Ichthyophis khumhzi, Kamei, Rachunliu G., Wilkinson, Mark & Gower, David J., 2009

Kamei, Rachunliu G., Wilkinson, Mark & Gower, David J., 2009, Three new species of striped Ichthyophis (Amphibia: Gymnophiona: Ichthyophiidae) from the northeast Indian states of Manipur and Nagaland, Zootaxa 2267, pp. 26-42 : 28-32

Ichthyophis khumhzi sp. nov.

( Figs. 1 3 ; Tables 1 2)

Holotype. BNHS 5210, an adult male, collected by SDB and RGK on 10 July 2007 from Khumhzi village (24°51’46’’N, 93°37’23’’E; 320 m asl), Tamenglong district, Manipur, India.

Paratypes (n = 2). BNHS 5211 and BNHS 5212, two adult males. BNHS 5211 was collected along with holotype, and 5212 from about 15 km away, on the same day.

Diagnosis. Ichthyophis with narrow (W/S> 6), irregular lateral yellow stripes extending from close to CMs to level of vent, not contacting disc, barely or not visible on collars ventrally; more than 300 AGs, darker than adjacent skin; known to attain lengths greater than 400 mm, 24 <L/W <26; head V-shaped, short (L/H> 25); TAs more than twice as far from nares than from eyes (TN/TE> 2); C1 noticeably shorter than C2; scales as far anterior as collars, four or five rows posteriorly on dorsum; similar numbers of IMs and dentary teeth.

Description of holotype. Some morphometric and meristic data are given in Table 1. Fair condition, some stratum corneum missing, several annular scale pockets opened, some artefactual creasing on the throat, c. 50 mm midventral longitudinal incision c. 150 mm anterior to vent. 127 vertebrae. Head, nuchal region and trunk dorsoventrally compressed. Girth maximal near midbody, decreasing very gradually except over posteriormost c. 50 mm, L/W = c. 26. Tail not upturned towards tip. Head short (L/H = 25.6 mm). In lateral view, distance of CM from top approximately 1.5 times distance from bottom of head. In ventral view, lower jaws inset from upper, more so anteriorly than at level of TAs. Eye equidistant from lip and top of head in lateral view, surrounded by narrow whitish ring, eye diameter (c. 0.6 mm) about same as nares and TAs. TAs a little more than twice as distant from nares than from eyes, fairly close to lips, just above (touching) imaginary lines between nares and CMs. Nares slightly anterior of level of anterior margin of mouth; in lateral view equidistant from top and bottom of snout, closer to tip of snout; very close to (touching) sides of head in dorsal view. Teeth slender, strongly recurved, dentary tooth series extend about one third the length of the IM series (with 5 or 6 teeth on each side) behind posteriormost IM. Tongue strongly plicate posteriorly, margin overlying all except anteriormost IMs. Choanae very narrow, distance between them five or six times their greatest width. Collar region more massive than adjacent head and body, delimited by strong constrictions. C2 more than one and a half times longer than C1 measured laterally. NG3 with gentle middorsal anterior flexure, somewhat irregular, fading out on dorsum on left, on right continuous with first AG. Three gently flexed, evenly spaced TGs on C2 dorsally, first (anteriormost) short, extending right from midline, second and third increasingly longer, crossing midline, not extending as far as lateral stripes.

AGs mostly narrowly incomplete midventrally on anterior two thirds, six interrupted in disc region, two more incomplete dorsally and ventrally on tail. Dorsally, anteriormost c. 15 and posteriormost c. 10 AGs curve anteromedially, the former gently and latter strongly. Ventrally, anterior AGs strongly angulate, degree of posteromedial curvature almost length of three annuli up to midbody, decreasing posteriorly, orthoplicate by 25th annulus anterior to disc. Small scales present at second TG, a single row in very shallow pocket of first AG on dorsum; posteriorly, four to five rows of large (1.7 x 1.9 mm) scales present in deep pockets on dorsum and venter. No papillae on disc. Denticulations around vent poorly indicated.

TABLE 1. Some morphometric (in mm) and meristic data for representatives of the new species of Ichthyophis . H = holotype, P = paratype, ‡ = SDB 1513, - = data not recorded, * denotes approximate measure due to damage to ST, # denotes counts made on one side and doubled, / separates different counts made on left and right.

In preservation, pale lavender grey with browner patches where stratum corneum absent. Lateral stripes extending from just behind CMs to the fifth or sixth last annuli, broadening slightly on C2 but barely visible ventrally on collars, broken on C1, not connecting with disc, fading gradually about level with vent, very patchy, incomplete or more poorly indicated in more posterior parts of many annuli, especially on last three quarters of body. Narrow, pale lines strongly marked along margins of lower jaw. AGs appear slightly pale on venter where stratum corneum missing, otherwise dark. In life, dorsum dark brownish grey, venter reddish grey, narrow lateral stripes dull-yellow.

Variation. Morphometric and meristic data for the type series are given in Table 1, and summarised in Table 2 . The distance between the choanae ranges from about five to eight times the maximal choanal width. The number of anterior AGs that curve anteromedially on the dorsum ranges from 13 to 26. The tongue is not strongly plicate posteriorly in the paratypes, AGs are more complete ventrally, and a few more (up to 39) anterior to the vent are orthoplicate. BNHS 5212 has a more or less solid stripe, with few breaks on trunk and a break on C1 on right; in BNHS 5211, the stripe is continuous across the collars and patchy on trunk.

Squamation investigated in BNHS 5211. Scales widespread on body and collars; progressively larger scales, deeper scale pockets, more scale rows towards posterior; small (0.7 x 0.4 mm) oval scales present dorsally in anteriormost TG on C2; dorsally at midbody, three or four rows of large (2.0 x 1.3 mm) scales per annular groove, in deep pockets; ventrally at midbody three rows of scales (1.2 x 0.9 mm) in shallow pockets; posteriorly (approximately 25 annuli anterior to vent), scale pockets very deep on dorsum, containing large scales (2.2 x 1.7 mm) in five rows, scale pockets a little shorter than two annuli length and containing smaller scales (1.5 x 1.2 mm) in four rows on venter.

Etymology. Named after Khumhzi village, where the type series was collected. The specific epithet is considered to be a noun in apposition.

Suggested common name. Khumhzi striped Ichthyophis .

Distribution and natural history. This species is known only from the type locality. BNHS 5210 and BNHS 5211 were collected in a marshy place near agricultural fields, about one km from National Highway 53 (between Imphal and Silchar), and about 0.5 km from river Agoh (also known as Elen). BNHS 5212 was collected from secondary forest on the fringe of a banana plantation about 15 km from NH 53.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Distribution map of Ichthyophis species from northeast India: 1. I. khumhzi, 2. I. moustakius, 3. I. sendenyu, 4. I. sikkimensis, 5. I. husaini, 6. I. garoensis. Positioning of symbols is approximate.

FIGURE 2. Holotype of Ichthyophis khumhzi, BNHS 5210.

FIGURE 3. Ichthyophis khumhzi in life (specimen not preserved).