Bungarus multicinctus Blyth, 1860

Chen, Ze-Ning, Shi, Sheng-Chao, Vogel, Gernot, Ding, Li & Shi, Jing-Song, 2021, Multiple lines of evidence reveal a new species of Krait (Squamata, Elapidae, Bungarus) from Southwestern China and Northern Myanmar, ZooKeys 1025, pp. 35-71 : 35

Bungarus multicinctus Blyth, 1860 Figs 4A, B , 5A, B , 6A, B , 7A, B , 8E , 9A-C [English name: Many-banded Krait] [Chinese name: 银环蛇]

Bungarus multicinctus BLYTH 1860: 98.

Bungarus semifasciatus Günther 1858: 221 (not of Boie)

Bungarus candidus var. multicinctus - Boulenger 1896: 369

Type locality.

Likely Amoy (now Xiamen, Fujian Province, China), possibly Formosa ( Taiwan, China). Holotype: lost (fide Smith 1943; Nguyen et al. 2009)

This species was described based on one specimen from Amoy ( Blyth 1860). The following description is based on 24 examined specimens from Southern China (Appendix 1): (1) narrow white dorsal crossbands 39.3 ± 4.7 (31-50), with each 1.4 ± 0.4 (1.0-2.0) vertebral scales long at midbody (Tables 1 , 2 , Figs 4A, B , 5A, B ); (2) ventral body white scattered with dense brown pigment on adults (n = 19) (Fig. 3B ), indistinct on some juveniles (Fig. 5B ); (3) scales on neck and head of adults uniform black, scales on lateral neck behind parietals for immatures indistinctly edged with white (Fig. 6A ); (4) moderately wide black bands on body (3-4 vertebral scales wide) intruding to ventrals for 1.2 to 2 times the width of outer dorsal scales (Fig. 7A ); (5) ventral surface of tail with dense black bands and patches (Figs 4B , 5B ); (6) posterior maxilla teeth four, distinctly curved backwards (Fig. 8E and Table 3 ); (7) fangs distinctly curved posteriorly (Fig. 8E ); (8) prefrontal suture 1.5-2.5 (n = 17) times length of the internasal suture; (9) VEN 196-236 (n = 24), NSC 38-58 (n = 23).

Hemipenes description based on a sequenced male (Fig. 9A-C , CIB DL 2019051701, SVL 993 mm) from Lishui, Zhejiang, China. Hemipenes reaches 9th subcaudal, bilobed near apex. Base of the organ covered with tiny soft basal hooks, medial portion spinous and apex fully calyculate, with the area between the calyculate zone and spinous zones poorly defined. Most spines on the organ thick, papilla-shaped and blunt, each surmounted by minute, sharp, spine-like tip pointing towards base of hemipenes. The tips are weakly keratinized, concentrated in the shape of short bars; width consistent throughout organ, with a distinct boundary along the region between the main part of papilla-shaped spines and its tips. The morphology of large spines on hemipenes are similar to the morphology of a male from Changsha, Hunan Province, China, which was described by Pope (1935).

B. multicinctus differs from B. candidus by having (1) more white bands on the body (31-50, n = 24 vs. 18-26, n = 19) that are narrower in length (1-2 times of length of vertebral scales on middle body vs. 3-5 times); (2) different adult ventral surface (dense brown pigment vs. immaculate white); (3) different coloration of scales on the temporal and lateral neck regions (uniform black in adults and dim white edged in immatures vs. stained white in adults and creamy white in juveniles); (4) shape of the spines on the hemipenis (blunt, papilla-like vs. large spines that are sharp and fang-shaped); (5) and by the degree of keratinization of the hemipenial spines (tips of large spines not strongly keratinized, in shape of short bars, with a distinct boundary with the body of large spines vs. tips of large spines strongly keratinized, gradually wider towards base of large spines).

Distribution. This species is known from the following provinces in China based on specimens examined and/or DNA sequences data: Zhejiang, Fujian, Anhui, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Taiwan, Chongqing and Guizhou. It is also reported from Hunan Province ( Pope 1935).

Figures

Figure 3. Bayesian inferred tree of the genus Bungarus base on COI genes fragments. The major clade genetic events BI / ML / IQ posterior probabilities, bootstrap and UFB values were presented (the ones lower than 50 are displayed as " - ").

