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Melanesian blindsnakes of the genus Gerrhopilus have been little collected or researched. I examined specimens assigned in museums to Gerrhopilus inornatus and found considerable morphological diversity among them that indicates the presence of multiple species. I redescribe G. inornatus (Boulenger) based on the holotype and one additional specimen, and I describe six new species among specimens currently subsumed under that name from Papua New Guinea: Gerrhopilus flavinotatus sp. nov., Gerrhopilus lorealis sp. nov., Gerrhopilus papuanorum sp. nov., Gerrhopilus polyadenus sp. nov., Gerrhopilus slapcinskyi sp. nov., and Gerrhopilus wallachi sp. nov. Each species is currently known from only 1–3 specimens, and all but two are known only from single localities. In addition to traditional information on scale counts, habitus, and color patterns, I found the numbers and distributions of epidermal glands among the head shields to be especially useful for discriminating among species. The number of recognized Melanesian Gerrhopilus has increased tremendously in recent years, but the region has been poorly sampled for these snakes, and it is to be expected that additional species will be identified at such time as surveys can more effectively target these cryptic snakes.
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This content will become publicly available on May 1, 2026
A new species of Aspidomorphus (Serpentes: Elapidae) from Papua New Guinea
Papuan snakes of the genus Aspidomorphus have long been taxonomically problematic, but nomenclature within this group has been stable at three recognized species since 1967. Previous genetic work suggested the presence of a number of cryptic but currently unrecognized candidate species in the genus. In 2004, I obtained a series of Aspidomorphus from Sudest Island, Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea that were clearly different from currently recognized species, and I describe that species here as A. dimorphus sp. nov. This species exhibits a striking bimodality in color pattern in adults, here termed the “orange morph” and “dark morph”. This dimorphism is not related to sex, and both forms have earlier been shown to be genetically identical. Description of A. dimorphus sp. nov. begins the process of bringing taxonomic clarity to a genus long held in the grip of nomenclatural stasis. It furthermore highlights again the importance of Sudest Island for biodiversity endemism.
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- PAR ID:
- 10639257
- Publisher / Repository:
- Zootaxa
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Zootaxa
- Volume:
- 5631
- Issue:
- 1
- ISSN:
- 1175-5326
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 153 to 165
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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