Boiga beddomei
Creators: name: Ganesh, S. R.
name: Mallik, Ashok Kumar
name: Achyuthan, N. S.
name: Shanker, Kartik
name: Vogel, Gernot
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2021
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Reptilia
Squamata
Colubridae
Boiga
Boiga beddomei

description: Boiga beddomei (Wall, 1909)
(Fig. 1–2; Table 1)
Suggested common name: Beddome’s cat snake.
Boiga beddomei (non Wall 1921)— Ganesh et al. 2020
Boiga beddomei (non Taylor 1950)— Ganesh et al. 2020
Boiga beddomei (non Das & De’Silva 2005)— Ganesh et al. 2020
Boiga beddomei (non Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda 2007)— Ganesh et al. 2020
Boiga beddomei — Vyas & Desai 2010; Patel et al. 2018
Additional specimens examined. (n=2). INDIA. CESS 417 & CESS 418 from Mhadei WLS, Goa, BNHS 1793 from Talegoun Nabhade, Pune, BNHS 1796 from Khandala, Pune.
Complementary Diagnosis. Boiga beddomei is phylogenetically allied to a clade (node support 100%) consisting of B. nuchalis, B. ceylonensis of Sri Lanka and B. whitakeri sp. nov.; exhibiting 7.6–8.5, 8.9–9.3, 13.3–13.5% divergence at cyt b with its sister species B. nuchalis and B. whitakeri sp. nov. and B. ceylonensis respectively; and a maximum intraspecific divergence of 2.5%.
Comments. The lectotypification by Ganesh et al. (2020) and the different phylogenetic placements revealed in the present study (see Fig. 1) implies that B. beddomei is a species endemic to the Northern Western Ghats of India. Thus, the Sri Lankan population previously attributed to ‘ B. beddomei ’ (sic) represented by the Sri Lankan sequence (fide Pyron et al. 2013) becomes obsolete as it is herein referred to as Boiga cf. ranawanei (also see Samarawickrama et al. 2005). The phylogenetic position of this Western Ghats population further corroborates the appropriate lectotype designation by Ganesh et al. (2020) that restricts B. beddomei as a species placed within the B. ceylonensis clade, clustering with B. ceylonensis and B. nuchalis —the two species Wall (1909) had originally associated B. beddomei with. Whereas the published sequence (i.e. B. cf. ranawanei) clusters with species not present in this clade (B. flaviviridis and B. thackerayi). Wallach et al. (2014) stated that the type locality is “restricted to Sri Lanka fide Taylor (1950 b:576)”, citing “Taylor, E.H. (1950b). A brief review of Ceylonese snakes. University of Kansas Science Bulletin 33(14), 519–603, 3 figs., pls. 12–25.” Our perusal of Taylor’s original publication reveals its heading to be “Snakes of Ceylon ”, the journal, issue and page numbers being the same as those mentioned in Wallach et al. (2014). Taylor only provided notes on ‘ B. beddomei ’ based on his new collections (EHT-HMS 30674–75 from 12 miles north of Trincomalee), but did not discuss its taxonomic history. The only place Taylor mentions the type locality is when he gives in chresonymy list “type locality: Ceylon ” citing Wall (1909). This again is not correct, as Wall (1909) also had the specimen from Matheran (the lectotype after Ganesh et al. 2020). Wall (1909) was mistaken that R.H. Beddome collected the types whereas they were in fact procured by Major Barrett (see Boulenger, 1896). Wall’s subsequent treatments of B. beddomei also included data from both Indian and Sri Lankan populations (Wall 1919, 1921). Wallach et al. (2014) themselves list the type localities correctly, including Matheran of India. Thus, the supposed terra typica restricta attributed to Taylor (1950) by Wallach et al. (2014) is incorrect.
description: Published as part of Ganesh, S. R., Mallik, Ashok Kumar, Achyuthan, N. S., Shanker, Kartik & Vogel, Gernot, 2021, A new species of Boiga (Serpentes: Colubridae) from the Southern Western Ghats of India with a molecular phylogeny and expanded characterisation of related species, pp. 449-468 in Zootaxa 4981 (3) on page 460, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4981.3.2, http://zenodo.org/record/4921065