mandibular bone. The dental is 34.6–37.3 % as long as the mandibular bone.</p><p>Variation in colouration and pattern.</p><p>Dorsal ground colour can darken considerably into Sepia (279) during preservation, so that the dorsal pattern elements of the head and body are no longer recognisable; number of dorsolateral blotches can vary from 29–34 on body and from 5–7 on tail.</p><p>Etymology.</p><p>The specific epithet hazarensis is a latinised adjective referring to the Hazara region of northeastern Pakistan, where the new species was discovered, where its type locality lies, and where it is currently known to occur. This region lies between the Indus River to the west, the foothills of the western Himalaya to the east, and the Karakoram to the north, which together create natural barriers. It includes the Pakistani districts of Abbottabad, Mansehra, Haripur, Battagram, Torghar, Kohistan (east of the Indus River) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, and is characterised by rugged montane landscapes, river valleys, and rich temperate forests. The name highlights the geographic origin of the species and reflects the ecological distinctiveness of this transitional zone between the Indo-Gangetic Plains and the western Himalayan biodiversity corridor (Khan 2006). The term should not be confused with the ethnically defined " Hazara " region of central Afghanistan (Hindu Kush), as the two are geographically and culturally distinct. The name was previously used for example for the endemic frog of the region, Rana (Paa) hazarensis Dubois &amp; Khan, 1979 (today Nanorana hazarensis) or for an invalid subspecies of the Black-spined toad, Bufo melanostictus hazarensis Khan, 2001, today in the synonymy of Duttaphrynus melanostictus (Schneider, 1799) .</p><p>Distribution.</p><p>According to the data presented here, the western range limit of the species is likely defined by the Upper Indus Valley, which separates the Hindu Kush from the western Himalaya (Fig. 9). The northern boundary is probably formed by the Karakoram Range, while the southern limit appears to be the Indus Plains, south of Murree in Punjab Province, Pakistan. The eastern distribution remains unclear. Gloydius hazarensis sp. nov. is so far only reported from northern Pakistan. Records are known from the districts of Kolai Palas, Mansehra, and Abbottabad in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, from the districts of Murree and Rawalpindi in the Punjab Province and from the districts of Neelam, Poonch and Bagh of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan-administered region (own data and Blanford 1878; Unwin in Lawrence 1895; Fenton 1910; Telford 1980; Khan and Tasnim 1986; Gloyd and Conant 1990; Showler 1998; Masroor 2017; Shabir 2022; Hadi and Junaid 2024; see also Fig. 9 and Suppl. material 1: table SS 3). The species is likely present around the Kashmir Valley; however, more extensive sampling and DNA barcoding are required to delineate the range limits between G. hazarensis sp. nov. and G. chambensis in the area. We estimate the total range of the species to be ca 27,500 km 2.</p><p>Habitat and ecology.</p><p>Little is known about the habitat and ecology of the species, as it was previously classified under G. himalayanus (see Khan and Tasnim 1986; Khan 2006; Masroor 2012). Based on verified locality data, the species occurs at elevations ranging from approximately 1630 m to 2900 m. This elevational range places G. hazarensis sp. nov. within montane to subalpine ecological zones, where climatic conditions are generally cool to cold, with seasonal snowfall and a pronounced monsoon period (see Fig. 20). For example, in Murree hills and surrounding Himalayan foothill regions of Punjab, Pakistan it can be found in moderate to steep slopes, rocky terrain, and a mosaic of forest patches interspersed with grassy clearings and human-altered landscapes in the subtropical pine forest, found between 1000–2000 m. Such habitat is characterised by Pinus roxburghii, which forms the dominant canopy, with an understory comprising Dodonaea viscosa, Carissa opaca, and various grasses, e. g., Cymbopogon jwarancusa . At higher elevations (up to ~ 2900 m), G. hazarensis sp. nov. is found in temperate forests, which are cooler and moister and include a mix of coniferous ( Pinus wallichiana, Cedrus deodara, Abies pindrow) and broad-leaved trees ( Quercus incana, Aesculus hippocastanum). These forests offer greater structural complexity, higher humidity, and abundant prey, making them ecologically ideal for G. hazarensis sp. nov. Telford (1980) described the species (classified as Agkistrodon himalayanus) from the Kaghan Valley as common on wooded slopes (a large flat granite slab), observed basking in the morning sun. Some encountered specimens seem to be sluggish and docile when disturbed, others try to escape under rocks or into surrounding undergrowth. Showler (1998) reports on specimens referable to the Hazara Pitviper from the Palas Valley and describes sites between 2400 and 2750 m elevation where he found the pitvipers mostly on southern slopes. The slopes consisted mostly of scree and were covered with herbaceous vegetation, grass banks of Ephedra gerardiana and Viburnum cottonifolium shrubs. One specimen he observed near Satoe was in woodland dominated by Picea smithiana with Cedrus deodara, Pinus wallichiana and Acer sp. with sparse ground flora consisting of Viola sp., Galium sp., Fragaria nubicola, Polygonum sp. and ferns. Little is known about the food spectrum of the Hazara Pitviper. Only recently, Hadi and Junaid (2024) reported how they observed this pitviper (classified as G. himalayanus) on a Himalayan white pine ( Pinus wallichiana) capturing a small passerine bird, the Rufous-bellied Niltava ( Niltava sundara), and devouring it within four minutes. Reproductive data are only reported by Telford (1980) for three gravid females which gave birth to five to six neonates in captivity between the end of August and the beginning of September. At birth, the neonates had an average snout-vent length of 146.9 mm and an average tail length of 24.3 mm. Further research focusing on populations now assigned to G. hazarensis sp. nov. is necessary to better understand its ecological requirements across the species range.</p><p>Conservation.</p><p>The species is currently unprotected. Existing legal protection applies only to populations previously classified under G. himalayanus . The species is frequently killed by residents (Fig. 20 D).</p></div>	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/B6B9CCFF76035A5D80AD6567D371F49E	Public Domain	No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.		Pensoft via Plazi	Jablonski, Daniel;Tillack, Frank;Mahlow-Tillack, Kristin;Petzold, Alice;Wilzo, Madita;Das, Abhijit;Idrees, Muhammad;Baniya, Chitra B.;Masroor, Rafaqat;Hofmann, Sylvia	Jablonski, Daniel, Tillack, Frank, Mahlow-Tillack, Kristin, Petzold, Alice, Wilzo, Madita, Das, Abhijit, Idrees, Muhammad, Baniya, Chitra B., Masroor, Rafaqat, Hofmann, Sylvia (2026): Integrative taxonomy reveals previously undescribed diversity within the Gloydius himalayanus complex (Squamata, Viperidae, Crotalinae) from the Himalaya and Hindu Kush. ZooKeys 1280: 83-153, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1280.182768
