An integrative taxonomic revision of slug-eating snakes (Squamata: Pareidae: Pareineae) reveals unprecedented diversity in Indochina
Authors: Poyarkov Nikolay A. , Nguyen Tan Van , Pawangkhanant Parinya , Yushchenko Platon V. , Brakels Peter , Nguyen Linh Hoang , Nguyen Hung Ngoc , Suwannapoom Chatmongkon , Orlov Nikolai , Vogel Gernot 
Published: January 2022

Slug-eating snakes of the subfamily Pareinae are an insufficiently studied group of snakes specialized in feeding on terrestrial mollusks. Currently Pareinae encompass three genera with 34 species distributed across the Oriental biogeographic region. Despite the recent significant progress in understanding of Pareinae diversity, the subfamily remains taxonomically challenging. Here we present an updated phylogeny of the subfamily with a comprehensive taxon sampling including 30 currently recognized Pareinae species and several previously unknown candidate species and lineages. Phylogenetic analyses of mtDNA and nuDNA data supported the monophyly of the three generaAsthenodipsas,Aplopeltura, andPareas. Within bothAsthenodipsasandPareasour analyses recovered deep differentiation with each genus being represented by two morphologically diagnosable clades, which we treat as subgenera. We further apply an integrative taxonomic approach, including analyses of molecular and morphological data, along with examination of available type materials, to address the longstanding taxonomic questions of the subgenusPareas, and reveal the high level of hidden diversity of these snakes in Indochina. We restrict the distribution ofP. carinatusto southern Southeast Asia, and recognize two subspecies within it, including one new subspecies proposed for the populations from Thailand and Myanmar. We further revalidateP. berdmorei, synonymizeP. menglaensiswithP. berdmorei, and recognize three subspecies within this taxon, including the new subspecies erected for the populations from Laos and Vietnam. Furthermore, we describe two new species ofPareasfrom Vietnam: one belonging to theP. carinatusgroup from southern Vietnam, and a new member of theP. nuchalisgroup from the central Vietnam. We provide new data onP. temporalis, and report on a significant range extension forP. nuchalis. Our phylogeny, along with molecular clock and ancestral area analyses, reveal a complex diversification pattern of Pareinae involving a high degree of sympatry of widespread and endemic species. Our analyses support the “upstream” colonization hypothesis and, thus, the Pareinae appears to have originated in Sundaland during the middle Eocene and then colonized mainland Asia in early Oligocene. Sundaland and Eastern Indochina appear to have played the key roles as the centers of Pareinae diversification. Our results reveal that both vicariance and dispersal are responsible for current distribution patterns of Pareinae, with tectonic movements, orogeny and paleoclimatic shifts being the probable drivers of diversification. Our study brings the total number of Pareidae species to 41 and further highlights the importance of comprehensive taxonomic revisions not only for the better understanding of biodiversity and its evolution, but also for the elaboration of adequate conservation actions.