Dopasia sokolovi (Darevsky & Nguyen, 1983)

Nguyen, Truong Quang, Böhme, Wolfgang, Nguyen, Tao Thien, Le, Quyet Khac, Pahl, Kristian Robert, Haus, Tanja & Ziegler, Thomas, 2011, Review of the genus Dopasia Gray, 1853 (Squamata: Anguidae) in the Indochina subregion, Zootaxa 2894, pp. 58-68 : 60-62

Dopasia sokolovi (Darevsky & Nguyen, 1983)

Holotype: NCST 8222 (National Center for Science and Technology of Vietnam; now in IEBR, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Hanoi). Type locality: Buenloi, An Khe District, Gialai-Kontum Province (now Buon Luoi, K’ Bang District, Gia Lai Province), Vietnam, elevation: 700 m.

Common name. Sokolov’s Glass Lizard.

Diagnosis. Maximum SVL 176 mm; ear opening greater than nostril; nasal separated from frontonasal by 3 scales; dorsal scales strongly keeled; longitudinal scale rows between lateral folds 16–18; scales along lateral fold 78–92; vertebrae from atlas to remnants of hind leg bones 45–46; two dark stripes present on each side of body: dorsolateral stripe from one head-length behind ear opening to tail tip, progressively broader and more distinct posteriorly; ventrolateral stripe narrower but more distinct than dorsolateral stripe, from angle of jaw to vent, changing to a series of small spots on tail (Darevsky & Nguyen 1983; Brygoo 1987; pers. obs.) ( Figs. 2 , 4 B).

Specimens examined. Vietnam: IEBR 102 (adult male) collected on 15 March 1999 by Pham Duc Tien and Nguyen Quang Truong from Ngoc Linh Mountain, Tra My District, Quang Nam Province (15o11.688’N, 108o02.413’E, elevation 1080 m); IEBR A.0762 (adult male) collected in May 2003 by Nguyen Van Sang from Loc Lam Forest, Bao Lam District, Lam Dong Province; ZFMK 91691 (adult male) collected on 9 November 2007 by Le Khac Quyet from Ba Goc forest, Chu Mom Ray NP, Kon Tum Province (14°29'N, 107°43'E, elevation 1100 m); ZFMK 91063 (adult female) collected in April 2010 by Tran Thi Anh Dao from Bi Doup – Nui Ba NP, Lac Duong District, Lam Dong Province.

Description. Body cylindrical, without limbs, SVL 138.5–169.3 mm (n = 4), TaL 448 mm (n = 1); ear opening 1.5–2.0 times greater than nostril; prefrontals in contact or separated; nasal separated from frontonasal by 3 scales; supraoculars 5; supraciliaries 6; supralabials 10, first and second bordering nostril; infralabials 9; dorsal scales strongly keeled; longitudinal rows between lateral folds 16–18; ventral scales in 10 longitudinal rows; number of scales along lateral fold 78–85; number of vertebrae from atlas to remnants of hind leg bones 45–46.

Coloration in preservative. Dorsal head and body brown or gray brown, males with dark spots on neck and shoulder and irregular dark crossbars on posterior part of back, females with three longitudinal series of dark spots on back; two dark stripes present on each side of body: dorsolateral stripe from one head-length behind ear opening to tail tip, progressively broader and more distinct posteriorly; ventrolateral stripe narrower but more distinct than dorsolateral stripe, from angle of jaw to vent, changing to a series of small spots on tail (Darevsky & Nguyen 1983; pers. obs.).

Distribution. This species is currently known only from Vietnam: Quang Nam (Tra My: Ngoc Linh), Gia Lai (An Khe, K Bang: So Pai, Kon Cha Rang), Dak Lak (Chu Yang Sin) (Campden-Main 1970, Darevsky & Nguyen 1983, Bain & Nguyen 2002, Orlov et al. 2008). Our findings include new records for Kon Tum and Lam Dong provinces.

Remarks. The female specimen (ZFMK 91063), which was collected in April 2010 from southern Vietnam, contained nine eggs (size of largest one 9.2 x 6.2 mm).

Figures

FIGURE 2. Dopasia sokolovi: A) Adult male (ZFMK 91691) from Chu Mom Ray NP, Kon Tum Province, photograph Quyet K. Le and B) Adult male (IEBR 102) from Ngoc Linh Mountain, Quang Nam Province, photograph Truong Q. Nguyen.

FIGURE 4. Radiographs of A) Dopasia gracilis (IEBR 1171) from Mu Cang Chai, Yen Bai Province, photograph Robert K. Pahl and B) Dopasia sokolovi (ZFMK 91603) from Bi Dup – Nui Ba NP, Lam Dong Province, photograph Truong Q. Nguyen.