198FFC36425756CBA28203A75C34EC93.text	198FFC36425756CBA28203A75C34EC93.taxon	http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text	http://rs.tdwg.org/ontology/voc/SPMInfoItems#GeneralDescription	text/html	en	Gloydius himalayanus (Gunther 1864)	<div><p>Gloydius himalayanus (Günther, 1864)</p><p>Gloydius himalayanus (Günther, 1864): 393, pl. 24, figs A, A'.</p><p>Common name.</p><p>Himalayan Pitviper.</p><p>Type material.</p><p>The original description of Halys himalayanus Günther, 1864 is based on two syntypes originating from " Garhval, Himalaya (altitude 9000 feet) ". Both specimens are preserved in the collection of the Natural History Museum, London: BMNH 1946.1.19.64 (Figs 1, 12; formerly BMNH 1860.3.19.1358), collected by the German explorers, the von Schlagintweit brothers; and BMNH 1946.1.18.75 (formerly BMNH 1860.3.19.1189), originating from the collection of the Danish physician and biologist Theodore Edward Cantor.</p><p>On behalf of the British East India Company (BEIC), and with financial support of the Prussian king Frederick William IV, and the monarch Maximilian II of Bavaria, the brothers Hermann, Adolf, and Robert von Schlagintweit undertook a four-year scientific expedition from 1854–1858 to explore the Indian subcontinent and its northern high mountain regions. They travelled, sometimes together, but also on separate routes, through India and the Himalaya up to the Tibetan plateau [Schlagintweit-Sakülünski 1871; on the controversial debate about the achievements of the expedition see Brescius (2015) and Kleidt (2024)].</p><p>The natural history objects collected during the von Schlagintweit expedition were the property of the BEIC but were brought to Berlin for scientific analysis and were then to be successively returned and reintegrated in the BEIC collections in London. Between 1858 and 1859, an unknown number of stuffed animals, as well as wet preserved reptiles and fishes were transferred from Berlin to the India Museum of the BEIC whose whereabouts are now unknown according to Kleidt (2024). Sharpe (1906) mentioned that the transfer of part of the India Museum collection to the BMNH began in 1860 (1859 according to Archer 1962: 63), but the final incorporation of the old BEIC collection took place in 1880 (1879 according to Kleidt 2015). Additionally, Günther’s (1860) overview of the herpetofauna of the Himalaya, which includes 118 listed specimens of amphibians and reptiles referable to material collected by the von Schlagintweit brothers, clarifies that objects from the expedition, including documents stating localities and altitudes at which each specimen was obtained, had already been handed over from the Museum of the BEIC specifically to him for examination (i. e., no later than May 1860 when his paper was published). Many of these specimens are subsequently listed in the published catalogues of the holdings of the herpetological collection of the BMNH (see Boulenger 1885, 1887, 1889, 1893, 1894, 1896). In his 1860 paper, Günther at the time working on the classification of the BMNH snake collection, mentioned also the von Schlagintweits’ specimen, which later served as one of the two syntypes of Halys himalayanus for the first time under the name " Trigonocephalus affinis " (Günther 1860: 164, 167, 172). It is not documented in the records of the herpetological department of the NHM London which of the von Schlagintweit brothers collected the specimen, and Günther’s (1860) paper, and his (1864) original description, also provide no clue.</p><p>According to the itinerary and map of the routes taken by the von Schlagintweit brothers in the western Himalaya, it becomes clear that only Adolf and Robert had travelled in Kumaon and Garhval between early July and mid-October 1855 (Schlagintweit et al. 1861 a: 17 ff.). From the listed stations no. 50–55 visited in " Kămáon and Gărhvál " only the following are situated in Garhval as defined at that time by the von Schlagintweit brothers: " Mána (in Vishnuganga valley, two miles north of the Hindi temple Bádrinath, 30°47'0"N, 79°20'50"E, 10,670 feet) ", " Mána Pass (two days journey north of Mána, 31°5'0"N, 79°23'25"E, 18,852 feet) ", " Ussílla (highest village in the valley of Tons, 31°7'40"N, 78°18'10"E, 8940 feet) ", " Măssúri, Banóg Hill (station, 30°28'30"N, 77°59'58"E, 7549 feet) " (Schlagintweit et al. 1861 a: 197 ff., 1861 b: map a, 1). Based on the altitude of 9000 feet [2743 m] given by Günther (1860, 1864), the later syntype specimen collected by the von Schlagintweit brothers could have been found in or around " Ussílla ". This place is also mentioned for plants collected in early October 1855 by the von Schlagintweit brothers as " Usilla in the Sons [sic, Tons] valley " by Klatt (1880: 369). If the von Schlagintweit’s type specimen was indeed from " Ussílla " [also known as Oshól, a village no longer existing on the right bank of the Tons [Tonse or Supin] River Valley, near today’s Osla village in the southern Supin Range, Uttarkashi District, Uttarakhand State, India], then it was collected by Adolf von Schlagintweit, who was the only one of the brothers to visit this location during his second journey to Tibet on his return to Garhwal between 6–9 October 1855 (Schlagintweit et al. 1861 a: 19).</p><p>Similar to the von Schlagintweits’ material, the second syntype of H. himalayanus was donated indirectly to the British Museum (Natural History) from Theodore Edward Cantor’s collection. Between 1842 and 1854, Cantor sent several general collections to the Museum of the British East India Company (India Museum), London, and many of the natural history specimens were transferred to the BMNH in 1860 (Boulenger 1906; Whitehead and Talwar 1976). Among these objects was probably Cantor’s specimen, which later served as second syntype and was registered by Günther on 19 March 1860, the month of Cantor’s death, under the number 1189. As mentioned above, Günther (1860) only listed the specimen from the von Schlagintweits collection in his treatise on the herpetofauna of the Himalaya. The first part of the Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, which contains Günther’s work, was published between February and May 1860 (Duncan 1937), and Cantor’s specimen probably reached Günther’s hands too late to be considered.</p><p>Cantor worked as a physician in the service of the British East India Company based in Calcutta [Kolkata, West Bengal State, India], where he arrived in 1835. His duties took him to China (Chusan), the Malay Peninsula (Provinces of Malacca and Wellesley, Penang, and Singapore), and Bengal (Sundarbans, Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta), where he had the opportunity to make substantial zoological and botanical collections. It is documented that Cantor was posted to NW India twice during the First and Second Anglo-Sikh War for his military service in field hospitals from 1845–1846 and from 1848–1849 (Adler 2007, 2016; Archer 1962). It is possible that it was during these visits that he obtained the specimen that was later to become the second syntype of H. himalayanus .