Bioacoustics of Hebius terrakarenorum

Description of the paratypes and variation . A summary of morphological and meristic data of the seven paratypes is given in Table 1 . For photographs of these paratypes , see Figures 12–18 . Morphological data, often incomplete, of twelve additional, much damaged DORs or living specimens are summarized in Appendix 2 . Variation of the head scalation and coloration of the head The head scalation of the paratypes is similar to that of the holotype . Differences occur in the number of supralabials, of temporals and the shape of the loreal. There are always 2 preoculars (on both sides); there are nearly always 2 postoculars (on both sides) but in a few cases (3 out of 18 occurrences) it appeared that the two were fused to one; in a few specimens (3 out of 17) a side of the head has 10 supralabials (vs. 9 in the holotype and in most of the paratypes ); the loreal is rectangular, usually longer than high, the ratio length/height varying from 1.2 to 2.0. In one specimen , the loreal is slightly trapezoid-shaped; there is mostly 1 elongated anterior temporal followed by 2 posterior temporals (in 14 out of 17 occurrences), the upper one much larger than the lower one. However, the second row of posterior temporals shows more variation (2, 3 or 4) or damage means the number of shields hard to count accurately. Data Holotype QSMI 1686 Paratype 1 QSMI 1687 Paratype 2 QSMI 1688 Paratype 3 QSMI 1689 Paratype 4 QSMI 1690 Paratype 5 QSMI 1691 Paratype 6 QSMI 1692 Paratype 7 QSMI 1693 Origin Umphang Umphang Umphang Phop Phra Omkoi Omkoi Phop Phra Umphang Sex male male male male n.a. n.a. male male SVL (mm) 425 306 408 360 239 277 319 263 TaL (mm) 162+* 75+* 195 172 118 155 179 131 TOTL (mm) 587+* 381+* 603 532 347 432 498 394 TaL/TOTL (%) 27.6+* 19.7+* 32.3 32.3 34.0 35.9 35.9 33.2 Ventral plates (preventrals) 168 (2) 168 (1) 170 (2) 160 (1) 160 (1) 171 (1) 165 (2) 166 (2) Cloacal plate (CP) divided ?? divided divided divided divided divided divided SC (pairs) 80+* 62+* 107 111 116 130 126 119 DSR 19-19-17 19-19-17 19-19-17 19-19(18)-17 19-17(18)-17 19-19-17 19-19-17?? 19-19-17 19 >> 17 between Vx-Vy V98-V103 n.a.* V93-V97 V79-V83 V70-V74 V102-V103 n.a. V95-V100 Keeled r. at MB (tot. r.) 17 (19) distinct 17 (19) weak 17 (19) distinct 7 weakly 9 (17) very weak 17 (from 19) not distinct 9 weakly Sup.lab.L;contact eye; largest 9; 4-5-6; 7 or 8 n.a.* 9; 5-6; 7 or 8 10; 5-6-7; 8 9; 5-6; 8 9; 5-6; 8 10; 5-6-7; 9? 9; 5-6-7; 8 Sup.lab.R;contact eye; largest 9; 4-5-6; 8 9; 5-6; 7 or 8 9; 5-6; 7 or 8 9(10); 5-6; 7 9; 5-6-7; 7, 8 or 9 9; 4-5; 7 9; 5-6; 8? 9; 5-6-7; 8 Sup.lab. edged or dusted grey L-yes; R-yes L-yes; R-yes L-yes; R-yes L-yes; R-yes L-yes; R-yes L-yes; R-yes yes L-yes; R-yes Sup.lab. cream or pale brown L-yes; R-yes L-yes; R-yes L-yes; R-yes L-yes; R-yes L-yes; R-yes L-yes; R-yes yes L-yes; R-yes Sup.lab. with white blotches L-no; R-no L-no; R-no L-no; R-no L-no; R-no L-no; R-no L-no; R-no not distinct L-no; R-no temporals (AT,PT1,PT2) L-123; R-12x* L-123; R-123 R-122;L-113 L-122;R-122 L-122?;R-122 L-123;R-124 L-222*;R-113? L-123,R-123 Preoculars (left and right) 2 and 2 2 and 2 2 and 2 2 and 2 2 and 2 2 and 2 2 and 2 2 and 2 Postoculars (left and right) 2 and 2 2 and 2 2 and 2 1 and 1 (?) 2 and x? 2 and 2 1 and 2 2 and 2 Loreal .. x longer than high 1.3 and 1.7 1.3; pentag. 