Pseudorabdion torquatum A.M.C. Dumeril, Bibron & A.H.A. Dumeril 1854
Creators: name: Vogel, Gernot
name: Thasun Amarasinghe, A. A.
name: Ineich, Ivan
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2016
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Reptilia
Squamata
Colubridae
Pseudorabdion
Pseudorabdion torquatum

description: Pseudorabdion torquatum (A.M.C. Duméril, Bibron & A.H.A. Duméril, 1854)
(Figs. 1, 2; Tables 1, 2)
Lectotype (designated herein). Adult male, MNHN-RA 2007.2456 [former MNHN-RA 7212A] (SVL 227.0 mm), collected from Macassar, Sulawesi, Indonesia by Dutch naturalists, and donated to MNHN collections by Leiden Museum before 1845 (according to the synonymy indicated in the original description).
Note. The handwritten MNHN catalogue information that was added in 1975 (after a visit of A.F. Stimson), indicates this specimen as lectotype of Pseudorabdion torquatum. However we were unable to find a designation of a lectotype for this species in any published work. In the original description it was clearly stated that the species has a preocular. Only MNHN-RA 2007.2456 has a preocular, therefore, we here designate this specimen as the lectotype.
Paralectotypes. Female, MNHN-RA 7212 (SVL 205.0 mm), other locality and registry details the same as the lectotype. The MNHN catalogue handwritten information indicates that this specimen is a paralectotype according to A.F. Stimson who also erroneously identified this specimen as P. eiselti. However, the original label clearly indicates this specimen as syntype of P. torquatum. The third specimen of the original syntype series (indicated as without any locality in the original description) has also to be considered as a paralectotype; it was stated as being in Paris for a long time before and cannot be located in the collection anymore and thus must be regarded as lost.
Diagnosis. The following combination of characters distinguishes Pseudorabdion torquatum from all other known congeners: absence of loreal scale, 141 ventrals in the male and 137 in the female [140–165 indicated by Duméril et al. (1854) in the original description], 17 subcaudals in the male and 12 in the female, 11–14 maxillary teeth, supraocular and postocular plates not fused, and internasal not in contact with supralabials. Furthermore, P. torquatum can be clearly distinguished from its closest congener P. longiceps (Table 1) and other congeners of the Pseudorabdion oxycephalum complex according to the data summarized in Table 2.
Character P. torquatum syntypes P. longiceps Description of the lectotype. SVL 227.0 mm; tail length 18.0 mm; head elongate, bluntly pointed, slightly flattened, indistinct from neck; snout elongate, moderate, bluntly pointed in dorsal and lateral profiles.
Source baseđ on oxycephalum m 7 1326144 22624
† † 8 1 1
Philippines) f 14 1446157 16617
atrum m 1 (type) † † 113 33 1 O 612 no supraocular 1 Philippines)
montanum m 2 1456148 28
† 9 1 1
Philippines) f 2 1546161 21622
collare m 1 (type) 1166122 28641
† † * † 22625 1 1
Borneo) f? 12 O 6134 27629
eiselti m 7 1186134 18628
† 961 O O O
Sumatra) f 1 7 13 O 6146 1 O 613
modiglianii f 3 (types) † 1386141 12613 861 O O O Sumatra)
sirambense m 1 † 112 21 869 O O Sumatra)
torquatum m 1 (type) 141 17
† 1161 O 0
Sulawesi) f 1 137 12
longiceps m 6 1276139 2663 O
† * † 11612 O O
species complex) f 9 1396145 17623
Rostral shield large and triangular, distinctly visible from above, deep and pointed posteriorly; interorbitals broad; internasals subtriangular; nostrils small; nasals undivided, in contact with rostral anteriorly, first and second supralabials (2nd supralabial slightly) ventrally, prefrontal posteriorly, and internasal dorsally; loreal absent; prefrontal extremely large, in contact with internasal anteriorly, frontal, supraocular, preocular posteriorly, second and third supralabials ventrally; frontal large, pentagonal, and as long as wide; supraoculars small, narrow; parietals extremely large, elongate, in large contact with each other, penta- to hexagonal in shape, anteriorly wider, bordered anteriorly by frontal, supraoculars and postoculars, ventrally by fifth supralabials and paraparietals, and posteriorly by three occipitals; one preocular; eye small, rounded; pupil rounded; one postocular, small, pentagonal, in contact with supraocular, parietal, fourth and fifth supralabials; paraparietal large, in contact dorsally with parietal and laterally with fifth supralabial, ventrally with sixth supralabial. Supralabials 6 (fifth largest in size, 3rd–4th touching the eye); first supralabial in narrow contact anteriorly with rostral, dorsally with nasal; second supralabial in contact dorsally with prefrontal; third supralabial in contact dorsally with prefrontal, preocular, and eye; fourth supralabial in contact dorsally with eye and postocular; fifth supralabial in contact dorsally with postocular, parietal, and paraparietal; and sixth supralabial in contact dorsally with paraparietal.
Mental small in size, pentagonal; first pair of infralabials smaller than mental plate and separated from each other by anterior chin shields; six infralabials, 1st–3rd in contact with first chin shield pair on both sides, 3rd–4th in contact with second chin shields; fifth infralabial largest in size and in contact with gular scales, not in contact with any chin shield pair; two larger anterior chin shields, and two smaller posterior chin shields; posterior chin shields pair bordered posteriorly by seven gular scales.
Body robust, elongate and sub-cylindrical; dorsal scale rows 15-15-15, all smooth and bluntly pointed without apical pits; 141 ventral scales, three preventrals; cloacal plate entire. Tail extremely short, relative TL (TL / [SVL+TL]) 7.3%, robust and thick; subcaudals divided, 17.
Coloration. Dorsum brown, a pale colour collar band behind parietals; venter brown.
description: Published as part of Vogel, Gernot, Thasun Amarasinghe, A. A. & Ineich, Ivan, 2016, Resurrection of Pseudorabdion torquatum (A. M. C. Duméril, Bibron & A. H. A. Duméril, 1854), a former synonym of P. longiceps (Cantor, 1847) (Colubridae: Calamariinae) from Sulawesi, Indonesia, pp. 337-345 in Zootaxa 4121 (3) on pages 338-342, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4121.3.8, http://zenodo.org/record/271677