he jou nal o
biodi e si y da a
NOTES ON GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION
1115
Academic edi o : Ross MacCulloch
Recei ed: 12 Oc obe 2025
Accep ed: 12 No embe 2025
Published: 19 No embe 2025
Copy igh © The au ho s. This is an open‑access
a icle dis ibu ed unde e ms o he C ea i e Commons
A ibu ion License (A ibu ion 4.0 In e na ional – CC
BY 4.0)
Abs ac . This pape p o ides a new p o incial eco d o O eoc yp ophis po phy aceus (Can o , 1839), Black-
banded T inke Snake, om he e e g een o es s o Teo illage, Muong Ham Commune, Nghe An P o ince,
Vie nam. Mo phological cha ac e is ics o he collec ed specimen we e desc ibed and an assessmen o
po en ial h ea s o he species a his locali y. This cons i u es he i s documen ed occu ence o O. po -
phy aceus in Wes e n Nghe An Biosphe e Rese e, Nghe An P o ince.
Key wo ds. Black-banded T inke Snake, dis ibu ion, new p o incial eco d, ep ile biodi e si y
Dau QV, Le ND, Hoang NT (2025) A new eco d o O eoc yp ophis po phy aceus (Can o , 1839) (Squama a,
Colub idae) om Wes e n Nghe An Biosphe e Rese e, Vie nam. Check Lis 21 (6): 1115–1119. h ps://
doi.o g/10.15560/21.6.1115
In oduc ion
O eoc yp ophis po phy aceus (Can o , 1839) is a beau i ul o es snake o en hun ed and aded as a
pe , and i is a highly h ea ened species in Vie nam, classi ied as Nea Th ea ened (Vie Nam Red Lis
o Th ea ened Species 2024). This species has a b oad geog aphical dis ibu ion, including Taiwan,
China, India, Bhu an, Nepal, Myanma , Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia (Ue z e
al. 2025). In Vie nam, O. po phy aceus has p e iously been eco ded om Lao Cai, Cao Bang, Bac Kan,
Lang Son, Thai Nguyen, Phu Tho, Son La, Thanh Hoa, and Quang Binh (Nguyen e al. 2009; Nguyen
e al. 2016; Le e al. 2018). The Wes e n Nghe An Biosphe e Rese e (WNABR) is loca ed in wes e n
Nghe An p o ince and spans a o al a ea o 1,299,795 ha. I in eg a es Pu Ma Na ional Pa k wi h Pu
Huong and Pu Hoa Na u e Rese es, o ming a con iguous en i onmen al co ido . This connec i i y
is essen ial o he e ec i e conse a ion o he egion’s biodi e si y alues. The WNABR exhibi s a
ema kable di e si y o habi a s, encompassing moun ainous e ain, ka s limes one o ma ions, and
i e ine sys ems. This habi a he e ogenei y suppo s a wide ange o ecosys ems, p ima ily opical
ain o es s and eshwa e ecosys ems (e.g. i e s, s eams). Such habi a di e si y is a p incipal ac o
unde pinning he high species ichness o he local lo a and auna (Hoang e al. 2024). Consequen ly,
he amphibian and ep ile auna o he WNABR has been he subjec o nume ous s udies, including
hose by Le and Hoang (2001) and Hoang e al. (2005, 2008, 2012, 2024). Collec i ely, his body o
esea ch has subs an ia ed he signi ican di e si y o amphibians and ep iles wi hin he ese e.
On 10 Ma ch 2010 we conduc ed a ield su ey in he WNABR, whe e we collec ed a specimen
iden i ied mo phologically as O. po phy aceus. This pape p o ides a new occu ence eco d o O. po -
phy aceus in he Wes e n Nghe An Biosphe e Rese e and adding aluable in o ma ion on he mo -
phological cha ac e is ics and dis ibu ion o his species in Vie nam.
