Popeia buniana, Grismer, L. Lee Grismer Jesse L. & Mcguire, Jimmy A., 2006

Grismer, L. Lee Grismer Jesse L. & Mcguire, Jimmy A., 2006, A new species of pitviper of the genus Popeia (Squamata: Viperidae) from Pulau Tioman, Pahang, West Malaysia, Zootaxa 1305, pp. 1-19 : 9-15

Popeia buniana sp. n.

Figures 2 , 4

Suggested common name. The Fairy Pitviper

Holotype. ZRC 2.6176, adult male ( Fig. 2 ) from Tekek­Juara Trail at 2° 49’.18.0”N x 104° 10’28.5”E at 295 m, Pulau Tioman, Pahang State, West Malaysia. Collected by J. A. McGuire and J. L. Grismer on 21 July 2002.

Paratypes. ZRC 2.6177, adult male collected on the Tekek­Juara trail at 292 m in elevation, Pulau Tioman by L. L. Grismer, J. L. Grismer, P. L. Wood, and T. M. Youmans on 15 March 2004. ZRC 2.3493, adult male from 400 m in elevation on Gunung Kajang, Pulau Tioman collected on 26 June 1996. BMNH field number 2007 (specimen uncatalogued), adult female collected at 810 m on Gunung Kajang at Gua Tenguk Air by M. Day, August 1988.

Diagnosis. Popeia buniana is significantly different (p <0.008) from all other species of the popeiorum complex by having more ventral scales (170–174, x =171.8; sd =2.06); the facial pit being closer to the eye (DETP/DETN: 0.22–0.33, x =0.28, sd =0.027); and having a relatively thinner internasal scale (WInN/WsupOc: 0.9–1.2, x =1.08, sd =0.06). Male P. buniana differ from male P. barati , P. popeiorum , and P. sabahi in having significantly fewer subcaudal scales (76–78, x =77.3, sd =1.62). Male P. buniana have a significantly shorter head (HL/SVL; 0.44–0.47, x =0.46, sd =0.023) than that of male P. barati or P. nebularis and they have a significantly longer tail (Tal/TL: 0.22–0.23, x =0.22, sd =0.006) than that of male P. nebularis and P. popeiorum . Male P. buniana differ from male P. barati , P. nebularis , and P. sabahi in having a postorbital stripe as opposed to lacking a stripe; from P. f u c a t a in lacking white, vertebral spots as opposed to having spots; and from P. nebularis in having a bicolored, ventrolateral stripe as opposed to having a white or blue stripe. Female P. buniana differ from female P. b a r a t i and P. nebularis in having a white, ventrolateral stripe as opposed to not having stripes. Popeia buniana differs from P. popeiorum in that the ventrolateral stripe covers 50% of the scale in the first dorsal scale row as opposed to covering 100% of the scale.

Description of holotype. Adult male; body long and thin; head triangular and elongate; snout elongate and pointed; distance between nostrils 2.9 mm, DBN/HL 0.11; distance between pits 6 mm; DBP/HL 0.25; head length 24 mm; head width 15 mm; HW/ HL 0.57, head 10.5 mm wider than neck; SVL 542 mm; Tal 157 mm; 22 dorsal scales one head length behind head; 21 dorsal scales at midbody; 14 dorsal scales one head length anterior to vent; 3 preventral scales (the second and third divided); 170 ventral scales; 78 subcaudal scales.

In dorsal view, rostral large and triangular, followed posteriorly by a large, circular, azygous scale bordered laterally by internasals; azygous scale followed posteriorly by a second, triangularly shaped scale; internasals rectangular, twice as wide as high, bordered posterolaterally by canthals; canthals small, triangular, more rounded distally, twice as high as wide; followed posteriorly by 3 (L) 3 (R) scales; canthals followed posteriorly by supraocular; supraocular three times as high as wide, surrounded by 9 (L) 8 (R) head scales; 13 intersupraoculars along a line between middle of supraoculars; and 32 scales along a line from rostral scale to limit of neck.

