Morphology-based intraspecific taxonomy of Oreocryptophis porphyraceus (Cantor, 1839) in mainland China (Serpentes: Colubridae)

Ping Wang; Lei Shi; Peng Guo

doi:10.24272/j.issn.2095-8137.2019.048

Volume 40 Issue 4

Jul. 2019

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Article Navigation > Zoological Research > 2019 > 40(4): 324-330

Ping Wang, Lei Shi, Peng Guo. Morphology-based intraspecific taxonomy of Oreocryptophis porphyraceus (Cantor, 1839) in mainland China (Serpentes: Colubridae). Zoological Research, 2019, 40(4): 324-330. doi: 10.24272/j.issn.2095-8137.2019.048

Citation:

Ping Wang, Lei Shi, Peng Guo. Morphology-based intraspecific taxonomy of Oreocryptophis porphyraceus (Cantor, 1839) in mainland China (Serpentes: Colubridae). Zoological Research, 2019, 40(4): 324-330. doi: 10.24272/j.issn.2095-8137.2019.048

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Morphology-based intraspecific taxonomy of Oreocryptophis porphyraceus (Cantor, 1839) in mainland China (Serpentes: Colubridae)

doi: 10.24272/j.issn.2095-8137.2019.048

Ping Wang^1,2,
Lei Shi^1
,,
Peng Guo²

1.
College of Animal Science, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi Xinjiang 830052, China
2.
College of Life Science and Food Engineering, Yibin University, Yibin Sichuan 644007, China

Funds: This study was supported by the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (XDA 20050201) and National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC31372152)

More Information

Corresponding author: Lei Shi,Peng Guo
Received Date: 2018-10-17
Publish Date: 2019-07-18

Abstract

Abstract

In this study, a total of 106 individuals of Oreocryptophis porphyraceus from mainland China were morphologically examined and recorded. Differences between populations were compared by combining data from this study and other published research. The skulls of three specimens representing three proposed subspecies (i.e., O. p. pulchra, O. p. vaillanti, and O. p. hainana) were examined by computed tomography (CT) scanning. Both external morphological characters and skull comparisons consistently showed significant differences between the studied populations. Based on these data, we suggest that at least four subspecies of O. porphyraceus should be recognized in mainland China: i.e., O. p. porphyraceus, O. p. pulchra, O. p. vaillanti, and O. p. hainana. However, the taxonomical arrangement of the central Chinese populations with intermediate morphology remain unresolved.
- Taxonomy,
- Distribution,
- Morphology,
- Skull

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References(1)

References

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