Dendrophis meeki Boulenger, 1895

Rooijen, Johan Van & Vogel, Gernot, 2016, On the status of three nominal species in the synonymy of Dendrelaphis calligaster (Günther, 1867) (Serpentes: Colubridae), Zootaxa 4093 (2), pp. 293-300 : 298

Description of the syntypes of Dendrophis meeki Boulenger, 1895 (BMNH 1946.1.23.30-33 Fig. 5 )

Four adult specimens from Fergusson island; sex: female/male/male/female; body slender, very large eye with round pupil; snout vent length 74.0 / 66.0 / 67.0 / 54.0 cm; tail length 41.5 / 38.0 / 38.0 / 29+ (tail tip incomplete) cm; 175 / 173 / 175 / 167 ventral scales; 140 / 146 / 146 / 137+ paired subcaudal scales; anal shield divided; dorsal scales in 15-13-11 rows; vertebral scales slightly enlarged, hexagonal in shape with convex posterior margin; number of supralabials (L,R) 8,8 / 8,9 / 9,9 / 9,8; supralabials bordering the eye (L,R) 4–5,4–5 / 3–5,4–6 / 4–6,4–6 / 4–5,4–5; infralabials (L,R) 9,10 / 9,9 / 10,10 / 8,9; infralabials touching first chinshield 1–5; infralabials touching second chinshield 5–6; 2 postoculars; temporal scales (L,R) 2:2:1,2:2:2 / 2:2,2:2 / 2:1:2,2:2:2 / 2:1:2,2:2:2; 5 scales border the posterior margins of the parietal scales; eye diameter (L,R, in mm) 4.9, 5.0 / 4.5, 4.3 / 4.7, 4.6 / 4.5, 4.3; eye nostril distance 4.4, 4.6 / 3.6, 3.6 / 3.5, 3.6 / 3.4, 3.3; snout width 6.2 / 4.3 / 5.0 / 3.7; width of the vertebral scale at mid-body 3.6 / 3.3 / 3.5 / 2.6; length of the frontal scale 6.2 / 5.6 / 5.9 / -; head dorsally immaculate brown; supralabials and throat yellow; a narrow black temporal stripe consisting of black upper edges of supralabials and lower edges of temporals extends onto the neck; body bronze dorsally; venter yellow anteriorly, brownish posteriorly with slightly darkened lateral edges and some dark mottling

Figures

FIGURE 5. Syntype of D. meeki (BMNH 1946.1.23.31)