Pareas (Eberhardtia) yunnanensis ( Vogt, 1922 )

Liu, Shuo, Zhang, Dongru, Poyarkov, Nikolay A., Hou, Mian, Wu, Li, Rao, Dingqi, Nguyen, Tan Van & Vogel, Gernot, 2023, Resurrection of Pareas yunnanensis (Vogt, 1922) with description of a new species of Pareas from Yunnan Province, China (Squamata, Pareidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 860 (1), pp. 1-26 : 9-14

Pareas (Eberhardtia) yunnanensis ( Vogt, 1922)

Figs 2–4 ; Tables 3–4

Amblycephalus yunnanensis Vogt, 1922: 142 .

Amblycephalus yunnanensis — Mell 1922. — Pope 1935. — Ding et al. 2020.

Amblycephalus monticola yunnanensis — Mell 1931.

Pareas yunnanensis — Rao & Yang 1992. — Guo et al. 2020 — Wang et al. 2020. — Liu & Rao 2021.

Pareas chinensis (in part) — Zhao & Adler 1993. — Zhao 2006. — Yang & Rao 2008. — Wallach et al. 2014.

Pareas cf. yunnanensis — Poyarkov et al. 2022.

Revised diagnosis

This species differs from Pareas geminatus by having fewer subcaudals, relatively more rows of keeled mid-dorsal scales, relatively fewer ventral scales, solid black dorsal surface of head, and no distinct large black spots or stripe on each side of head; it differs from P. xuelinensis Liu & Rao, 2021 by infralabials not fused with chin-shields, vertebral scales enlarged, having fewer ventral scales, fewer subcaudals, relatively more rows of keeled mid-dorsal scales, and solid black dorsal surface of head.

SVL 387–482 mm in adults, TL 94–110 mm in adults, TL/SVL 0.22–0.25; preoculars mostly single, rarely two; postoculars and suboculars mostly fused, rarely separated; loreal bordering orbit in most individuals; prefrontal bordering orbit; supralabials 6–8, infralabials 6–8; infralabials not fused with chin-shields; dorsal scales in 15 rows throughout the body; vertebral scales enlarged; 5–7 rows of middorsal scales keeled on the middle part of the body; precloacal plate undivided; ventral scales 169–175; subcaudals 59–65, all paired. Dorsal surface of head black; no or 1–2 indistinct large black spots on each side of head, no stripe on each side of head; two wide black stripes pass from parietals to the vertical black bars on neck; dark nuchal band absent; vertical black bars distinct on trunk and indistinct on tail; iris brownish-yellow or brownish-orange.

Etymology

The specific epithet is a toponymic adjective given in reference to Yunnan Province, China. We propose “ Yunnan slug-eating snake” for the common English name and “ṙ南钝±蛇” (Yún Nán Dùn Tóu Shé) for the common Chinese name of this species.

Type material

Syntypes CHINA • 2 ♀♀ (adults); Dali Prefecture , Yunnan Province; ZMB 27660 , 65431 .

Additional material examined

CHINA – Yunnan Province • 2 ♀♀ adults; Dali Prefecture, Dali City, Xiaguan Town ; 25°36′17″ N, 100°11′33″ E; elev. 2250 m; 12 Jun. 2022; S. Liu leg.; KIZ 2022033 , 2022034 • 1 ♀ adult; Dali Prefecture, Dali City, Dali Town ; 25°41′56″ N, 100°8′2″ E; elev. 2230 m; 13 Jun. 2022; S. Liu leg.; KIZ 2022035 • 1 juv.; Dali Prefecture, Dali City, Xiaguan Town ; 25°37′52″ N, 100°11′44″ E; elev. 2140 m; 15 Jun. 2022; S. Liu leg.; KIZ 2022036 .

Distribution

This species is currently known only from Dali City and its adjacent areas, Dali Prefecture, Yunnan Province, China ( Fig. 8 ).

Phylogenetic position

Pareas yunnanensis belongs to the subgenus Eberhardtia and is a member of the P. hamptoni ( Boulenger, 1905) species group ( Poyarkov et al. 2022). Phylogenetically it is reconstructed as a sister species of P. geminatus (see Fig. 1 ).

Figures

Fig. 2. Pareas yunnanensis (Vogt, 1922), syntypes in preservative. A–D. ZMB 27660. A. Dorsal view. B. Ventral view. C–D. Close up views of the head. E–H. ZMB 65431. E. Dorsal view. F. Ventral view. G–H. Close up views of the head. Photos by G. Vogel.

Fig. 3. Pareas yunnanensis (Vogt, 1922), specimens from its type locality in preservative. A. Dorsal views. B. Ventral views. Photos by S. Liu.

Fig. 4. Pareas yunnanensis (Vogt, 1922), specimens from its type locality in life. A–C. ♀, KIZ 2022033. D–F. ♀, KIZ 2022034. G–I. ♀, KIZ 2022035. Photos by S. Liu.

Fig. 8. Map showing the type locality of Pareas yunnanensis (Vogt, 1922) (black star), the type locality of P. geminatus Ding, Chen, Suwannapoom, Nguyen, Poyarkov & Vogel, 2020 (black square), the type locality of P. xuelinensis Liu & Rao, 2021 (black circle), the type locality of P. nigriceps Guo & Deng, 2009 (black diamond), and the type locality of P. tigerinus sp. nov. (black triangle).

Fig. 1. Bayesian phylogeny tree of Pareas Wagler, 1830 inferred from cyt b sequences. Node numbers before slashes indicate BPP (values below 0.90 are not shown) and numbers after slashes indicate UFB (values below 90 are not shown).