</p><p>Because of the better documented historic circumstances (route of travel) for the syntype collected by the von Schlagintweits, and in agreement with Art. 74.7 of the Code (ICZN 1999), we here designate BMNH 1946.1.19.64 as lectotype of Halys himalayanus Günther, 1864 to introduce a standard of application for the species group name himalayanus Günther using a single name-bearing specimen.</p><p>Type material examined.</p><p>Lectotype. • BMNH 1946.1.19.64, an adult male from " Garhval, Himalaya (altitude 9000 feet) " ( Uttarkashi District, Uttarakhand State, India; see above for further discussion on the possible locality), collected by the brothers Adolf or Robert von Schlagintweit (Figs 6 A, 12, 13) . Paralectotype. • BMNH 1946.1.18.75, an adult male, collector (s) not documented, ex Theodor Edward Cantor collection; other data as for the lectotype .</p><p>Description of the lectotype.</p><p>Adult male, indicated by the presence of hemipenes, in situ reaching level of 18 th subcaudal scale; 1 / 1 loreal, slightly higher than wide; nasal scale completely divided; 2 / 2 elongated preoculars, the lower one much narrower; 1 / 1 supraocular; 2 / 2 postoculars, upper scarcely reaching onto top of head, the lower can be described as postsubocular, because it extends below the eye, up to the level of the end of the third supralabial; rostral scale wider than long; two internasals much wider than long; two prefrontals, slightly longer than wide; frontal bell-shaped, 22 % longer than wide; 3 / 3 anterior temporals upper two very small, and 3 / 3 posterior temporals of similar size, the lower one in contact with the second last supralabial; supralabials 7 / 7, second last twice as high as the previous one, in contact with lower posterior temporal, 3 rd / 3 rd in contact with the eye; pit opening as long as the horizontal diameter of the eye and encircled by 3 / 3 scales; 18 circum-pileus scales; 10 / 10 sublabials, first four in contact with anterior submaxillars; two pairs of submaxillars, anterior approx. twice as wide and 50 % longer than posterior; followed by four rows of paired gular scales, slightly increasing in size posteriorly; dorsal scales in 21-21 - 17 rows, strongly keeled, except the outer row, which is smooth, paired apical pits on some dorsals, very weakly developed; four preventrals; 162 ventrals; cloacal plate entire; 50 / 51 paired subcaudal scales. Body compact, subcylindrical; tail short (TaL / SVL 0.145); SVL 537 mm; TaL 91 mm, head length measured from tip of snout to posterior border of parietals 17.5 mm, head length measured from tip of snout to posterior edge of mandible 28.5 mm, head width 16.4 mm.</p><p>Dorsal scale reduction formula.</p><p>Dentition.</p><p>Maxillary bone with two posteriorly curved fangs on each side. On left side, the lateral main fang is loose, both teeth are not connected to the maxilla on right side. Behind each main fang are 7 / 8 replacement fangs at different growth stages. Main fang 6.44 mm in length, i. e., 31.52 % of skull length. Discharge orifice 0.97 mm in length, i. e., 15.06 % of fang length.</p><p>Palatine bone with 3 / 3 posteriorly curved teeth slightly decreasing in size posteriorly. Teeth I and II loose on left, teeth I and III on right side. Lateral to each palatine tooth is a single replacement tooth at different growth stages.</p><p>Pterygoid bone with 9 / 9 posteriorly curved teeth, shorter than the palatine tooth, all nearly the same size. Teeth II, IV, VI and VIII loose on left side as well as on right side. The posterior ~ 64 % of the pterygoid bone is without teeth.</p><p>Mandibular bone with 11 / 11 posteriorly curved teeth gradually decreasing in size posteriorly. The first two teeth closer together than the rest. Medial to each mandibular tooth are two replacement teeth in different growth stages. Teeth II, III, V, VII, IX and XI loose on left side. Teeth II, IV, VI and VIII loose on right side. Splenial 93 % of length of angular, latter overlaps splenial with 8.19 % of its total length. The complete skull of the lectotype BMNH 1946.1.19.64 is presented in Fig. 13.</p><p>Colouration and pattern.</p><p>Colouration after ~ 170 years preservation in ~ 70 % ethanol was recorded as follows: dorsal ground colour Light Neutral Gray (Colour 297), with 40 Pale Neutral Gray (296) irregular bands on body, one to two dorsal scales long and ten bands on tail, the anterior edge of dorsal bands shows thin Dark Grayish Brown (284) borders; all dorsal scales show a Dark Grayish Brown (284) mottling, which condenses dorsoventrally; dorsal and lateral head with same ground colour as dorsal body and densely mottled with Dark Grayish Brown (284); a wide Sepia (279) postocular stripe from the posterior border of the eye to the angle of the mouth, whose lower edge is bordered by a Dark Grayish Brown (284) wavy, narrow line; lower parts of posterior supralabials Pale Buff (1) and heavily mottled with Dark Grayish Brown (284); Venter with a colour gradient that becomes darker towards the back. Throat Pale Buff (1) coloured submaxillars and gulars mottled with Dark Grayish Brown (284); sublabials with an irregular Fawn Colour (258) pattern; in the further course, venter changes gradually from True Cinnamon (260) with heavy Dark Grayish Brown (284) mottling via Burnt Sienna (38) to Maroon (39); the dark ventral parts of posterior third of body and ventral tail are Pale Buff (1) mottled; tail tip Light Buff (2) coloured. Examples of variation in the colouration and pattern of live individuals; see Fig. 14.</p><p>Variation.</p><p>The paralectotype and additional examined material agree well with the lectotype in general appearance. For differences based on sexual dimorphism, morphometrics and scalation we refer to Tables 3, 4.</p><p>Sum formula of dorsal scale reduction in males.</p><p>Sum formula of dorsal scale reduction in females.</p><p>Variation in dentition.</p><p>Maxillary bone with two posteriorly curved fangs on each side. Main fang 3.89–6.44 mm in length, i. e., 23.95–31.52 % of skull length. Discharge orifice 0.52–0.97 mm in length, i. e., 12.9–15.1 % of fang length. Palatine bone with three posteriorly curved teeth slightly decreasing in size posteriorly. Pterygoid bone with 7–10 posteriorly curved teeth, shorter than the palatine tooth, all nearly the same size. The posterior 59.7–66.3 % of the pterygoid bone is without teeth. Mandibular bone with 10–12 posteriorly curved teeth gradually decreasing in size posteriorly. The first two teeth closer together than the rest. Splenial either 93.0 % of length of angular or fused. The total length of splenial-angular complex spans 22.9–29.0 % of the mandibular bone. The dental is 36.1–39.3 % as long as the mandibular bone.</p><p>Variation in life colouration and pattern.