Check List 17(6): 1521-1531, doi: 10.15560/17.6.1521
Out of Indochina: confirmed specimen record and first molecular identification of Psammophis indochinensis Smith, 1943 (Squamata, Psammophiidae) from Bali, Indonesia
expand article infoNia Kurniawan, Luhur Septiadi§, Muhammad Fathoni, Gigih Setia Wibawa, Panupong Thammachoti§
‡ Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang, Indonesia§ Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
Open Access
Abstract

Psammophis indochinensis Smith, 1943 was reported in the eastern Java and Bali of Indonesia despite its primary geographic range being in the Indochina region. We confirm its presence in Bali based on a newly collected specimen and provide morphological and genetic data. The specimen was found in a lowland, urban areas near open grassland habitat, which confirms the distribution of P. indochinensis along the northern coast of Bali. We note some character aberrations in the supralabials compared to Thailand specimens, suggesting an extended character. The basal clade position of P. indochinensis raises the possibility of an intercontinental dispersal scenario of this African-origin snake.

Keywords
Disjunct distribution, herpetofauna, reptile, snake, underestimated region