Me hods
Sampling. Field su eys we e conduc ed on 10 Ma ch 2010. The specimen was collec ed by Dau Quang
Vinh, T an Ngoc Lan, Nguyen Thi Thu, and Nguyen Thi Thuy a 10:00 AM in he mo ning in he e e -
g een o es in WNABR, nea Teo illage, Chau Cuong Commune (now Muong Ham Commune), Quy
Hop Dis ic , Nghe An P o ince, Vie nam. The specimen was eu hanized in a closed essel wi h a piece
21 (6) · h ps://doi.o g/10.15560/21.6.1115
21 (6): 1115–1119. h ps://doi.o g/10.15560/21.6.1115
A new eco d o O eoc yp ophis po phy aceus (Can o , 1839) (Squama a,
Colub idae) om Wes e n Nghe An Biosphe e Rese e, Vie nam
Dau Quang Vinh1, Le Ngoc Danh1, Hoang Ngoc Thao1
1 Labo a o y o Zoology, Depa men o Biology, Facul y o Na u al Sciences, Hong Duc Uni e si y, Thanh Hoa P o ince, Vie nam
Co esponding au ho : Hoang Ngoc Thao ([email p o ec ed])
Check Lis 21 (6) · h ps://doi.o g/10.15560/21.6.1115
Dau e al. · A new eco d o O eoc yp ophis po phy aceus 1116
o co on wool con aining e hyl ace a e (Simmons 2020). The specimen was p ese ed in a 4% o ma-
lin solu ion and la e placed in 70% e hanol. The specimen was deposi ed in he Labo a o y o Zoology,
Depa men o Biology, Facul y o Na u al Sciences, Hong Duc Uni e si y (HDU), Thanh Hoa P o ince,
Vie nam, as specimen numbe HDU2010.310.
Mo phological analysis. Mo phological cha ac e s we e e alua ed based on diagnos ic c i e ia p o-
ided by Smi h (1943), Nguyen (2007), Das (2010), Ziegle e al. (2014), Nguyen e al. (2016), Le e al.
(2018), and Wang e al. (2019). Nine measu emen s we e also eco ded as ollows (all in mm): snou
o en leng h (SVL; ail leng h (TaL; o al leng h (TL); head leng h (HL); head wid h (HW); snou leng h
(SnL); eye diame e (EyeL); in e o bi al dis ance (IOD); in e na ial dis ance (IND). We also analyzed he
TaL/TL, HW/HL, and (F L/F W) a ios. He e, TL, SVL, and TaL we e measu ed wi h a ule o he nea es
1 mm; all o he measu emen s we e ob ained using digi al calipe s o 0.1 mm accu acy. Fou een
me is ic cha ac e s we e examined as ollows: do sal scale ows (DSR); en al scales (VS); subcaudal
scales (SC); sup alabials (SL); SL-Eye); in alabials (IL); in alabials con ac ing each o he (IL-con ac );
in alabials con ac ing he an e io chin shields (IL-CS); numbe o p eocula scales (P O); numbe o
p esubocula scales (P sO); numbe o pos ocula scales (P O); numbe o empo als (Te); lo eal scale
(LOR); nasal scale (NAS); ela i e ail leng h o o al leng h (RTL). Taxonomic iden i ica ion was based
on desc ip ions by Smi h (1943), Nguyen (2007), Das (2010), Ziegle e al. (2014), Nguyen e al. (2016),
Le e al. (2018), and Wang e al. (2019).
Resul s
O eoc yp ophis po phy aceus (Can o , 1839)
Figu es 1, 2
New eco ds. VIETNAM — Nghe An P o ince • Muong Ham Commune; 19°33′N, 105°00′E; 645 m
a.s.l.; 10.III.2010; Dau Quang Vinh leg.; one adul emale, HDU2010.310.
Iden i ica ion. Mo phome ic and scala ion da a o an adul emale o size (TL 722 mm), SVL 585
mm; body obus and cylind ical (Figu e 1); head small, leng h g ea e han wid h (HW/HL 61.4%),
o oid om he do sal, sligh ly dis inc om neck; ail qui e long (TaL/TL 19.0% o o al leng h), 137
mm in leng h, obus ; eye small, comp ising app oxima ely 12.6% o he head leng h; snou long,
p o uding (SnL/HL 45.1%), eye diame e much sho e han he dis ance be ween eye and nos il,
pupil ound.