</p><p>Dorsal ground colour varies from Drab (Colour 19) to Cinnamon-Drab (50), Drab-Grey (256) or Lavender (202), with 29–40 Olive-Brown (278), Warm Sepia (40), or Dusky Brown (285) irregular bands on dorsal body. The bands can vary from one to three dorsal scales in length, can be interrupted vertebrally or can be broken in transverse rows of three roundish blotches. The anterior edge of the bands or blotches often shows a thin Dark Grayish Brown (284) border, whereas the upper row of blotches is separated by Pale Buff (1) coloured interspaces, especially in juveniles. All dorsal scales show a Dark Grayish Brown (284) mottling, which condenses dorsoventrally. Ventrolaterally, sometimes a small irregularly shaped Dusky Brown (285) spot, which is outlined with Smoky White (261), is present between the bands or the lower row of roundish blotches. Dorsal tail with 7–10 thin Olive-Brown (278) or Warm Sepia (40) coloured irregular bands. Tail tip lighter.</p><p>Dorsal head with same ground colour as dark body bands or blotches; canthus rostralis and upper temporal region usually lighter; neck usually with two paravertebral and two lateral Dark Grayish Brown (284) lines starting approximately at the level of the posterior edge of mandible and extending to the anterior border of first band or blotch; a wide Dusky Brown (285) postocular stripe runs from the posterior border of the eye to the angle of the mouth, whose lower edge is bordered by lighter Pale Buff (1) coloured wavy, narrow line, anterior part of postocular stripe covers more than two thirds of the anterior lower temporal scale; head sides including upper labials Pale Buff (1) coloured and heavily mottled with Dark Grayish Brown (284); venter with a colour gradient that becomes darker towards the tail. Throat Pale Buff (1) coloured, submaxillars and gulars mottled with Dark Grayish Brown (284); sublabials Pale Buff (1) coloured, sometimes with large irregular Dark Grayish Brown (284) blotches; in the further course, venter changes gradually from Pale Buff (1) via Pale Neutral Gray (296) or Drab-Gray (256) to Smoke Gray (268) or Olive brown (278) and is completely heavily mottled with Dark Grayish Brown (284).</p><p>Remarks on common and scientific name.</p><p>Wall (1910: 66) suggested the English common name " Brown Himalayan Viper ", although we recommend using the more precise name " Brown Himalayan Pitviper ". In Kashmir (where G. chambensis or G. hazarensis sp. nov. may also be present according to this study; Fig. 9), the pitviper is known as " pohur " by natives (Wall 1910). The epithet himalayanus has a long tradition in herpetology and is used as a reference to the species’ occurrence in the Himalayan region; it has been applied to several amphibians and reptiles from the area, e. g., Duttaphrynus himalayanus (Günther, 1864), Tylototriton himalayanus Khatiwada et al., 2015, Cyrtopodion himalayanus Duda &amp; Sahi, 1978, Ablepharus himalayanus (Günther, 1864), Rhabdophis himalayanus (Günther, 1864) and Protobothrops himalayanus Pan et al., 2013 .</p><p>Distribution.</p><p>Probably the first brief description of a venomous snake originating from the Himalaya that can be attributed to the G. himalayanus complex was given in a footnote in Vigne’s travelogue through Kashmir etc., published in 1842. Based on the results presented here (Fig. 9, Suppl. material 1: table SS 3), this species is known exclusively from the Indian Himalaya. The westernmost localities include Dumas, Bairagarh in India, as reported by Kuttalam et al. (2022), while the easternmost locality is Lingurani (Captain, pers. comm. 2024). We estimate the polygonal range of the species to be ca 56,000 km 2. However, we cannot exclude that G. himalayanus (sensu stricto) also occurs west of Himachal Pradesh e. g., in Kashmir. Therefore, until we have data to the contrary, we propose to list specimens from this transitional zone as Gloydius cf. himalayanus .</p><p>Habitat and ecology.</p><p>According to our data, the species inhabits elevations between ca 1000 and 3500 m in subtropical montane to subalpine zone (with a dubious record of ~ 4877 m introduced by Sclater (1891), see comment above on the distribution of the G. himalayanus complex) in northwestern India. The species prefers montane environments and is typically associated with coniferous forests, rocky slopes, alpine meadows, and areas with abundant leaf litter with cover such as logs, stones, and crevices (Manhas 2020; although the species affiliation of this population is unclear; see Fig. 14 and Suppl. material 1: table SS 3). It exhibits a generalist microhabitat use but relies on thermally buffered refugia. Early reports from Kashmir, e. g., Alcock (1898), Wall (1899), Fenton (1910), and Dattatri (1985) described this snake as " very common to swarming ", especially in the Liddar River Valley where it could be found almost everywhere. In Uttarakhand it is widely distributed and not difficult to find in suitable habitats in the Dehradun and Uttarkashi districts. Observations indicate that its presence is more frequent within protected areas, although the species can also occur near human settlements where the habitat is suitable.</p><p>Conservation.</p><p>Gloydius himalayanus is currently listed as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List (Limbu and Ghosh 2022), primarily due to its presumed wide distribution across the Southern Himalaya and its presence in multiple countries and protected areas. However, the taxonomic revision presented here significantly narrows the species’ confirmed range, restricting it to India. Consequently, a reassessment of its global conservation status is necessary. Although G. himalayanus is not listed in the CITES Appendices, it is legally protected in India under Schedule II of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, amended 2022. Despite its previous broad classification, the species faces several regional threats, including persecution (often fuelled by fear of snakebites), road mortality linked to expanding infrastructure, and habitat degradation resulting from agricultural activities and tourism-related construction. Pushpangadan et al. (2014) report that in some northwestern Indian rural communities, dead specimens or their body parts (e. g., fat and venom) are used for food or traditional medicines. Climate change may also pose an additional future threat by altering high-elevation habitats, although the extent of its impact remains unclear. While no species-specific conservation measures are currently in place, G. himalayanus benefits from some in-situ protection within Himalayan protected areas (e. g., Prasad et al. 2021).</p></div>	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/198FFC36425756CBA28203A75C34EC93	Public Domain	No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.		Pensoft via Plazi	Jablonski, Daniel;Tillack, Frank;Mahlow-Tillack, Kristin;Petzold, Alice;Wilzo, Madita;Das, Abhijit;Idrees, Muhammad;Baniya, Chitra B.;Masroor, Rafaqat;Hofmann, Sylvia	Jablonski, Daniel, Tillack, Frank, Mahlow-Tillack, Kristin, Petzold, Alice, Wilzo, Madita, Das, Abhijit, Idrees, Muhammad, Baniya, Chitra B., Masroor, Rafaqat, Hofmann, Sylvia (2026): Integrative taxonomy reveals previously undescribed diversity within the Gloydius himalayanus complex (Squamata, Viperidae, Crotalinae) from the Himalaya and Hindu Kush. ZooKeys 1280: 83-153, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1280.182768
