Plagiopholis maculosa Qi, Song, Yang, Xu, Fang, Su & Wang, 2025

Qi, Shuo, Song, Han-Ming, Yang, Hao-Cong, Xu, Yu-Hao, Fang, Rui-Jian, Su, Jun-Rong, Liu, Zhi-Fa, Gong, Yue-Ning, Li, Fang-Hua, Lyu, Chun-He, Wang, Bing-Yang & Wang, Ying-Yong, 2025, A new species of Plagiopholis Boulenger, 1893 (Serpentes, Pseudoxenodontidae) from Guangdong, China, Zoosystematics and Evolution 101 (4), pp. 2171-2180 : 2171-2180

publication ID	https://doi.org/10.3897/zse.101.172706
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:E583E9A7-1EFB-4E0E-9F12-A8A688950607
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17635390
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/539F0482-3A7F-5AB6-A107-773AD04F66F7
treatment provided by	Zoosystematics and Evolution by Pensoft
scientific name	Plagiopholis maculosa Qi, Song, Yang, Xu, Fang, Su & Wang
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Plagiopholis maculosa Qi, Song, Yang, Xu, Fang, Su & Wang sp. nov.

Type material.

Holotype. SYS r 002979 , adult female (Figs 3 View Figure 3 – 5 A View Figure 5 ), collected by Rui-Jian Fang and Jun-Rong Su on 23 June 2025 from Tianjingshan National Forest Park ( 24.687856°N, 113.033517°E; ca 680 m a. s. l.), Nanling National Nature Reserve, Ruyuan County, Shaoguan City, Guangdong Province, China. GoogleMaps

Etymology.

The specific epithet maculosa is the feminine nominative singular of the Latin adjective maculosus (“ spotted, blotched ”), chosen to agree in gender with the feminine generic name Plagiopholis . It refers to the distinctive series of irregular blotches along the dorsum of the new species.

Suggested common name.

Based on the type locality, we propose the English common name as “ Nanling mountain snake ”, and Chinese formal name as “ 南岭颈斑蛇 ” (nánlǐng jǐngbānshé).

Diagnosis.

Plagiopholis maculosa sp. nov. can be differentiated from its congeners by the combination of the following morphological characters: (1) no loreal; (2) temporals 2 + 2; (3) maxillary teeth 17 in a single female; (4) 104 ventrals, excluding two preventrals in a single female; (5) 24 pairs of subcaudals, excluding tail tip in a single female; (6) presence of a large inverted “ V ” - shaped nuchal blotch; (7) dorsal surface of the body reddish-brown, with large black-brown spots scattered along the sides; the scales between these lateral spots have white margins, while the anterior and posterior adjacent scales are darker with black-brown edges, together forming irregular blotches along the dorsum.

Description of holotype.

Adult female (Figs 3 View Figure 3 – 5 A View Figure 5 , 6 A View Figure 6 ). Body size small and stubby, TL 295.9 mm ( SVL 261.4 mm, TaL 34.5 mm), tail short ( TaL / TL: 0.12). Head small, indistinct from neck, longer than width and narrow anteriorly, HL 13.3 mm, HW 8.4 mm ( HW / HL: 0.63); eye relative moderate, ED 2.4 mm ( ED / HL: 0.18), pupil round. Rostral triangular, much wider than high, visible from dorsum; nostril laterally pointed, located in the middle of nasal; nasal divided into two scales by nostril; no loreal; postnasal in contact with one enlarged preocular; two postoculars, upper one larger than the lower; two anterior temporals and two posterior temporals on each side; six supralabials on each side, first and second in contact with nasal, fourth and fifth entering the orbit, the sixth largest; two pairs of chin shields, elongate, the anterior pair in contact with the mental and slightly longer than posterior one; six infralabials on each side, first to third in contact with anterior pair of chin shields, third and forth in contact with posterior chin shields; internasals and prefrontals paired; frontal single and enlarged, narrowed posteriorly; parietals paired, longer than width, in contact with each other medially, with upper anterior and posterior temporals laterally. Dorsal scales in 15–15 – 15 rows, smooth throughout, without apical pits, the outermost dorsal scale rows are enlarged and significantly differ in size from adjacent scales; 104 ventrals, excluding two preventrals; 24 pairs of subcaudals, excluding tail tip; precloacal plate entire.

Coloration in life.

Dorsal surface of head reddish-brown, with scattered small black spots and brown blotches; the supralabials and infralabials are creamy-white with black and brown edges on both sides. Ventral surface of head cream-white, with scattered large irregular black-brown blotches on the throat. A large, black-brown, inverted “ V ” - shaped nuchal blotch is present on the neck, across eight scales at its widest point, across two or three scales on each side, with its posterior margin faintly tinged with yellow. Dorsal surface of the body reddish-brown, with large black-brown spots scattered along the sides; the scales between these lateral spots have white margins, while the anterior and posterior adjacent scales are darker with black-brown edges, together forming irregular blotches along the dorsum. The ventral surface of the neck is cream-white in ground color, bearing brown blotches edged with black. The ventral coloration of the body is slightly darker, composed of numerous orange-red pigment spots, with some ventral scales bearing larger dark brown blotches on both sides. The ventral surface of the tail is slightly yellowish.

Coloration in preservation.

The coloration of the dorsum faded to grayish brown. The irregular blotches on the dorsum became more distinct. The ventral surface faded to yellowish white.

Comparisons.

Plagiopholis maculosa sp. nov. is distinguishable from its congeners by a combination of the following morphological characters (Table 2 View Table 2 ; Figs 5 View Figure 5 ; 6 View Figure 6 ).

By absence of the loreal, Plagiopholis maculosa sp. nov. can be distinguished from P. nuchalis (single loreal).

By having temporal scales 2 + 2, Plagiopholis maculosa sp. nov. can be distinguished from P. blakewayi (0 / 1 + 1), P. nuchalis (1 + 2), and P. delacouri (1 + 2).

By having fewer ventral scales (104 in the single female), Plagiopholis maculosa sp. nov. can be distinguished from P. acuta (114–115 in males; 115–121 in females), P. blakewayi (107–125 in males; 115–132 in females), P. delacouri (113–129), P. nuchalis (122–142), P. pluvialis (102–110 in males; 114–122 in females), P. styani (114–121 in males; 116–122 in females).

By having a large inverted “ V ” - shaped nuchal blotch, Plagiopholis maculosa sp. nov. can be distinguished from P. acuta (pentagonal or sub-annular shaped) and P. styani (pentagonal, sub-annular or sagittate shaped).

By having a series of irregular blotches on the dorsum, Plagiopholis maculosa sp. nov. can be distinguished from all congeners (reticulated pattern on the dorsum).

Distribution and ecology.

Plagiopholis maculosa sp. nov. is currently known only from Tianjingshan National Forest Park, Nanling National Nature Reserve, Ruyuan County, Shaoguan City, Guangdong Province, China. The holotype was discovered at approximately 9: 00 a. m. in a roadside ditch within evergreen broad-leaved forest at an elevation of ca. 680 m. The forest is characterized by dense canopy cover, abundant leaf litter, and a moist microenvironment typical of the Nanling Mountains region.