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New records of the Horned Pitviper, Protobothrops cornutus (Smith, 1930) (Sepentes: Viperidae), from Vietnam with comments on morphological variation

2015; Volume: 8; Linguagem: Inglês

2071-5773

Vinh Quang Luu, Truong Quang Nguyen, Tanja Lehmann, Michael Bonkowski, Thomas Ziegler,

Bat Biology and Ecology Studies

1930), is a limestone karst inhabitant and this species has been recorded from southern China (Guangdong and Guangxi provinces) and some provinces in northern and central Vietnam (Lao Cai, Lang Son, Ha Giang, Quang Binh, and Thua Thien-Hue) (Ziegler & Herrmann, 2002; Nguyen et al., 2009). P. cornutus is listed as Near Threatened in the IUCN Red List because of habitat degradation and its small and strongly disjunct subpopulations within its range (IUCN, 2014). We herein provide two new provincial records of P. cornutus from limestone karst forests of Hoa Lu District, Ninh Binh Province and Ha Lang District, Cao Bang Province, northern Vietnam. Based on the new findings from northern Vietnam and a considerable number of specimens photographed from central and northern Vietnam we also report about variation in color pattern of P. cornutus. Protobothrops cornutus (Smith, 1930), Horned Pit Viper / Ran luc sung (Fig. 1). Specimens examined (n = 2). Zoological collections of the Vietnam Forestry University, Hanoi, Vietnam: VFU A.2014.7, adult female, collected by V. Q. Luu on 27 March 2014 from Ma Yen limestone mountain (20°17.078’N, 105°54.303’E; elevation 59 m a.s.l.), Hoa Lu District, Ninh Binh Province and of the Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources, Hanoi, Vietnam: IEBR A.2013.115, adult male, collected by T. Q. Nguyen and C. T. Pham on 13 October 2011 near Ban Coong Village (22°43.199’N, 106°39.359’E; elevation 443 m a.s.l.), Duc Quang Commune, Ha Lang District, Cao Bang Province. Morphological characters of the specimens agreed well with the description of Herrmann et al. (2004). Total length 525-663 mm (snout-vent length 460 mm, tail length 65 mm in the female; snout-vent length 510 mm, tail length 126 mm in the male); head width 12.613.2 mm; head length 18.8-20.1 mm; body elongated; head triangular, distinguished from neck, flat, covered by small scales; snout obtuse; rostral scale triangular, not visible above; nasal single, subrectangular; loreals 3, between nasal and preocular scale; loreal pit bordered by second supralabial and two preocular scales; supralabials 10, first completely separated from nasal, third supralabial largest, concave in the middle; circumoculars 13; supraoculars 6; interoculars 14; horns including two enlarged scales and two relatively enlarged supraoculars; supralabials separated from suboculars by 2 scales; infralabials 10-14; dorsal scale rows 21:21:15 in the female, 21:19:15 in the male, keeled; ventral scales 191 in the male and 202 in the female plus one preventral; subcaudal scales 71 in the female and 75 in the male plus a spine at tail tip, all paired; cloacal entire. Coloration in life: Dorsal head grey with dark brown Herpetology Notes, volume 8: 149-152 (2015) (published online on 10 April 2015)