78DE78E2577A5E2F95AFF27D63FED0F2.text	78DE78E2577A5E2F95AFF27D63FED0F2.taxon	http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text	http://rs.tdwg.org/ontology/voc/SPMInfoItems#GeneralDescription	text/html	en	Gloydius hindukushensis Jablonski & Tillack & Mahlow-Tillack & Petzold & Wilzo & Das & Idrees & Baniya & Masroor & Hofmann 2026	<div><p>Gloydius hindukushensis sp. nov.</p><p>Common names.</p><p>Hindu Kush Pitviper (English), ہندوکش گھڑے والا سانپ (Hindu Kush gaday wali afee, Urdu)</p><p>Type material.</p><p>Holotype. • NHMW 41993, an adult female from <a href="https://tb.plazi.org/GgServer/search?materialsCitation.longitude=72.1958&amp;materialsCitation.latitude=35.5649" title="Search Plazi for locations around (long 72.1958/lat 35.5649)">Kumrat Valley</a>, Upper Dir District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, Pakistan, 35.5649°N, 72.1958°E, 2360 m altitude, found freshly killed by locals on 17 September 2020 by Daniel Jablonski (formerly CUHC 10085; Fig. 15) . Paratype. • CUHC 10088, a juvenile female, collected on 17 September 2020 by Daniel Jablonski, other data as for the holotype .</p><p>Description of the holotype.</p><p>Adult female, indicated by the absence of hemipenes; 1 / 1 loreal, slightly wider than high; nasal partially divided below naris; 3 / 3 elongated preoculars, the lowest is the narrowest; 1 / 1 supraocular; 3 / 3 postoculars, upper reaching onto top of head and touching the parietal, the lower can be described as postsubocular, because it extends under the eye, up to the level of the posterior border of the third supralabial; rostral scale wider than high; two internasals wider than long; two prefrontals, slightly longer than wide; frontal bell-shaped, as long as wide; 3 / 3 anterior temporals, upper two significantly smaller than the lower one, and 3 / 3 posterior temporals, the two upper of similar size, the lower one slightly larger and in contact with the second last supralabial; supralabials 7 / 7, second last three times higher than the previous one, in contact with lower posterior temporal, 3 rd / 3 rd in contact with the eye; pit opening shorter than horizontal diameter of eye and encircled by 3 / 3 scales; 18 circum-pileus scales; 9 / 9 sublabials, first four in contact with anterior submaxillars; two pairs of submaxillars, anterior nearly twice as wide and 80 % longer than posterior; followed by five rows of paired gular scales, increasing in size posteriorly; dorsal scales in 23-21 - 19 rows, strongly keeled, except the outer row, which is only very slightly keeled, paired apical pits on some dorsals, very weakly developed; four preventrals; 155 ventrals; cloacal plate entire; 38 / 39 paired subcaudal scales. Body compact, subcylindrical; tail short (TaL / TL 0.122); SVL 578 mm; TaL 80 mm, head length measured from tip of snout to posterior border of parietals 17.9 mm, head length measured from tip of snout to posterior edge of mandible 27.0 mm, head width 15.9 mm.</p><p>Dorsal scale reduction formula.</p><p>Dentition.</p><p>Maxillary bone with two posteriorly curved fangs on each side. Both teeth are not connected to the maxilla on the right side. Behind the main fangs are 6 / 7 replacement fangs at different growth stages. Main fang 5.27 mm in length, i. e., 25.5 % of skull length. Discharge orifice 1.14 mm in length, i. e., 21.6 % of fang length. Palatine bone with 4 / 4 posteriorly curved teeth slightly decreasing in size posteriorly. Teeth III and IV loose on left, teeth II and IV on right side. Lateral to each palatine tooth is a single replacement tooth at different growth stages. Pterygoid bone with 10 / 12 posteriorly curved teeth, shorter than the palatine tooth, all nearly the same size. Tooth IX loose on left, teeth II, IV, VI, VII, IX and XII loose on right side. Pterygoid bone broken between tooth III and IV on left, as well as behind the tooth row on right side. The posterior 75.0 % of the pterygoid bone is without teeth. Mandibular bone with 14 / 14 posteriorly curved teeth gradually decreasing in size posteriorly. The first two teeth closer together than the rest. Medial to each mandibular tooth are up to two replacement teeth in different growth stages. Teeth I, IV, VI, VIII, X, XII, and XIV loose on left side. Teeth I, III, V, VII, VIII, X, XI, and XIII loose on right side. Splenial 67.2 % of length of angular, latter overlaps splenial with 18.3 % of its total length. The total length of splenial-angular complex spans 33.4 % of the mandibular bone. The dental is 38.5 % as long as the mandibular bone. The complete skull of the holotype NHMW 41993 is presented in Fig. 16.</p><p>Colouration and pattern.</p><p>Colouration after approximately five years preservation in ~ 70 % ethanol was recorded as follows: Dorsal ground colour Drab-Gray (Colour 256), with 37 Sepia (279) coloured dorsolateral roundish blotches which are four to five dorsal scales wide and show a pale Drab-Gray (256) centre; most blotches open ventrolaterally or the lower outer edges disintegrate and form a ventrolateral row of small spots; below that a row of small, irregular rhombic or x-shaped Sepia (279) coloured and Cream White (52) bordered spots runs along the outer edge of the ventrals; the dorsolateral blotches merge vertebrally and form an irregular, sometimes interrupted zigzag line; dorsal tail with ten irregular blotches in the same colouration as on the body; dorsal head Sepia (279) coloured; lateral head colour Pale Buff (1) to Cream White (52) with dense Sepia (279) mottling, most intense in the loreal and upper temporal region; a wide Olive-Brown (278) postocular stripe from the posterior border of the eye to the posterior edge of the mandible, whose lower edge is bordered by a dark Sepia (279), wavy narrow line; lower parts of posterior supralabials Pale Buff (1) with a few Dark Grayish Brown (284) speckles; lower labials with small triangle shaped Sepia (279) coloured markings on their sutures; neck with two wavy lateral Sepia (279) stripes and a shorter elongated spot in the centre; venter with a colour gradient that becomes darker towards the tail; throat Pale Neutral Gray (296) coloured, submaxillars and gulars mottled with Dark Grayish Brown (284); in the further course, venter ground colour changes gradually to Light Neutral Gray (297) and shows heavy Sepia (279) mottling; tail tip Medium Fawn (258) coloured. Examples of variation in the colouration and pattern of live individuals; see Fig. 17.</p><p>Variation.</p><p>The paratype and other examined material agree well with the holotype in general appearance. For differences based on sexual dimorphism, morphometrics and scalation we refer to Tables 3, 4, 6.</p><p>Sum formula of dorsal scale reduction in females.</p><p>Variation in dentition unknown.</p><p>Variation in life colouration and pattern.</p><p>Dorsal ground colour varies from Drab-Gray (Colour 256) to Medium Fawn (257) with 37–44 Ground Cinnamon (270) to Olive-Brown (278) coloured dorsolateral blotches on body and 10–12 on tail; the lighter centres of the body blotches are set off from the darker edge with fine white speckles.</p><p>Etymology.