Dendrelaphis, Boulenger, 1890

JIANG, KE, REN, JIN-LONG, GUO, JUN-FENG, WANG, ZENG, DING 1, LI & LI, JIA-TANG, 2020, A new species of the genus Dendrelaphis (Squamata: Colubridae) from Yunnan Province, China, with discussion of the occurrence of D. cyanochloris (Wall, 1921) in China, Zootaxa 4759 (4), pp. 600-600 : 600

Currently

, six species of the genus Dendrelaphis are known from China, including D. biloreatus from Tibet; the D. cyanochloris complex from Tibet, Hainan and Yunnan; D. hollinrakei from Hong Kong; D. cf. pictus from Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan and Yunnan ; D. subocularis and D. vogeli from Yunnan. An updated diagnostic key of the six known species in China is provided below .

1a. Dorsal scale rows 13 on mid-body......................... ...................................... D. biloreatus

1b. Dorsal scale rows 15 on mid-body............................ ............................... .............. 2

2a. A light ventrolateral stripe present and bordered by one or two black stripes on the most of the body................... 3

2b. A light ventrolateral stripe absent or not distinct, black stripes absent............................................ 4

3a. Supralabials 7–8, subcaudals less than 110 pairs.................................................. D. subocularis

3b. Supralabials 9–10, subcaudals more than 110 pairs........................................................... 5

4a. 20–25 maxillary teeth each side, the outermost dorsal scale row the same color as ventrals, and distinctly lighter than other dorsal scales, retracted hemipenis extended to 11–18th subcaudals.......................... D. cyanochloris complex

4b. 20–21 maxillary teeth each side, the outermost dorsal scale row the same color as other dorsal scales, retracted hemipenis extended to 6–7th subcaudals....................................................................... D. vogeli

5a. The ventrolateral black stripe present at anterior body, vertebral scale smaller than or equal to dorsal scale of the outermost row.............................................................................................. D. pictus

5b. The ventrolateral black stripe absent at anterior body, vertebral scale distinctly smaller than dorsal scale of the outermost row.......................................................................................... D. hollinrakei