Dendrelaphis modestus Boulenger, 1894

Rooijen, Johan Van & Vogel, Gernot, 2012, A revision of the taxonomy of Dendrelaphis caudolineatus (Gray, 1834) (Serpentes: Colubridae), Zootaxa 3272, pp. 1-25 : 16-17

Dendrelaphis modestus Boulenger, 1894

Fig. 11 .

Description. A species of the Dendrelaphis caudolineatus group, characterized by the combination of 1) absence of black longitudinal stripes; 2) absence of a pale ventrolateral line; 3) postocular stripe absent or rudimentarily present; 4) 180–197 ventrals (males), 183–195 ventrals (females); 5) 114–125 subcaudals; 6) relative tail-length 0.278–0.307; 7) 6–7 temporal scales on each side; 8) 9–11 infralabials on each side; 9) 3–5 scales touching the posterior borders of the parietal scales; 10) maximum total length males 101.0 cm, females 134.0 cm.

Description of the syntypes. BMNH 1946.1.6.65 (formerly BMNH 1878.1.31.4), adult female from Ternate collected by H.M.S. Challenger ; SVL 81.0 cm; TAIL 32.0 cm; 193 ventral scales; 114 subcaudal scales; anal shield divided; dorsal scales in 13-13-11 rows; 9 supralabials, supralabials 5 and 6 touch the eye; 11 infralalabials, infralabials 6 and 7 touch the first sublabial; infralabials 1–5 touch first chinshield, infralabials 5,6 touch second chinshield; 2 postoculars; temporal formula 2:2:1:2/2:2:1:2; vertebral scales not enlarged; eye-diameter 4.8 mm / 4.7 mm; eye-nostril distance 4.8 mm / 4.8 mm; snout-width 5.4 mm; posterior edge of parietal scales touched by 4 scales; head-length 25.5 mm; ground-color olive-brown; supralabials, chin, throat pale yellow; venter yellowish; very faint temporal stripe present; no black stripes; no pale ventrolateral line; no black stripe on underside of tail BMNH 1946.1.6.66 (formerly BMNH 1878.1.31.4), adult female from Ternate collected by H.M.S. Challenger ; SVL 78.5 cm; TAIL 7.5 cm (incomplete); 191 ventral scales; 22 subcaudal scales (tail incomplete); anal shield divided; dorsal scales in 13-13-11 rows; 8 supralabials, supralabials 5 (L), 4,5 (R) touch the eye; 11 infralalabials, infralabials 6 and 7 (L) / 6–10 (R) touch the first sublabial; infralabials 1–5 touch first chinshield, infralabials 5,6 touch second chinshield; 2 postoculars; temporal formula 2:2:2/2:2:2; vertebral scales not enlarged; eye-diameter 5.0 mm/ 5.2 mm; eye-nostril distance 4.4 mm / 4.5 mm; snout-width 5.2 mm; posterior edge of the parietal scales touched by 4 scales; head-length 25.5 mm; ground-color olive-brown; supralabials, chin and throat light-yellow; venter yellowish; very faint temporal stripe; no black stripes; no pale ventrolateral line; faint black stripe on underside of tail

Sexual dimorphism. Females grow larger than males (see description).

Distribution. Dendrelaphis modestus inhabits the Moluccan islands Ternate, Halmahera, Morotai, Bacan.

Figures

FIGURE 11. Dendrelaphis modestus Boulenger, 1894, adult from Ternate, syntype (BMNH 1946.1.6.65; TL 113.0 cm.).