Figure 4. Dorsal (left) and ventral (right) view of adults of the Bungarus candidus / Bungarus multicinctus / Bungarus wanghaotingi complex A, B Bungarus multicinctus, adult male, CIB DL 2019051701 from Lishui, Zhejiang, China C, D B. candidus, female, NMW 9486: 1 from Pelambang, Java E, F B. wanghaotingi, male, CIB MLML 20170801 from Mengla, Yunnan, China. Scale bars: 20 mm.

Figure 5. Dorsal (left) and ventral (right) view of juveniles of the Bungarus candidus / Bungarus multicinctus / Bungarus wanghaotingi complex A, B B. multicinctus, female, CIB DL 18090209 from Fujian, China C, D B. candidus, female, NMW 27730: 4 from Tasikmalaya, Java E, F B. wanghaotingi, unknown sex, CIB JCR 36 from Jiangcheng, Yunnan, China. Scale bars: 20 mm.

Figure 6. Dorsolateral head view of adults (left) and juveniles (right) of the Bungarus candidus / Bungarus multicinctus / Bungarus wanghaotingi complex and B. suzhenae sp. nov. A B. multicinctus, adult male, CIB DL 2019051701 from Lishui, Zhejiang, China B B. multicinctus, juvenile female, CIB DL 18090209 from Fujian, China C B. candidus, adult female, NMW 9486: 1 from Pelambang, Java D B. candidus, juvenile female, NMW 27730: 4 from Tasikmalaya, Java E B. wanghaotingi, adult male, CIB MLML 20170801 from Jiangcheng, Yunnan, China F B. wanghaotingi, unknown sex juvenile, CIB JCR 36 from Jiangcheng, Yunnan, China G B. suzhenae sp. nov. adult female, CIB 116090 H B. suzhenae sp. nov. subadult male, CIB 116088.

Figure 7. Body patterns of adults (left) and juveniles (right) of the Bungarus candidus / Bungarus multicinctus / Bungarus wanghaotingi complex and B. suzhenae sp. nov. A B. multicinctus, adult male CIB DL 2019051701 from Lishui, Zhejiang, China B B. multicinctus juvenile female, CIB DL 18090209 from Fujian, China C B. candidus, adult male, NMW 27711: 1 from Bandong, Java D B. candidus, juvenile male, RMNH 11416 from Pelambang, Java E B. wanghaotingi, adult male, CIB MLML 20170801 from Mengla, Yunnan, China F B. wanghaotingi, unknown sex juvenile CIB JCR 36 from Jiangcheng, Yunnan, China G B. suzhenae sp. nov. adult male, CIB 116089 from Yingjiang, Yunnan, China H B. suzhenae sp. nov. subadult male, CIB 116088 from Yingjiang, Yunnan, China.

Figure 8. Maxilla morphology of seven members of subfamily Elapidae. Lateral (A) lingual (B), and ventral (C) view of the left maxilla of CIB 116090 (the paratype of B. suzhenae sp. nov.), compared with other members of the subfamily Elapinae D B. wanghaotingi SYNU R 170408, from Yala, Thailand E B. multicinctus, from Guangdong, China F B. fasciatus, from Guangdong, China G Naja atra from Guangdong, China H N. melanoleuca from Kimpese, Congo I Ophiophagus Hannah from Guangxi, China. Scale bars: 5 mm, note that H and I had been scaled down at 1 / 2. Al = alveoli.

Figure 9. Hemipenial morphology of the Bungarus candidus / Bungarus multicinctus / Bungarus wanghaotingi complex and B. suzhenae sp. nov. Sulcate view (left), asulcate view (middle), spines (right) A-C B. multicinctus, CIB DL 2019051701 from Lishui, Zhejiang, China, body length 993 mm D-F B. candidus, RH 06153 from Quang Binh Province, Vietnam, body length 1200 mm G-I B. wanghaotingi, CIB MLML 20170801 from Mengla, Yunnan, China, body length 1170 mm J-L B. suzhenae sp. nov., CIB 116089 from Yingjiang, Yunnan, China, body length 1140 mm.