Lycodon fasciatus (Anderson, 1879)

Nguyen, Tan Van, Brakels, Peter, Maury, Nathanael, Sudavanh, Somchit, Pawangkhanant, Parinya, Idiiatullina, Sabira, Lorphengsy, Sengvilay, Inkhavilay, Khamla, Suwannapoom, Chatmongkon & Poyarkov, Nikolay A., 2020, New herpetofaunal observations from Laos based on photo records, Amphibian & Reptile Conservation (e 248) 14 (2), pp. 218-249 : 235

Lycodon fasciatus (Anderson, 1 879)

Banded Wolf Snake ( Fig. 8C )

One adult individual of L. fasciatus was observed by P. Brakels and N. Maury on 27 April 2019 in Longcheng District site 2, Xaisomboun Province (18°58.645’N, 102°39.213’E; elevation 950 m asl), and another individual was observed by P. Brakels on 13 October 2019 in Thathom District, Xaisomboun Province (18°59.448’N, 103°35.554’E; elevation 300 m asl) .

Morphological characters of the individual from Xaisomboun Province agreed well with the descriptions of Taylor (1965), Das (2010), and Vogel and David (2019). The photographed individual ( Fig. 8C ) agrees with the diagnosis of L. fasciatus in the following characters: medium body size, elongated; head moderately distinct from neck, markedly flattened; pupil vertically oval; loreal present, entering the orbit; 1 preocular; 2 postoculars; 1 anterior temporals; 2 posterior temporals; 8 supralabials, 1 st and 2 nd in contact with the nasal 2 nd and 3 rd in contact with the loreal, 3 rd – 5 th entering orbit, 6 th and 7 th largest; dorsal scale rows weakly keeled; ventrals 214; cloacal scale undivided; subcaudals 76; divided. Coloration of dorsal surfaces dark brown with 24 creamish-yellow bands across the body and 12 across the tail, bands on the posterior part of the body and tail are much more strongly speckled with black than anterior bands; head with an indistinct whitish-yellow band with irregular borders; ventral surfaces cream with wide transverse black bands in the anterior part, bands becoming narrower posteriorly.

Ecological notes. The first individual was found at ca. 2050 h in the valley of a rocky stream. The surrounding habitat was mixed evergreen forest with Banana plants ( Musa sp. ) in the undergrowth. The second individual was also found along a stream in mixed evergreen forest in the vicinity of some limestone formations.

Distribution. In Laos, this species has been previously recorded from Xiangkhouang and Champasak provinces ( Teynié and David 2010; Vogel and David 2019). This is the first record from Xaisomboun Province. Elsewhere, this species has been reported from India, China, Myanmar, Vietnam, and Thailand (Vogel and David 2019).

Figures

Fig. 8. (A) Hebius chapaensis in Longcheng District, Xaisomboun Province; (B) H. leucomystax in Paksong District, Champasak Province; (C) Lycodon fasciatus in Longcheng District, Xaisomboun Province; (D) L. futsingensis in Xay district, Oudomxai Province; (E) Ptyas multicincta (var. bicolor) in Gnommalath District, Khammouan Province; (F) P. multicincta (var. multicincta) in Vang Vieng District, Vientiane Province. Photos by P. Brakels (A, C, D), N. Maury (B, F), and P. Pawangkhanant (E).