</p><p>The specific epithet hindukushensis is derived from the Hindu Kush mountain range, where the new species was discovered. The name is a Latinised adjective meaning " from the Hindu Kush ". The term is of Persian origin, with a debated etymology that reflects the region’s role as a barrier between Central and South Asia. The Hindu Kush mountain range, spanning Afghanistan and Pakistan, forms a major biogeographic divide, separating distinct faunas on its eastern and western slopes. This pattern aligns with our findings of a distinct lineage within the G. himalayanus complex, whose distribution is shaped by mountain ridges and river valleys. The new species is distributed across the Pakistani portion of the Hindu Kush west of the Indus River. This study represents the first application of this epithet to a reptile species and highlights the region’s ecological and evolutionary distinctiveness, which supports other range-restricted or endemic species, such as Paradactylodon mustersi (Smith, 1940), Chrysopaa sternosignata (Murray, 1885), Altiphylax levitoni (Golubev &amp; Szczerbak, 1979), or Laudakia nuristanica (Anderson &amp; Leviton, 1969) .</p><p>Distribution.</p><p>Gloydius hindukushensis sp. nov. is only known from a few localities between the border with Afghanistan and the Indus River in the south-eastern and eastern foothills of the Hindu Kush Mountains in Pakistan (own data and Sclater 1891; McMahon 1899; Wall 1911; Minton 1966; Gloyd and Conant 1990; Jamal et al. 2018). A combination of genetic and morphological data confirms the species from several localities in the Pakistani districts of Chitral, Swat, Upper and Lower Dir in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province and from the districts of Gilgit and Diamer in the Gilgit-Baltistan Province (see Fig. 9, Suppl. material 1: table SS 3).</p><p>These distribution points suggest a range confined to the eastern slopes of the Hindu Kush, and while the species’ presence in eastern Afghanistan remains unconfirmed, it has been previously considered likely (Gloyd and Conant 1990). The estimated extent of occurrence (EOO) is ca 31,000 km 2, although actual occupancy is expected to be smaller due to limited known localities and the species’ apparent geographical isolation.</p><p>Habitat and ecology.</p><p>Wall (1911) described the snake (classified as Ancistrodon himalayanus) as common at Madak Lasht in Chitral where he found numerous specimens on the ground between rocks where they hide in beds of needles from various conifers e. g., Picea morinda, Abies webbiana and Cedrus deodara . Minton (1966) reported the Hindu Kush Pitviper (classified as Agkistrodon himalayanus) as plentiful at Liakot village (Swat) where it was found on rocky lightly wooded hillsides. Recently, verified locality records place this species at elevations ranging from approximately 1660 m (Torwal, Swat District, Pakistan) to 2888 m (Dog Dara, Upper Dir District, Pakistan). Other significant localities include the type locality in the Kumrat Valley (2360 m) and areas near Lal Qilla (2446–2700 m). This elevational range situates G. hindukushensis sp. nov. within montane coniferous and mixed forest zones, encompassing temperate pine forests, alpine scrub, and open rocky terrain interspersed with grassy cover and scattered shrubs (Fig. 17). These habitats are characterised by cool, humid conditions, with heavy snowfall in winter and a monsoon-influenced wet season, providing a suitable microclimate and ecological niche for this high-altitude viper.</p><p>Conservation.</p><p>An early account by McMahon (1899), referring to the species under the name Halys himlayanus, noted its abundance in the wooded tracts of the Gilgit District. However, its restricted geographic distribution in the Pakistani part of the Hindu Kush, high-altitude ecological specialisation, and apparent habitat specificity suggest that the species may be particularly susceptible to the impacts of climate change, anthropogenic habitat alteration, and possible range contraction. In Pakistan, populations historically attributed to G. himalayanus are frequently persecuted and killed by local communities due to fear or a lack of basic knowledge of snake behaviour, a threat that also led to the death of the holotype specimen described in this study. These combined pressures underscore the need for targeted conservation measures and systematic field surveys to evaluate population status, distribution boundaries, and prevailing threats.</p></div>	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/78DE78E2577A5E2F95AFF27D63FED0F2	Public Domain	No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.		Pensoft via Plazi	Jablonski, Daniel;Tillack, Frank;Mahlow-Tillack, Kristin;Petzold, Alice;Wilzo, Madita;Das, Abhijit;Idrees, Muhammad;Baniya, Chitra B.;Masroor, Rafaqat;Hofmann, Sylvia	Jablonski, Daniel, Tillack, Frank, Mahlow-Tillack, Kristin, Petzold, Alice, Wilzo, Madita, Das, Abhijit, Idrees, Muhammad, Baniya, Chitra B., Masroor, Rafaqat, Hofmann, Sylvia (2026): Integrative taxonomy reveals previously undescribed diversity within the Gloydius himalayanus complex (Squamata, Viperidae, Crotalinae) from the Himalaya and Hindu Kush. ZooKeys 1280: 83-153, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1280.182768
5E547ECEBB9E52728C7B311678FF74DE.text	5E547ECEBB9E52728C7B311678FF74DE.taxon	http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text	http://rs.tdwg.org/ontology/voc/SPMInfoItems#GeneralDescription	text/html	en	Gloydius nepalensis Jablonski & Tillack & Mahlow-Tillack & Petzold & Wilzo & Das & Idrees & Baniya & Masroor & Hofmann 2026	<div><p>Gloydius nepalensis sp. nov.</p><p>Common names.</p><p>Nepali Pitviper (English), Andho sarpa and Bhyagute sarpa (Nepali, according to Shah and Tiwari 2004; Sharma et al. 2013).</p><p>Type material.</p><p>Holotype. • ZMB 65613, an adult male from <a href="https://tb.plazi.org/GgServer/search?materialsCitation.longitude=83.6&amp;materialsCitation.latitude=28.6167" title="Search Plazi for locations around (long 83.6/lat 28.6167)">Kalopani village</a>, Mustang District, Gandaki Province, Nepal, 28.6167°N, 83.6000°E, 2500 m altitude, donated by Matthias Lorenz (Fig. 21) . Paratypes. • BMNH 1953.1.1.71, juvenile female collected 8 miles west of Tibrikot, Dolpa District, Karnali Province, Nepal by William Russell Sykes in 1952 ; MHNG 1329.6 and MHNG 1329.8, male and female from Dhorpatan, Baglung District, Gandaki Province, Nepal, collected by L. Naef in September 1963 and R. Weiersmüller in October 1963 respectively ; NME R 0544 / 07 (field no. SN 6500), adult male from Kermi, 14 km northwest of Simikot, Humla District, Karnali Province, Nepal, collected on 12 June 2001 by Jörg Weipert ; NHMK 254 (formerly RMNH.RENA 20514), adult male from Gurja Ghat, 5 km east of Dhorpatan, Baglung District, Gandaki Province, Nepal, collected on 14 July 1981 by Paul E. Ouboter, Lurly M. R. Nanhoe and Karan B. Shah ; RMNH.RENA.20512, adult male from Tal village, Manang District, Gandaki Province, Nepal, collected on 3 May 1981 by Lurly M. R. Nanhoe and Paul E. Ouboter ; RMNH.RENA.20513, adult female from Dhorpatan, Baglung District, Gandaki Province, Nepal, collected on 13 July 1981 by Lurly M. R. Nanhoe and Paul E. Ouboter ; ZMB 65612, adult female from Syang village (Jomsom) Mustang District, Gandaki Province, Nepal, donated by Matthias Lorenz ; ZSM 154/1973/1 –2, adult male and female, ZSM 154/1973/4, adult male, and ZSM 156/1973/1, adult male, all from Kalopani village, Mustang District, Gandaki Province, Nepal, collected on 8 June 1973 by Ulrich Gruber and Dieter Fuchs ; ZSM 157 / 1973, adult male from Tukuche village, Mustang District, Gandaki Province, Nepal, collected on 23 June 1973 by Ulrich Gruber and Dieter Fuchs .