In lateral view, nares visible; rostral bordered laterally by nasal; nasal bordered ventrally by first supralabial, nasal and first supralabial not fused; supralabials 9 (L) 9 (R); infralabials 12 (L) 12 (R); nasal bordered posteriorly by loreal; loreal bordered ventrally and posteriorly by second supralabial; second supralabial rectangularly shaped, twice as high as wide, upper portion bordered posteriorly by upper and lower preocular; upper and lower preocular thin and rectangularly shaped, three times wide as high; upper preocular bordered ventrally by lower preocular; lower preocular bordered ventrally by second supralabial; upper and lower preocular bordered posteriorly by eye; eight scales surround eye including preoculars; eye followed posteriorly by upper and lower postocular; upper postocular small and square; lower postocular long, rectangularly shaped, three times as high as wide.

Mental triangular, equally high as wide, followed posterolaterally by first infralabial; first supralabials contact at midline, four times as wide as high; eight rows of divided gular scales between first ventral scale and first infralabial; genials and chinshields absent.

Color in life. The ground color in life is a pale turquoise with 81 transverse, zigzagging, maroon bands 4.6 mm apart on the body and 39 brownish bands on the tail.

The center of the iris is copper and the outer edges are turquoise. A postorbital, maroon stripe extends 8.7 mm from the posterior margin of the eye to 6 mm anterior to the posterior margin of the mandible. A ventrolateral, white stripe runs the entire length of the body to the tip of the tail and is bordered ventrally by a reddish stripe that runs the entire length of the body before fading into the venter coloration at the base of the tail. The tail is banded in two shades of brown with the ground color being the lighter of the two.

Paratypes. BMNH 2007 (female) differs from the holotype in having 10 supralabials on each side as opposed to nine. It differs further in having six rows of divided, gular scales as opposed to eight, having 61 subcaudal scales as opposed to 78, 11 (L) 10 (R) scales surrounding the eye as opposed to eight (L and R), seven scales contacting the supraocular (L and R) as opposed to 9 (L) 8 (R), 11 intersupraoculars as opposed to 13, three scales between the canthal and the supraocular, in having 10 infralabials on the left side as opposed to 12, and having 34 scales forming a straight line from the rostral scale to the limit of the neck as opposed to 32. In aspects of coloration, it lacks almost all traces of transverse banding and is nearly uniform green and it lacks a postorbital stripe and ventrolateral stripes. Being that the male paratypes are colored like the holotype suggests that coloration in this species is sexually dimorphic. Morphometric differences are presented in Table 3 .

ZRC. 2.3493 (male) differs from the holotype in having six rows of divided gular scales as opposed to eight, 173 ventral scales as opposed to 170, the second supralabial contacts the nasal scale as opposed to no nasal scale contact, 10 scales contact the supraocular on the right as opposed to eight, there are three scales between the canthal and the supraocular as opposed to two, and there are 30 scales in a straight line from the rostral scale to the limit of the neck as opposed to 32.

ZRC 2.6177 (male) differs from the holotype in having five rows of divided gular scales as opposed to eight, 174 ventral scales as opposed to 170, 11 infralabials as opposed to 13, 76 subcaudals as opposed to 78, 24 scale rows one head length behind the head, 18 scale rows at midbody as opposed to 21, eight (L) nine (R) scales surrounding the supraocular, 11 intersupraoculars as opposed to 12, and 31 scales in a straight line from the rostral scale to the limit of the neck as opposed to 32. The dorsal surface of the tail is nearly a uniform reddish­brown as opposed to being banded.

Distribution. Popeia buniana is only known from Pulau Tioman ( Fig. 3 ), a small island located 38 km off the southeast coast of Pahang State, West Malaysia. The addition of P. buniana to the herpetofauna of Pulau Tioman raises the number of endemic species of reptiles and amphibians on Pulau Tioman to 12 (Grismer 2006).

buniana and all other species of Popeia . Mean values for P. buniana are listed on the top left for

each species­character combination.

