The non-venomous kukri snakes of the genus Oligodon Fitzinger, 1826 are known for their enlarged, compressed and blade-like posterior maxillary teeth, which are specialized for opening the eggs of reptiles and birds (Green, Orlov and Murphy, 2010). Oligodon presently contains approximately 70 species, most of which occur in Southeast Asia (Smith, 1943; David et al., 2008a,b; David et al., 2011; David and Vogel, 2012; Neang et al., 2012). Due to their cryptic and nocturnal behavior (Tillack and Günther, 2009), many species are known from only a handful of specimens or even only the holotype. Consequently, knowledge regarding their morphological variation, natural history and distribution is limited (Leviton, 1953, 1960; Pauwels et al., 2002; David et al., 2008; Neang et al., 2012). Ten species of Oligodon have been reported from Cambodia: O. barroni (Smith, 1916), O. deuvei David, Vogel, and Rooijen, 2008, O. mouhoti (Boulenger, 1914), O. taeniatus (Günther, 1861), O. fasciolatus (Günther, 1864), O. ocellatus (Morice, 1875), O. saintgironsi (David, Vogel and Pauwels, 2008), O. inornatus (Boulenger, 1914), O. cinereus Günther, 1864) and O. kampucheaensis Neang, Grismer and Daltry, 2012. Duringafield study in2012 in thePhnomSamkos

Wildlife Sanctuary of the Cardamom Mountains in southwest Cambodia (Fig. 1), we collected a single juvenile specimen which was identified asO. annamensis Leviton, 1953. This species was previously known from only two specimens collected at the type locality at “Blao, Haut Donai”, currently Bao Loc, Lam Dong Province, South Vietnam, 607 km east of

the Cambodian locality. The Cambodian specimen (CBC 01899; snout to vent length [SVL] 151.8 mm; tail length [TL] 34.9 mm) matches Leviton’s (1953, 1960) diagnosis and the description of Das (2010: 286) in having seven maxillary teeth; 13 dorsal scale rows at one head length posterior to head, 13 at mid-body and 13 anterior to vent. Leviton (1960) did not provide a dorsal scale count but MNHN 8815 examined by Patrick David has 13–13–13); anal plate entire; six supralabials (SL) on the left side, 3rd and 4thincontactwithorbit,fiveSL on the right side (probably fused as a cleft remained between upper portion of 2nd SL), 2nd and 3rd in contact with orbit; loreal absent; one preocular; one postocular; internasal present; and six infralabials. The differences between our specimen and Vietnamese specimens are: 1) 1+1 temporals (TP), (vs.1+2), 2) ratio of TL/SVL higher, 0.230 vs. 0.132–0.211; 3) fewer ventral scales (VS), 148 vs. 159–170; and 4) slightly more subcaudal scales (SC), 46 vs. 30–44.

In life (Fig. 2), the Cambodian specimen had a dark brown dorsum and tail; greyish-brown body sides; head dark brown with pale vermiculations; white chevron marking on neck; oblique white streak in front and behind eyes; 10 orange dorsal blotches 2–3 scales wide, three orange blotches on tail; 2 or 3 indistinct white dots running transversely on body between dorsal blotches (now invisible in the MNHN specimen); throat bearing scattered white bars; and ventral surface orange with sparse black subrectangular blotches. In preservative, the specimenisdarkgreyonthedorsalsurfaceandflanks,with orange coloration replaced by cream on anterior part of ventral scales and anterior to vent. The female holotype U.S.N.M. No. 90408 described by Leviton (1953) and the juvenile, male specimen MNHN 8815 of O. annamensis Leviton (1960) from South Vietnam showsignificantdifferences inVS, i.e.170 in femaleand 159 in male respectively, whereas our specimen, most probably a male, has 148 VS. We suggest additional,significantvariationinthisspeciesincludes

Herpetology Notes, volume 6: 271-273 (2013) (published online on 14 June 2013)

First record of Oligodon annamensis Leviton, 1953 (Squamata: Colubridae) from the Cardamom Mountains

of southwest Cambodia

Thy Neang1,* and Seiha Hun2

1 Fauna & Flora International, Cambodia Program, # 19, St. 360, Sangkat BBK I, Chamkarmorn, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

2 Centre for Biodiversity Conservation, Room 415, Faculty of Science, Royal University of Phnom Penh, Confederation of Russian Boulevard, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

*Corresponding author; e-mail: Thy.Neang@fauna-flora.org

Thy Neang & Seiha Hun272

TP 1+1 or 1+2; VS 148–159 in male, 170 in female; SC 44–46 in male, 30 in female. Our specimen was found on bare soil in the middle of a logging road crossing

hilly evergreen forest at 916 m above sea level, about 10 m from water seepage, at approximately 0900 hrs on 26 April 2012 (12.1690 N, 102.9721 E). This discovery of a third specimen of O. annamensis invalidates previous suggestions that the species is endemic to Vietnam and adds a new snake to the Cambodian fauna.

Acknowledgements. We are grateful to H.E Mok Mareth and H.E Chay Samith for their permission to Seiha Hun to conduct fieldwork in thePhnomSamkosWildlifeSanctuary.We thankMarc Green and Jodi Rowley for providing literature and to Bryan Stuart for his comments on the early manuscript, and Neil Furey and Lee Grismer for editing the text. We also thank Choun PhiromforpreparingFigure1.Thefieldworkandmanuscriptweremade possible by grants provided to Fauna & Flora International (Cambodia) by the Zoological Parks and Gardens Board of Victoria (Australia), Darwin Initiative (DEFRA, UK: EIDPO028) and the John D. and Catherine D. MacArthur Foundation (US: 09-92411-000-GSS). Thanks go Patrick David for examining MNHN 8815 at the Paris Museum and providing comments and evaluating note.

Figure 1. Collection locality of Oligodon annamensis in Phnom Samkos Wildlife Sanctuary, Cardamom Mountains, southwest Cambodia and the type locality for the species in Lam Dong, central Vietnam.

Figure 2. Cambodian specimen of Oligodon annamensis (CBC 01899) in life. Photograph by Seiha Hun.

Accepted by Philip de Pous

References

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David, P., Vogel, G. (2012): A new species of the genus Oligodon Fitzinger, 1826 (Squamata: Colubridae) from Pulau Nias, Indonesia. Zootaxa 3201: 58-68.

David, P., Vogel, G., Pauwels, O.S.G. (2008a): A new species of the genus Oligodon Fitzinger, 1826 (Squamata: Colubridae) from southern Vietnam and Cambodia. Zootaxa 1939: 19-37.

David, P., Vogel, G., Rooijen, J.van. (2008b): A revision of the Oligodon taeniatus (Günther, 1861) (Squamata: Colubridae) group, with the description of three new species from the Indochinese Region. Zootaxa 1965: 1-49.

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Neang, T., Grismer, L.L., Daltry, J.C. (2012): A new species of kukri snake (Colubridae: Oligodon Fitzinger, 1826) from the Phnom Samkos Wildlife Sanctuary, Cardamom Mountains, southwest Cambodia. Zootaxa 3388: 41-55.

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Smith, M.A. (1943): The fauna of British India, Ceylon and Burma, including the whole of the Indo-chinese subregion. Reptilia and Amphibia. Vol. III, Serpentes. London, Taylor and Francis.

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273First record of Oligodon annamensis Leviton, 1953 (Squamata: Colubridae)