</p><p>Description of the holotype.</p><p>Adult male, indicated by the presence of hemipenes; 1 / 1 loreal, significantly higher than wide; nasal completely divided; 2 / 2 elongated preoculars, the lower narrower; 1 / 1 supraocular; 2 / 2 postoculars, upper reaching onto top of head and touching the parietal, the lower can be described as postsubocular, because it extends under the eye, up to the level of the posterior border of the third supralabial; rostral scale wider than high; two internasals wider than long; two prefrontals, longer than wide; frontal bell-shaped, barely longer than wide; 2 / 2 anterior temporals, upper significantly smaller than the lower one, and 2 / 2 posterior temporals, the lower one slightly larger than upper and in contact with the second last supralabial; supralabials 7 / 7, second last nearly three times higher than the previous one, in contact with lower posterior temporal, 3 rd / 3 rd in contact with the eye; pit opening shorter than the horizontal diameter of eye and encircled by 3 / 3 scales; 14 circum-pileus scales; 9 / 9 sublabials, first three in contact with anterior submaxillars; two pairs of submaxillars, anterior twice as wide and 67 % longer than posterior; followed by three rows of paired gular scales, increasing in size posteriorly; dorsal scales in 21-21 - 17 rows, strongly keeled, except the outer row, which is only very slightly keeled, paired apical pits on some dorsals, very weakly developed; three preventrals; 145 ventrals; cloacal plate entire; 42 / 42 paired subcaudal scales. Body compact, subcylindrical; tail short (TaL / TL 0.154); SVL 418 mm; TaL 76 mm, head length measured from tip of snout to posterior border of parietals 15.0 mm, head length measured from tip of snout to posterior edge of mandible 22.8 mm, head width 13.0 mm.</p><p>Dorsal scale reduction formula.</p><p>Dentition.</p><p>Maxillary bone with two posteriorly curved fangs on each side. On both sides the lateral fang is missing. Behind the main fangs are 7 / 8 replacement fangs at different growth stages. Main fang 3.98 mm in length, i. e., 22.8 % of skull length. Discharge orifice 0.70 mm in length, i. e., 17.6 % of fang length. Palatine bone with 3 / 3 posteriorly curved teeth slightly decreasing in size posteriorly. Teeth II loose on left, teeth I and III loose on right side. Lateral to each palatine tooth is a single replacement tooth at different growth stages. Pterygoid bone with 8 / 8 posteriorly curved teeth, shorter than the palatine tooth, all nearly the same size. Teeth I, III, V and VII loose on left side, as well as on right side. The posterior 64.5 % of the pterygoid bone is without teeth. Mandibular bone with 11 / 12 posteriorly curved teeth gradually decreasing in size posteriorly. The first two teeth closer together than the rest. Medial to each mandibular tooth are up to two replacement teeth in different growth stages. Teeth I, III, V and VII loose on left side. Teeth I, III, VII, IX and XI loose on right side. Splenial and angular bones are fused. The total length of splenial-angular complex spans 30.3 % of the mandibular bone. The dental is 37.6 % as long as the mandibular bone. The complete skull of the holotype ZMB 65613 is presented in Fig. 22.</p><p>Colouration and pattern.</p><p>Colouration after ~ 28 years preservation in ~ 70 % ethanol was recorded as follows: Dorsal ground colour Medium Fawn (Colour 257), with 32 Olive-Brown (278) roundish dorsolateral blotches with lighter Medium Fawn (257) centre, the outer edges of the blotches with darker Sepia (279) coloured margins, some blotches with a small dark Olive-Brown (278) spot in their centres; other blotches can be divided horizontally and form two semicircles or break up into four curved spots; lateral body blotches do not merge vertebrally; all dorsal scales show a dense Dark Grayish Brown (284) mottling; below the lateral blotches, a row of small, irregular rhombic or x-shaped Sepia (279) coloured and Cream White (52) bordered spots runs along the outer edge of the ventrals; tail with nine irregularly shaped Olive-Brown (278) spots; dorsal and upper lateral head sides with same ground colour as dorsal body and densely mottled with Dark Grayish Brown (284); pileus with small irregular shaped Olive-Brown (278) spots; neck with three Olive-Brown (278) stripes, the middle one shortest; a wide Sepia (279) postocular stripe runs from the posterior border of the eye to the posterior edge of the mandible, whose lower edge is bordered by a Dark Grayish Brown (284) wavy, narrow line; anterior and lower parts of posterior supralabials Pale Buff (1) and mottled with Dark Grayish Brown (284); venter with a colour gradient that becomes darker towards the tail; throat Pale Buff (1) coloured, submaxillars and gulars with numerous small Dark Grayish Brown (284) spots; sublabials Pale Buff (1) with small irregular Dark Grayish Brown (284) spots on their sutures; posteriorly, the venter gradually changes, from Pale Neutral Gray (296) with heavy Dark Grayish Brown (284) mottling via Light Neutral Gray (297) to Medium Neutral Gray (298); additionally to the dark mottling all ventrals with three to five squarish Dark Neutral Gray (299) or Dark Grayish Brown (284) spots which merge in the posterior third of the body; tail tip Light Buff (2) coloured. Examples of variation in the colouration and pattern of live individuals; see Fig. 23.</p><p>Variation.</p><p>The paratypes and other examined material agree well with the holotype in general appearance. For differences based on sexual dimorphism, morphometrics and scalation we refer to Tables 3, 4, 8. Meristic and morphometric characters of G. nepalensis sp. nov. can be summarised as follows: a single loreal, higher than wide or sometimes as high as wide; nasal completely divided or only exceptionally partly divided below naris; always two elongated preoculars, the lower narrower; a single supraocular; usually two, rarely three postoculars, upper reaching onto top of head and touching the parietal, the lower one can be described as postsubocular and touches with its anterior side the upper posterior edge of the third supralabial; rostral scale wider than high; two internasals wider than long; two prefrontals, ratio of length to width variable sometimes almost the same length; frontal bell-shaped, little longer than wide or as long as wide; predominantly three, often two, exceptionally four anterior and predominantly three, rarely four or two, exceptionally five posterior temporals; usually seven, rarely six, exceptionally eight supralabials, always