Do sal scales smoo h (DSR 19-19-17 ows); e eb al scales simila in size and con igu a ion o o h-
e do sal scales; 202 en als; 77 subcaudals, pai ed; e minal caudal scale in he shape o a sha ply
poin ed cap; cloacal pla e di ided.
In do sal iew (Figu e 2A), he head scala ion comp ises a single os al la ge, hick, wide han
high, isible om abo e; wo in e nasals con ac ing each o he , sho e han p e on als; wo la ge,
hexagonal p e on als wide han long, la ge ; sup aocula s elonga ed, widening pos e io ly, app oxi-
ma ely hal as wide as long; a single la ge, hexagonal on al, longe han wide, na owing pos e io ly;
pa ie als la ge han on al, bo de ed pos e io ly by six small scales; no enla ged nuchal scales a e
p esen .
In la e al iew (Figu e 2C, D), nasals a e i egula ly apezi o m, e ically di ided by a p ominen
su u e, and pie ced by a la ge nos il; a lo eal con ac s nasal, p e on al, p eocula , second and hi d
Figu e 1. O eoc yp ophis po phy aceus in p e-
se a i e ( emale, HDU2010.103). A. Do sal
iew. B. Ven al iew.
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Dau e al. · A new eco d o O eoc yp ophis po phy aceus 1117
sup alabials; p esubocula scales a e absen ; p eocula highe han wide, con ac ing he sup aocula ,
hi d and ou h sup alabials; wo pos ocula s, uppe scale being ec angula and la ge han he low-
e homboid scale; eigh sup alabials, 1s smalles and 7 h la ges ; wo empo als on he igh (uppe
mo e han wice as long as lowe ) and 1+2 empo als on he le (wi h nea ly equal leng h).
In en al iew (Figu e 2B), 9/9 in alabials; 1s o 5 h con ac he an e io chin shield, six h la ges ,
ouches he pos e io chin shield; men al, small, iangula ; 2/2 pai s o enla ged, elonga ed chin
shields, wi h he an e io pai being as long as he pos e io pai ; h ee small gula scales a e p esen
be ween he pos e io chin shields and he i s p e en al.
Colo a ion in p ese a i e: eddish b own abo e, wi h b oad da k-b own, black-edged c oss-ba s
(10 on body and 3 on ail) which na ow on he sides o he body; wo black, pa allel, do so-la e al lines
usually p esen on he hinde pa o he body and ail; a black s ipe down he middle o he head
and ano he on each side, connec ing wi h he i s ans e se ma k on he neck; lowe pa s uni o m
yellowish (Figu e 1).
Discussion
Abou he mo phological cha ac e s, he specimen ag eed wi h he desc ip ions o Smi h (1943),
Nguyen (2007), Nguyen e al. (2016), and Le e al. (2018). Howe e , i sligh ly di e s om he desc ip-
ion o Nguyen e al. (2016) by ha ing empo als (2/1+2 s. 1+2/1+2), in alabials (9/9 s. 10/10), en al
scales (202 s. 205), subcaudals (77 s. 75, pai ed), and wi h Le e al. (2018) by in alabials bo de ing
chin shields (1s o 5 h s. 1s o 4 h), en al scales (202 s. 209), subcaudals (77 s. 63, pai ed).
O eoc yp ophis po phy aceus is lis ed in he Vie Nam Red Lis o Th ea ened Species (2024) wi h a
conse a ion s a us o Nea Th ea ened. The h ea s include he agmen a ion and deg ada ion o
Table 1. Measu emen s o O eoc yp ophis po phy aceus emale om Nghe An p o ince, Vie nam. Abb e ia ions: see Me hods.
Female (HDU2010.310)
SVL 585 SL-Eye 4, 5/4, 5
TaL 137 IL 9/9
TL 722 IL-con ac 1/1
HL 17.5 IL-CS 6
HW 10.7 P O 1/1
SnL 7.9 P sO 0
EyeL 2.2 P O2 2/2
IOD 6.2 Te 2/1+2
IND 4.1 LOR 1+1
VS 202 NAS 2
SC 77 TaL/TL 0.23
DSR 19/19/17 HW/HL 0.61
SL 8/8 F L/F W 1.52
Figu e 2. Head o O eoc yp ophis po phy aceus
in p ese a i e (Female, HDU2010.103). A. Do -
sal iew. B. Ven al iew. C, D. La e al iews.
