Boiga cyanea (Duméril, Bibron, and Duméril, 1854) Green Cat Snake

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 : 232

Boiga cyanea (Duméril, Bibron, and Duméril, 1854) Green Cat Snake ( Fig. 7A )

One adult individual of B. cyanea was observed by P. Brakels on 17 April 2019 in Nam Phouy NPA, Phiang District site 1, Xaignabouli Province (18°50.424’N, 101°23.811’E; elevation 600 m asl), and five other adult individuals were observed by P. Brakels and N. Maury on 23–25 August 2019 in Xay District , Oudomxai Province (20°39.598’N, 102°04.241’E; elevation 750–1,150 m asl) .

Morphological characters of the individuals from Xaignabouli and Oudomxai provinces agreed well with the descriptions of Smith (1943), Taylor (1965), Ziegler et al. (2010), and Chan-ard et al. (2015). The photographed individual ( Fig. 7A ) agrees with the diagnosis of B. cyanea in the following characters: large body size, elongate body habitus; tail long; head distinct from neck; eye moderate in size; pupil vertically oval; nasal undivided; loreal present, not entering the orbit; 1 preocular; 2 postoculars; 2 anterior temporals; 3 posterior temporals; 8 supralabials, 1 st and 2 nd in contact with the nasal, 2 nd and 3 rd in contact with the loreal, 4 th –5 th entering orbit, 6 th and 7 th largest; dorsal scales entirely smooth; anterior vertebral scales slightly enlarged; ventrals 245; cloacal scale undivided; subcaudals 126, divided. Body coloration dorsally green, greenish-white on venter; dorsal surface of head light green; infralabials, chin and throat bluish, mouth black; eye silver.

Ecological notes. The individual from Xaignabouli Province was found at ca. 2000 h moving in the vegetation at a height of ca. 2 m above the stream. The individuals from Oudomxai Province were recorded at ca. 2030–2200 h while moving in dense vegetation along the road and forest trails at height of ca. 1.5–3 m above the ground, all within close proximity of small streams and runoffs. The surrounding habitat at both sites was moist evergreen forest and riparian forest.

Distribution. In Laos, this species has been previously recorded from Vientiane, Khammouan, and Champasak provinces ( Teynié and David 2010). This is the first record of this species from Xaignabouli and Oudomxai provinces. Elsewhere, this species has been reported from India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, and Malaysia ( Uetz et al. 2020).

Figures

Fig. 7. (A) Boiga cyanea in Phiang District, Xaignabouli Province; (B) B. multomaculata in Nakay District, Khammouan Province; (C) lateral view and (D) ventral view of Dendrelaphis cf. cyanochloris in Xay District, Oudomxai Province; (E) Gonyosoma prasinum in Xay District, Oudomxai Province. Photos by P. Brakels.