Antaioserpens albiceps ( Boulenger, 1898 )

Peck, Patrick J. Couper Stephen R., Emery, Jon-Paul & Keogh, J. Scott, 2016, Two snakes from eastern Australia (Serpentes: Elapidae); a revised concept of Antaioserpens warro (De Vis) and a redescription of A. albiceps (Boulenger), Zootaxa 4097 (3), pp. 396-408 : 402-404

Antaioserpens albiceps ( Boulenger, 1898)

NORTH-EASTERN PLAIN-NOSED BURROWING SNAKE ( Figs 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 )

Denisonia rostralis De Vis 1911

Rhynchelaps fuscicollis Lönnberg & Andersson 1915

Material examined. QM J26286 Coen (13°56'S, 143°11'E) QLD. QM J93026 Lilyvale Creek, Lilyvale (14°29'18"S, 143°40'42"E) QLD; QM J57666 Strathgordon Homestead, old house site (14°41'S, 142°10'E) QLD; QM J23333 Edward River Community, north-west of Cape York (14°54'S, 141°37'E) QLD; AM R46024 between Kuranda and Myola (16°53'S, 145°36'E) QLD; QM J53975 6km west Mareeba (17°00'S, 145°22'E) QLD; QM J193 Stannary Hills, Atherton Tableland (17°19' S 145°13'E) QLD ( Fig. 8 ); QM J31055 Mt Garnet (17°41'S, 145°07'E) QLD; QM J61900 Bluewater Beach, via Townsville (19°11'S, 146°33'E) QLD; QM J61897 Bohle River (19°15'S, 146°43'E) QLD; QM J47948 Hervey Range, Townsville (19°45'S, 146°36'E) QLD; QM J44477 Charters Towers area (20°05'S, 146°16'E) QLD; QM J53974 no locality data.

Diagnosis. A. albiceps is distinguished from all other Australia elapids by the following suite of characters: eyes small; snout weakly shovel shaped, rostral scale lacking an acute transverse cutting edge; nasal and preocular scale separated by prefrontal / supralabial contact; two primary temporal scales; 15 midbody rows; subcaudals divided; a black bar between the eyes and another broad black bar across the nape; dorsal body scales with dark, even edges forming a reticulated pattern.

Description. A small fossorial elapid (SVL 180–399 mm, mean = 290, n = 13). Eye small; its diameter subequal, or less, than a straight line vertical distance to the ventral edge of subocular supralabial. Rostral large, about twice as broad as deep, weakly shovel-shaped and lacking an acute transverse cutting edge. Nasals in contact with 1st two supralabials, undivided. Internasals smaller than prefrontals which extend laterally contacting 2nd and 3rd supralabials. Nasal separated from preocular. Frontal longer than its distance from tip of snout and usually subequal in length to parietals (width 56–70% length). Preocular 1. Postocular 2. Supralabials 6. Temporals 2 + 2; lower primary temporal squarish and notched between the dorsal edges of 5th and 6th supralabials. Two pairs of chin shields, the 1st in broad contact with the first three infralabials. Midbody scale rows 15. Ventrals 131–159 (mean = 145.3, n = 12). Tail short (7.3–12.5 % SVL, mean = 9.7, n = 11). Anal divided. Subcaudals 15–22 (median = 19.1, n = 13), all divided. Colour pattern of holotype (BMNH 1946.1.17.50). The holotype is faded but the dark head and neck markings were still visible when Hal Cogger photographed it between November 1969 and April 1970, as was evidence of its reticulated pattern. The original colour pattern description is as follows: ‘’Body yellow (red?) above, white beneath; head white, snout and lips speckled with black; a ^ - shaped black band between the eyes and a black spot behind each eye; a large black blotch on the nape.’ Colour pattern of spirit specimens in Qld Museum collection. Head mid - pale brown with a prominent black or dark brown patch that varies in extent. In most specimens it is concentrated around the frontal and preoculars and extends back to the anterior - mid parietals. The pattern on the snout, temporal region and back of head usually breaks into dark flecking but in QM J93026 the dark markings extend beyond the posterior edge of the parietals. Similarly in QM J47948 and QM J23333 , the dark markings extend to the tip of the snout. Supralabials pale with heavy dark flecking. A broad black collar on neck ~ 7–11 scales long and ~ 8–12 scales wide; separated from darker head colour by ~ 1–6 rows of paler scales. Body pattern mid-brown (orange to orange brown in life) above, each scale marked with an even, dark edging that gives a reticulated appearance. Venter immaculate, off-white. Chin shields and lower labials marbled with brown.

Comparison with similar species. Antaioserpens albiceps is readily distinguished from its only congener, A. warro , by differences in colour pattern (dorsal scales with even dark edges producing a reticulated pattern in A. albiceps vs. dorsal scales with irregular dark edging producing a speckled appearance in A. warro ). It is distinguished from all other members of the Vermicella subgroup ( Greer 1997)— Brachyurophis , Neelaps , Simoselaps and Vermicella in possessing two (vs. one) primary temporal scales.

Distribution. ( Fig.5 ). A. albiceps is known from coastal and subcoastal areas from Mapoon Mission (11°58'S, 141°53'E), near the tip of Cape York Peninsula, to approximately 160 km NW of Clermont (22°08'59"S, 146°27'23"E). The data points on the distribution map are from the Atlas of Living Australia. Most are backed by specimens in the collections of the Queensland Museum and the Australian Museum but some are sight records only. Most of these are closely associated with localities for which A. albiceps vouchers exist. However, no vouchers were collected for the most southerly (22°08'59"S, 146°27'23"E) and westerly records (17°28'55"S, 140°50'34"E). The former can be verified by examining photographs associated with the WildNet database (Queensland Government - Department of Science Information Technology and Innovation) but the latter could not be confirmed.

Habitat. Open forests and woodlands of Cape York Peninsula, Wet Tropics, Einasleigh Uplands, Desert Uplands and Brigalow Belt North bioregions. Only one specimen in the Qld Museum has associated habit data, QM J93026 which was collected from riparian woodland on a clay soil flat.

Figures

FIGURE 5. Distribution of A. albiceps ● (records from Atlas of Living Australia), holotype of Cacophis warro ■ and A. warro (▲).

FIGURE 7. Holotype of Pseudelaps albiceps Boulenger 1898, BMNH 1946.1.17.50, Port Douglas, Qld (image: H. G. Cogger).

FIGURE 8. Holotype of Denisonia rostralis De Vis 1911, QM J 193, Stannary Hills Qld (image: Peter Waddington, Qld Museum).

FIGURE 9. Holotype of Rhynchelaps fuscicollis Lönnberg & Andersson 1915, NHRM 2454, Cairns, Qld (image: H. G. Cogger).

FIGURE 10. Antaioserpens albiceps Hervey Range (19 ° 45 ' S, 146 ° 36 ' E), Qld (image: Steve K. Wilson).