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Dau e al. · A new eco d o O eoc yp ophis po phy aceus 1118
he species’ habi a due o he impac o imbe exploi a ion, o es land enc oachmen , and ou ism
de elopmen . The species is qui e a e in he wild and, because o i s beau i ul colo s, is a a ge
o hun ing and ading o he pe ade. A small numbe a e also hun ed o ood and medicinal
ing edien s. The species’ popula ion is es ima ed o ha e declined by abou 20% (Vie Nam Red Lis o
Th ea ened Species 2024).
In he WNABR, s udies on amphibians and ep iles ha e been conduc ed by many au ho s, mainly
ocusing on conse a ion a eas. In 2001, Le and Hoang conduc ed esea ch in Pu Ma Na ional Pa k
and eco ded 23 snake species (Le, Hoang 2001); esea ch by Hoang e al. in Pu Huong Na u e Rese e
eco ded 34 species (Hoang e al. 2005, 2008); Hoang e al. published he species composi ion o
amphibians and ep iles in he Wes e n Nghe An Biosphe e Rese e and iden i ied 43 snake species.
By 2024, he numbe o snake species cu en ly known in he Wes e n Nghe An Biosphe e Rese e is
47 species belonging o 33 gene a and 10 amilies (Hoang e al. 2024). The p esen s udy p o ides he
i s con i med eco d o O. po phy aceusin WNABR om Nghe An P o ince, 65 km in a s aigh line
om he nea es epo ed loca ion (Xuan Lien Na u e Rese e) (Figu e 3). Globally, i is eco ded in
Bhu an, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanma , Nepal, Taiwan, and Thailand
(Ue z e al. 2025).
Acknowledgemen s
We hank M . T an Ngoc Lan, Nguyen Thi Thu (NACENTECH), and Nguyen Thi Thuy (Ins i u e o Ag i-
cul u e and Na u al Resou ces, Vinh Uni e si y) o hei aluable assis ance du ing he ield su eys.
We hank Ca olina Dale and Ross MacCulloch o hei suppo in he e iew p ocess; e iewe D .
Pham Anh, whose commen s imp o ed he quali y o he manusc ip ; and Robe Fo sy h o English-
language edi ing.
Figu e 3. Dis ibu ion o O eoc yp ophis po phy-
aceus in Vie nam. 1 = Lao Cai; 2 = Cao Bang;
3 = Bac Kan; 4 = Lang Son; 5 = Thai Nguyen; 6
= Vinh Phuc; 7 = Son La; 8 = Quang Bình; 9 =
Thanh Hoa; 10 = Yen Bai, and 11 = Muong Ham
Commune, Nghe An P o ince, loca ion o he
new eco d in Vie nam.
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Dau e al. · A new eco d o O eoc yp ophis po phy aceus 1119
Addi ional in o ma ion
Con lic o in e es
The au ho s decla e ha no compe ing in e es s exis .
E hical s a emen
All p ocedu es complied wi h local animal wel a e egula ions.
Funding
This s udy was inancially suppo ed by Hong Duc Uni e si y.
Au ho con ibu ions
Da a cu a ion: VQD. Fo mal analysis: TNH, DNL, VQD. In es iga ion: TNH, VQD. Me hodology: TNH,
VQD. W i ing – o iginal d a : VQD, DNL. W i ing – e iew and edi ing: TNH, VQD.
Au ho ORCID iDs
Vinh Quang Dau h ps://o cid.o g/0000-0002-8976-1644
Danh Ngoc Le h ps://o cid.o g/0009-0005-9996-3601
Thao Ngoc Hoang h ps://o cid.o g/0000-0001-9305-5518
Da a a ailabili y
All da a ha suppo he indings o his s udy a e a ailable in he main ex .
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