Boiga drapiezii

Teynié, Alexandre, David, Patrick & Ohler, Annemarie, 2010, Note on a collection of Amphibians and Reptiles from Western Sumatra (Indonesia), with the description of a new species of the genus Bufo, Zootaxa 2416, pp. 1-43 : 20

Boiga drapiezii (Boie in Boie, 1827)

Material examined. MNHN 2002.0431 (male; SVL 828 mm, TaL 288 mm), and an adult, not collected, vicinity of Lubuksao, Province of Sumatera Barat. – A specimen dead on the road, not preserved (very bad condition), Tigapulan Mts., Province of Riau.

Taxonomic comments. This species is currently monotypic. However, its taxonomy is unclear, as two morphs are recognized, a brown one and a green one respectively. The problem is currently under investigation (Gernot Vogel, pers. comm., April 2009). Specimen MNHN 2002.0431 belongs to the green morph. It has 270 ventrals, 151 subcaudals, and 17 dorsal scale rows at midbody. This specimen might also be referable to Boiga bengkuluensis Orlov, Kudryavtzev, Ryabov & Shumakov, 2003 . However, the characters given in the original description of this latter species are not diagnostic enough to allow us to conclude. Both other specimens belong to the brown morph of Boiga drapiezii .

Distribution on Sumatra. Provinces of Sumatera Utara, Sumatera Barat, Riau, Bengkulu, and Sumatera Selatan; also Mentawai Archipelago and Natuna Archipelago ( David & Vogel, 1996).

Biology. Specimen MNHN 2002.0431 was found dead on a road crossing a primary rocky rainforest. The other specimen from Lubuksao was observed in the same forest during a rainy night. The specimen from Tigapulan was found dead on a road crossing a part already burnt of a large tract of primary forest in process of total destruction. All were observed in November.