Achalinus (common name: odd-scaled snakes)[2] is a genus of harmless snakes in the family Xenodermidae. Species of the genus are found in China, Japan, Taiwan, and northern Vietnam. Ten species are recognized as being valid.[1][3] Achalinus was previously placed in Colubridae (along with other xenodermids).[4] The nickname "odd-scaled" is due to the fact that their dorsal scales do not overlap one another as in most snakes, but instead are spread out and lie individually similar to pieces of a puzzle. Odd-scaled snakes are known to be burrowers that crawl below the fallen leaves of the forest.
| Achalinus | |
|---|---|
| |
| Formosa odd-scaled snake, Achalinus f. formosanus | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Xenodermidae |
| Genus: | Achalinus W. Peters, 1869[1] |
Species
edit| Image | Species[3] | Taxon author[3] | Subsp.*[3] | Common name[3] | Geographic range[1][3] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A. ater | Bourret, 1937 | 0 | Bourret's odd-scaled snake | Northern Vietnam and China in Guizhou and Guangxi | |
| A. dabieshanensis | C. Zhang, Liu, R. Huang & B. Zhang, 2023 | 0 | Dabie Mountains odd-scaled snake | China | |
| A. damingensis | Y. Xu, Yang, J. Wu, Gong, R. Huang & S. Huang, 2023 | 0 | China (Guangxi) | ||
| A. dehuaensis | K. Li, Y. Wu, R. Xu, Zhu, Ren, Guo & Dong, 2021 | 0 | Dehua odd-scaled snake | China | |
| A. emilyae | Ziegler, T.Q. Nguyen, C. Pham, T.Th. Nguyen, A. Pham, van Schingen, Th.Th. Nguyen & Le, 2019 | 0 | Emily's burrowing snake | Vietnam | |
|
|
A. formosanus | Boulenger, 1908 | 1 | Formosa odd-scaled snake | Taiwan and Japan in the southern Ryukyu Islands |
| A. hainanus | C. Huang, 1975 | 0 | Hainan odd-scaled snake | China on Hainan island | |
| A. huangjietangi | R. Huang, Peng & S. Huang, 2021 | 0 | Huang's odd-scaled snake | Huangshan City, Anhui Province, China | |
| A. hunanensis | S. Ma, Shi, Xiang, Shu & J. Jiang, 2023 | Hunan odd-scaled snake | Hunan Province, China | ||
| A. jinggangensis | (Zong & J. Ma, 1983) | 0 | Zong's odd-scaled snake | China in Jiangxi | |
| A. juliani | Ziegler, T.Q. Nguyen, C. Pham, T.Th. Nguyen, A. Pham, van Schingen, Th.Th. Nguyen & Le, 2019 | 0 | Julian's burrowing snake | Vietnam | |
| A. meiguensis | Hu & Zhao, 1966 | 0 | Szechwan odd-scaled snake | China in western Sichuan at elevations of 1200–1400 m | |
|
A. niger | Maki, 1931 | 0 | Black odd-scaled snake | Taiwan |
| A. ningshanensis | Yang, R. Huang, K. Jiang, Burbrink & S. Huang, 2022 | 0 | Ningshan odd-scaled snake | China | |
| A. panzhihuaensis | Hou, K. Wang, Guo, Chen, Yuan & Che, 2021 | 0 | Panzhihua odd-scaled snake | China | |
| A. pingbianensis | K. Li, Yu, Y. Wu, Liao, K. Tang, Liu & Guo, 2020 | 0 | Pingbian odd-scaled snake | China | |
| A. rufescens | Boulenger, 1888 | 0 | Boulenger's odd-scaled snake | Northern Vietnam and China in Hong Kong, Hainan and west to Guizhou, Shaanxi, Guangdong and Fujian | |
| A. sheni | S. Ma, Xu, Qi, Y. Wang, S. Tang, Huang & J. Jiang, 2023 | 0 | Shen's odd-scaled snake | Hunan Province, China | |
|
A. spinalis | W. Peters, 1869 | 0 | Peters' odd-scaled snake | Northern Vietnam, Japan (Kyūshū, Honshū, the Ryukyu Islands, Koshiki, Tokuno-shima: Kametoku and Inokawa), and central China (east to Fujian, west to Yunnan and Sichuan, and north to Gansu and Shaanxi. Also in Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Jiangsu and Hubei) at an elevation of 1,230 m |
| A. timi | Ziegler, T.Q. Nguyen, C. Pham, T.Th. Nguyen, A. Pham, van Schingen, Th.Th. Nguyen & Le, 2019 | 0 | Tim's burrowing snake | Vietnam | |
| A. tranganensis[5] | Luu, Ziegler, Ha, Lo, Hoang, Ngo, Le, Tran & T.Q. Nguyen, 2020 | 0 | Vietnam: Ninh Binh province | ||
| A. vanhoensis | Ha, Ziegler, Sy, Le, T.Q. Nguyen & Luu, 2022 | 0 | Vietnam | ||
| A. werneri | Van Denburgh, 1912 | 0 | Amami odd-scaled snake | Japan in the central Ryukyu Islands | |
| A. yangdatongi | Hou, K. Wang, Guo, Chen, Yuan & Che, 2021 | 0 | Yang's odd-scaled snake | China | |
| A. yunkaiensis | J. Wang, Y. Li & Y. Wang, 2019 | 0 | Yunkai Mountain's odd-scaled snake, Yunkai Mountain's burrowing snake | China | |
| A. zugorum | Miller, Davis, Luong, Do, C. Pham, Ziegler, Lee, de Queiroz, Reynolds & T.Q. Nguyen, 2020 | 0 | Zug's odd-scaled snake [6] | Northern Vietnam |
*) Not including the nominate subspecies.
Nota bene: A taxon author (binomial authority) in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Achalinus.
References
edit- ^ a b c Wallach, Van; Williams, Kenneth L.; Boundy, Jeff (2014). Snakes of the World: A Catalogue of Living and Extinct Species. Boca Raton, Florida: CRC Press. pp. 5–6. ISBN 978-1-4822-0848-1.
- ^ Durso, Andrew (2016). "Dragonsnakes and Filesnakes Revisited". Life is Short, but Snakes are Long. Retrieved 27 February 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f Achalinus at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 27 February 2016.
- ^ Durso, Andrew (2013). "Basics of Snake Taxonomy". Life is Short, but Snakes are Long. Retrieved 27 February 2016.
- ^ Luu, Vinh Quang; Ziegler, Thomas; Ha, Nghia Van; Lo, Oanh Van; Hoang, Tuoi Thi; Ngo, Hanh Thi; Le, Minh Duc; Tran, Dung Hoang; Nguyen, Truong Quang (2020). "A new species of Achalinus (Squamata: Xenodermidae) from Trang An Landscape Complex, Ninh Binh Province, Vietnam". Zootaxa. 4877 (1): 174–184. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4877.1.8. ISSN 1175-5334. PMID 33311331. S2CID 228819391.
- ^ Miller, Aryeh H.; Davis, Hayden R.; Luong, Anh Mai; Do, Quyen Hanh; Pham, Cuong The; Ziegler, Thomas; Lee, Justin L.; de Queiroz, Kevin; Reynolds, R. Graham; Nguyen, Truong Quang (2020). "Discovery of a New Species of Enigmatic Odd-Scaled Snake (Serpentes: Xenodermidae: Achalinus) from Ha Giang Province, Vietnam". Copeia. 108 (4). doi:10.1643/CH2020060. S2CID 230507219.
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