A NEW SPECIES OF WATER SNAKE GENUS HYPSISCOPUS (SERPENTES: HOMALOPSIDAE) FROM SULAWESI, INDONESIA

Amir Hamidy, Quraisy Zakky, Nurul Fitriyana, Wempi Endarwin
10.14203/treubia.v50i1.4511
| Abstract views: 1957 | PDF views: 1113

Abstract

We describe a new species of water snake genus Hypsiscopus that was formerly placed in the genus Enhydris from Towuti Lake, South Sulawesi, based on six specimens collected in 2003 and a specimen collected in 2019. The new species has several significant differences from other species in the genus Hypsiscopus (H. matannensis, H. plumbea, and H. murphyi) in possessing laterally compressed tail, higher number of scale rows in mid body, higher number of ventral scales, lower number of subcaudal scales, and distinct color pattern. The new species is likely distributed only in the Towuti Lake, and has higher level endemicity compared to H. matannensis. Further studies on the population and distribution are needed to evaluate its conservation status.

Keywords

Hypsiscopus, Lake Towuti, new species, Sulawesi, water snakes

Full Text:

PDF

References

Alfaro, M.E., Karns, D.R., Voris, H.K., Brock, C.D., & Stuart, B.L. 2008. Phylogeny, evolutionary history, and biogeography of Oriental–Australian rear–fanged water snakes (Colubroidea: Homalopsidae) inferred from mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution,

: 576–593.

Bernstein, J.M., Murphy, J.C., Voris, H.K., Brown, R.M., & Ruane, S. 2021. Phylogenetics of mud snakes (Squamata: Serpentes: Homalopsidae): A paradox of both undescribed diversity and taxonomic inflation. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 160: 1–13.

Bernstein, J.M., Voris, H.K, Stuart, B.L., Phimmachak, S., Andrews, H.L., Sivongxay, N., Neang, T., Karns, D.R., Osterhage, J., Phipps, E.A. & Ruane, S.. 2022. Undescribed diversity in a widespread, common group of Asian mud snakes (Serpentes: Homalopsidae: Hypsiscopus). Ichthyology & Her-

petology 110 (3): 561–574.

David, P. & Vogel, G. 1996. The Snakes of Sumatra: An Annotated Checklist and Key with Natural History Notes. Berkeley: Ed. Chimaira University of California, 259 pp.

De Lang, R. & Vogel, G. 2005. The snakes of Sulawesi. Frankfurt am Main: Edition Chimaira, Frankfurt, 312 pp.

De Lang, R. 2011. The Snakes of The Lesser Sunda Islands (Nusa Tenggara), Indonesia. Asian Herpetological Research, 2(1): 46–54.

Dowling, H.G. 1951. A proposed standard system of counting ventrals in snakes. British Journal of Herpetology, 1(5): 97–99.

Fukuyama, I. Kodama, T., Eto, K. Matsui, M. Hossman, M. Y. & Nishikawa, K. 2022. Phylogenetic placement and diet of homalopsid snake Miralia alternans (Ruess, 1833). Zoological Research, 43(5): 734–737.

In Den Bosch, H.A.J. 1985. Snakes of Sulawesi: checklist, key and additional biogeographical remarks. Zoologische Verhandel Leiden 217: 3–50.

Iskandar, D.T. 1979. A second specimen of the Matanna water snake, Enhydris matannensis (Blgr.), from Raha, Muna Island, Indonesia. British Journal of Herpetology, 5(12): 849–850.

Iskandar, D.T. & Colijn, E. 2001. A checklist of Southeast Asian and New Guinean reptiles. Part I. Serpentes. Jakarta: Biodiversity Conservation Project, Indonesian Institute of Sciences, Japan International Cooperation Agency, The Ministry of Forestry, The Gibbon Foundation, and Institute of

Technology Bandung, Jakarta, Indonesia. 195 pp.

Murphy, J. C. & H. K. Voris. 1994. A key to homalopsidae snakes. The Snakes, 26: 123–133.

Murphy, J. C. & H. K. Voris. 2005. A new species Thai Enhydris (Serpentes: Colubridae: Homalopsinae). The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology, 53(1): 143–147.

Murphy, J. C., H. K. Voris & M. Auliya, 2005. A new species of Enhydris (Serpentes: Colubridae: Homalopsinae) from the Kapuas River system, West Kalimantan, Indonesia. The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology, 53(2): 271–275.

Murphy, J.C., & Voris, H.K. 2014. A Checklist and Key to the Homalopsid Snakes (Reptilia, Squamata, Serpentes), with the Description of New Genera. Fieldiana: Life and Earth Sciences, 1(8): 1–43.

Savage, J. M. 1973. A revised terminology for plates in the loreal region of snakes. British Journal of Herpetology, 5(1): 360–362.

Sirimorok, N & Rusdianto, E. 2020 The importance of being political: Emergence of a Multi–stakeholder forum at the Lake Malili Complex, South Sulawesi. Forest and Society, 4(1): 98–114.

Stuebing, R.B., Inger, R.F. & Lardner, J. 2014. A field guide to the snakes of Borneo. Kota Kinabalu: Natural History Publications, 2 ed. 310 pp.

Uetz, P., Freed, P, Aguilar, R., Reyes, F. & Hošek, J. (eds. 2023. The Reptile Database, http://www.reptile-database.org, accessed 12 May, 2023).

Utama, I.V., Mandagi, I.F., Lawelle, S.A., Masengi, K.W.A., Watanabe, K., Sawada, N., Nagano, A.J., Kusumi, J., & Yamahira, K. 2022. Deeply divergent freshwater fish species within a single river system in central Sulawesi. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 173: 1–11.

von Rintelen, K. 2011. Phylogeography and Population Genetics in Crustacea: Intraspecific geographic differentiation and patterns of endemism in freshwater shrimp species flocks in ancient lakes of Sulawesi. 1st ed. Florida: CRC Press, 410 pp.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.14203/treubia.v50i1.4511
Copyright (c) 2023 Amir Hamidy

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.