/ / t =8.71; p =0.003 Life History. Our understanding of the life history of Popeia buniana is limited to observations made when specimens were collected. The holotype was collected on the Tekek­Juara trial at 2230 hours at 295 m in elevation where the lowland dipterocarp forest transitions to hill dipterocarp forest ( Latiff et al. 1999). It was found 10 m above the ground on the end of a tree branch approximately 20 mm in diameter, which was adjacent to the trunk of another tree approximately 0.5 m in diameter. We speculate that the snake was tracking small lizards that might be running along this section of the adjacent tree.

BMNH 2007 was collected near Gua Tengkok Air, below the summit of Gunung Kajang at 815 m in elevation in hill dipterocarp forest in low vegetation approximately 1 m above the ground (Day 1990). ZRC 2.3493 was collected at 400 m in elevation on Gunung Kajang in low vegetation ( Lim & Lim 1999). Specimen ZRC 2.6177 was collected on the Tekek­Juara trial at 2130 hours at approximately 240 m in elevation 2 m above the ground crawling thought the lower branches of a small tree approximately 50 mm in diameter. During July of 2002 an adult female ( Fig. 2 ; LSUDPC 1132, 1135) was collected (and later released) approximately 200 m below the summit of Gunung Kajang in primary hill dipterocarp forest (P. Hein pers comm., 2002) at the end of a tree branch approximately 25 mm in diameter while crossing to the end of another branch approximately 20 mm in diameter, 8 m above the ground. Vogel (2006:129) figures a female P. buniana in a bush eating a Rana hosii .

Etymology. The specific epithet is derived from the Malay word “bunian”, which is a small, feminine, mischievous, elf or fairy­like spirit believed to inhabit the forests. Our respected friend and guide Mr. Muhamad Ishak Mat Sohor, indicated that the bunian of Pulau Tioman lived in the Tengkok Air Cave near the summit of Gunung Kajang, one of our campsites and collecting localities for this new pitviper. We were cautioned to show respect to the bunian so she would not become angry with our taking of specimens from "her" forest. Therefore, in deference to this belief, we honor the bunian with the feminine patronym buniana , a noun in apposition meaning “Fairy Pitviper”.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Upper: Holotype of Popeia buniana, ZRC 2.6176, adult male 542 mm SVL from the Tekek­Juara Trail. Lower: Adult female: LSUDPC 1135 from Gua Tengkok Air. Collected, released, and photographed by P. Hein.

FIGURE 3. Map showing location of Pulau Tioman, Pahang State, West Malaysia.

FIGURE 4. Left: Male Popeia fucata (LSUHC 5098, SVL 585 mm) from Genting Highlands, Pahang, West Malaysia. Right: Male paratype P. buniana (ZRC 6118, SVL 604 mm) from the Tekek­Juara trail, Pulau Tioman, Pahang, West Malaysia. Note the longer P. buniana is much more gracile in body stature.

Tables

TABLE 3. Student t­ test data for the significantly different character means between Popeia

Ventral scales DETP/DETN	barati 171.8 vs. 148.8 t= 17.41; p= 1.02E­7 0.28 vs. 0.59	fucata 171.8 vs. 163.71 t= 7.18; p= 0.002 0.28 vs. 0.58	nebularis 171.8 vs. 150.8 t =16.08 p= 8.74E­7 0.28 vs. 0.55
WInN/WSupOc	t= 17.41; p= 1.02E­7 1.08 vs. 1.64	t =­11.38; p =0.001 1.08 vs. 1.52	t =­9.41; p =0.0007 1.08 vs. 1.36
Subcaudal scales HL/SVL	t =­7.21; p =0.0001 77.3 vs. 69.4 t =8.20; p =7.75E­05 0.46 vs. 0.56	t =­6.39; p =0.003 / / /	t =­3.60; p =0.004 / / 0.46 vs. 0.59
Tal/TL	t =­4.81; p =0.003 /	/ /	t =­7.34; p =0.005 0.22 vs. 0.19