the third in contact with the eye; 13–20 circum-pileus scales; usually nine, sometimes eight, rarely seven or ten sublabials, predominantly first three, rarely first four in contact with anterior submaxillars; two pairs of submaxillars, anterior usually twice as wide and 31–100 % longer than posterior; followed by 2–4 rows of paired gular scales, increasing in size posteriorly; anterior dorsal scales in 21 or 23, sometimes in 22 rows, midbody dorsal scales predominantly in 21, rarely in 19, exceptionally in 22 or 23 rows, posterior dorsal scales predominantly in 17, rarely in 15, exceptionally in 16 rows; predominantly two, sometimes one or three, rarely four or no preventrals; 140–161 ventrals (males 140–158, females 146–161); 38–48 paired subcaudal scales (males 39–48, females 38–42); sum of ventral and subcaudal scales 185–207 (males 185–207, females 188–205). Body compact, subcylindrical; tail short, ratio TaL / TL 0.124 –0.172 (males 0.124 –0.172, females 0.127 –0.156); maximum recorded SVL of examined material in males 609 mm, in females 535 mm; maximum recorded TaL of examined material in males 93 mm, in females 80 mm; maximum recorded TL of examined material in males 648 mm, in females 614 mm.</p><p>Sum formula of dorsal scale reduction in males.</p><p>Sum formula of dorsal scale reduction in females.</p><p>Variation in dentition.</p><p>Maxillary bone with two posteriorly curved fangs on each side. Main fang 3.38–5.85 mm in length, i. e., 22.8–30.6 % of skull length. Discharge orifice 0.55–1.35 mm in length, i. e., 14.84–23.1 % of fang length. Palatine bone with three or four posteriorly curved teeth slightly decreasing in size posteriorly. Pterygoid bone with 7–10 posteriorly curved teeth, shorter than the palatine tooth, all nearly the same size. The posterior 60.9–66.1 % of the pterygoid bone is without teeth. Mandibular bone with 10–12 posteriorly curved teeth gradually decreasing in size posteriorly. The first two teeth closer together than the rest. Splenial either 87.7–173.9 % of length of angular or fused. The total length of splenial-angular complex spans 24.2–36.6 % of the mandibular bone. The dental is 35.4–38.8 % as long as the mandibular bone.</p><p>Variation in live colouration and pattern.</p><p>Dorsal ground colour can vary from Tawny Olive (Colour 17) to Drab-Gray (256) or Smoke Gray (266); number of dorsolateral blotches varies from 26–33 on body and from 6–10 on tail; in some populations (e. g., Humla) body blotches can merge vertebrally and form irregularly shaped broad bands especially across the posterior part of body and tail; rarely a nearly completely striped morph is reported (Gumprecht et al. 2004: 66, fig. 1; Sharma et al. 2013: 51, fig. 83); dorsal ground colour can darken considerably to Sepia (279) during preservation, so that the dorsal pattern elements of the head and body are no longer recognisable.</p><p>Etymology.</p><p>The specific epithet nepalensis is a latinised adjective meaning " from Nepal, " referring to the country where the species was discovered. Located in the central Himalaya, Nepal encompasses an exceptionally diverse range of ecosystems, from subtropical lowlands to alpine environments. The name honours the geographic origin of the species and highlights the country’s ecological significance as part of the Himalayan biodiversity hotspot, which supports many range-restricted and endemic species. It also acknowledges Nepal’s increasing role in herpetological research and conservation in South Asia. The name has previously been used for various amphibian and reptile species, including Scutiger nepalensis Dubois, 1974, Minervarya nepalensis (Dubois, 1975), Cyrtodactylus nepalensis (Schleich &amp; Kästle, 1998), or Ablepharus nepalensis (Eremchenko &amp; Helfenberger, 1998) .</p><p>Distribution.</p><p>Gloydius nepalensis sp. nov. is a central Himalayan species and so far reported only from western and west-central Nepal (Fig. 9). Records are known from the districts of Humla, Jumla, and Dolpa in the Karnali Province and from the districts of Mustang, Baglung, Myagdi, and Manang in the Gandaki Province (own data; Smith and Battersby 1953; Kramer 1977; Nanhoe and Ouboter 1987; Sura 1987; Gloyd and Conant 1990; Shah 1995; Schleich and Kästle 2002; see also Fig. 9 and Suppl. material 1: table SS 3). The distribution of the species is based on 26 geographic coordinates forming a polygon with a range of ca 20,400 km 2.</p><p>Various authors (e. g., Rai 2002; Schleich and Kästle 2002; Shah and Tiwari 2004; Kästle et al. 2013) list G. himalayanus (sensu lato) for eastern Nepal. According to our research, there is still no credible evidence, neither photographs nor preserved voucher specimens, from east of the Annapurna region. Earlier records were mostly based on misidentified Mountain Pitvipers ( Ovophis monticola) as listed and depicted in Schleich and Kästle (2002: 1068 No 1, 2 and 15, pl. 111, figs 329–330; see also comments by Gumprecht et al. 2004: 20).</p><p>Habitat and ecology.</p><p>Gloydius nepalensis sp. nov. is recorded from elevations between 1640 and 3220 m (see Suppl. material 1: table SS 3). The species is associated with dry areas where it was found in open rocky habitats with scattered small bushes and stones on slopes near dry coniferous forests consisting of Picea and Pinus spp. It is recorded from subalpine shrublands and alpine meadows but also from the vicinity of small rivers with low trees and near cultivated areas (Dierl and Gruber 1979; Nanhoe and Ouboter 1987: 47; Gumprecht et al. 2004: 348 fig. I; Shah and Tiwari 2004). This species is not strictly nocturnal. It feeds on frogs, small lizards, and rodents (pers. obs.; Nanhoe and Ouboter 1987; Schleich and Kästle 2002; Shah and Tiwari 2004). Hibernation periods differ depending on local climate and altitude and can last up to seven months. Reproduction is ovoviviparous with mating in April or May and the birth of 5–7 neonates in September, with a total length varying from 163–199 mm and a weight of 3.5–5.1 g (pers. obs.).</p><p>Conservation.</p><p>The species is considered to be common in the distributional area (Shah 1995; Shrestha 2001; Schleich and Kästle 2002; Shah and Tiwari 2004) and Nepalese populations are listed under Gloydius himalayanus as " Least Concern " by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (Limbu and Ghosh 2022).</p></div>	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/5E547ECEBB9E52728C7B311678FF74DE	Public Domain	No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.		Pensoft via Plazi	Jablonski, Daniel;Tillack, Frank;Mahlow-Tillack, Kristin;Petzold, Alice;Wilzo, Madita;Das, Abhijit;Idrees, Muhammad;Baniya, Chitra B.;Masroor, Rafaqat;Hofmann, Sylvia	Jablonski, Daniel, Tillack, Frank, Mahlow-Tillack, Kristin, Petzold, Alice, Wilzo, Madita, Das, Abhijit, Idrees, Muhammad, Baniya, Chitra B., Masroor, Rafaqat, Hofmann, Sylvia (2026): Integrative taxonomy reveals previously undescribed diversity within the Gloydius himalayanus complex (Squamata, Viperidae, Crotalinae) from the Himalaya and Hindu Kush. ZooKeys 1280: 83-153, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1280.182768
