Dopasia gracilis Gray, 1845

Nguyen, Truong Quang, Böhme, Wolfgang, Nguyen, Tao Thien, Le, Quyet Khac, Pahl, Kristian Robert, Haus, Tanja & Ziegler, Thomas, 2011, Review of the genus Dopasia Gray, 1853 (Squamata: Anguidae) in the Indochina subregion, Zootaxa 2894, pp. 58-68 : 59-60

Dopasia gracilis Gray, 1845

Holotype: BMNH 1946.8.29.28. Type locality: Khasi Hills, [now in Meghalaya] India ( Brygoo 1987).

Common name. Asian Glass Lizard, Burmese Glass Lizard.

Diagnosis. Maximum SVL 208 mm; ear opening greater than nostril; nasal separated from frontonasal by 3 (rarely 2) scales; dorsal scales strongly keeled; longitudinal scale rows between lateral folds 14–18; scales along lateral fold 81–97; vertebrae from atlas to hind limb bones 47–52; two dark stripes present on each side of body: dorsolateral stripe from one head-length behind ear opening to tail tip, progressively broader posteriorly; ventrolateral stripe narrower but more distinct than dorsolateral stripe ( Campden-Main 1970, Brygoo 1987, Lin et al. 2003, pers. obs.) ( Figs. 1 , 4 A).

Specimens examined. Vietnam: IEBR 890 (adult female) collected on 8 May 2000 by Nguyen Quang Truong and Raoul Bain from Tay Con Linh forest, Cao Bo commune, Vi Xuyen District, Ha Giang Province (22o45.700’N, 104o50.600’E, elevation 1200 m a.s.l.); IEBR 1171 (adult female) collected on 22 March 2002 by Dang Ngoc Can from Che Tao forest, Mu Cang Chai District, Yen Bai Province; IEBR A.0957 (adult female) collected in June 2008 by Sladjana Miskovic from Phong Nha – Ke Bang NP, Quang Binh Province. VNUH 2008.7.10 (subadult male) collected on 18 July 2008 by Le Khac Quyet near Mo Nit Village, Son Ha District, Quang Ngai Province (14°51’N, 108°31’E, elevation 800 m a.s.l.); PNKB 2007.8.1 (subadult female) collected in May 2007 by Tanja Haus from Hung Lau, Phong Nha – Ke Bang NP, Quang Binh Province; ZFMK 91692 (adult female) collected in 2010 by local people from Phong Nha – Ke Bang NP, Quang Binh Province. China: ZFMK 91682, no precise locality.

Description. Body cylindrical, without limbs; SVL 128.4–162.6 mm (n = 5), TaL 322–371 mm (n = 4); ear opening 1.5–2.0 times greater than nostril; nasal separated from frontonasal by 3 scales; prefrontals in contact or separated; supraoculars 5; supraciliaries 5–6; supralabials 10–11, first and second bordering nostril; infralabials 9; dorsal scales strongly keeled; longitudinal scale rows between lateral folds 16–18; ventral scales in 10 longitudinal rows; number of scales along lateral fold 81–88; number of vertebrae from atlas to remnants of hind leg bones 47– 48.

Coloration in preservative. Dorsal head and body brown or gray brown; young specimens with longitudinal series of small brown spots and adults with irregular dark crossbars on anterior part of back; two dark stripes present on each side of body: dorsolateral stripe from one head-length behind ear opening to tail tip, progressively broader posteriorly; ventrolateral stripe narrower but more distinct than dorsolateral stripe, from angle of jaw to vent, changing to a series of small spots on tail. ZFMK 91682 lacks the dark ventrolateral stripe.

Distribution. In Vietnam, D. gracilis has been reported from Cao Bang (Nguyen Binh) and Gia Lai provinces (Campden-Main 1970; Nguyen et al. 2009). However, the specimen reported by Campden-Main from Gia Lai Province (USNM 166824) was re-identified as D. sokolovi by Brygoo (1987). We herein provide new records for Yen Bai, Ha Giang, Quang Binh, and Quang Ngai provinces. Elsewhere, this species is known from India, China, Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand (Hill III 2005; Nguyen et al. 2009).

Remarks. Morphologically, D. gracilis is similar to D. sokolovi. However, Brygoo (1987) demonstrated that they can be distinguished based on the number of vertebrae from atlas to remnants of hind leg bones (VPS): 47–52 in D. gracilis versus 45–46 in D. sokolovi. One specimen (ZFMK 91682) presumably from China has 48 VPS and the nasal separated from the frontonasal by three scales. Notably, it lacks the dark ventrolateral stripe.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Dopasia gracilis: A) Subadult female (PNKB 2007.8.1) from Phong Nha – Ke Bang NP, Quang Binh Province, photograph Thomas Ziegler and B) Subadult male (VNUH 2008.7.10) from Son Ha, Quang Ngai Province, photograph Quyet K. Le.

FIGURE 4. Radiographs of A) Dopasia gracilis (IEBR 1171) from Mu Cang Chai, Yen Bai Province, photograph Robert K. Pahl and B) Dopasia sokolovi (ZFMK 91603) from Bi Dup – Nui Ba NP, Lam Dong Province, photograph Truong Q. Nguyen.