1.5 and 1.5 2 and 2 1.5 and 1.5 2 and 1.5 1.5 and x? x? and 1.5 Ant. edge frontal straight? yes yes yes yes yes yes damaged yes Venter pinkish cream yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes Corners V pale orange-brown yes yes yes yes yes yes ?? yes Spots corners V cloudy grey yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes Ground colour dorsum dark brown dark brown dark brown dark brown brown brown dark brown dark brown Dorsolat.series pale blotches distinct disctinct distinct vague very vague distinct distinct no r1,19 pale orange-brown edged, clouded with grey yes yes yes ant. vague yes yes yes no SC-pairs clouded with grey yes yes, laterally mottled only distally densely densely densely yes Postocular bicolored streak distinct distinct distinct very vague distinct distinct distinct? no tailbase keeled? distinctly strongly strongly distinctly distinctly distinctly distinctly strongly * = broken, much damaged The supralabials are nearly always edged or peppered with grey, but there is considerable variation in the degree of this pigmentation between the specimens, e.g. sometimes the peppering extends to cover nearly half of the shield. The postocular streak and its characteristic extension towards dorsal row 6 of the neck is distinct and conspicuous in more than half of the specimens, but in other specimens (pale morphs) it was vague or could not be clearly distinguished. Variation of the dorsal scale row reduction of 19 to 17 rows The skins of seven specimens were quite complete and the dorsal scale row reductions of from 19 to 17 rows could be determined accurately. In two specimens this reduction was on one or on both sides aberrant in the sense that a reduction was reversed by a division to the original rows, and subsequently two or three scale lengths posteriorly there was again a fusion which resulted in the stable lower number of rows. These reductions and divisions are summarized below. QSMI 1686 ( holotype ) left side : V097 - V098 =3+4→3 right side: V096 - V097 =3+4→3 QSMI 1688 ( paratype 2) left side : V093 - V094 =3+4→3 right side: V093 - V094 =3+4→3 QSMI 1689 ( paratype 3) left side : V079 - V080 =4+5→4 right side: V082 - V083 =3+4→3 QSMI 1690 ( paratype 4) left side : V070 - V071 =3+4→3 right side: V073 - V074 =3+4→3 V075 - V076 =3→3+4 V078 - V079 =3+4→3 QSMI 1691 ( paratype 5) left side : V102 - V103 =3+4→3 right side: V102 - V103 =3+4→3 QSMI 1693 ( paratype 7) left side : V094 - V095 =3+4→3 V095 - V096 =3→4+5 V096 - V097 =4+5→4 right side: V095 - V096 =4+5→4 V096 - V097 =4→4+5 V097 - V098 =4+5→4 QSMI 1698 (additional 7) left side: V089-V090=3+4→3 right side: V088-V089=3+4→3 Variation of the dorsal pattern of coloration The dorsolateral row of pale ochre/orange blotches on the 6 th DSR is by far the most conspicuous pattern in a majority of specimens. This row extends from the neck to the tail without fusing into a stripe, but it is situated on a vague continuous stripe darker than the blotches but lighter than the background color. Adjacent contrasting dark blotches on the 4 th and 8th dorsal scale rows, distinctly darker than the brown ground color, accentuate the pale blotches on both sides. In some specimens, these dark blotches become more conspicuous, while at the same time the pale blotches have faded to a considerable degree (see Fig. 5D of the skin of specimen QSMI 1690 from Omkoi). In other specimens, the overall color is much paler, such as pale greenish bronze-brown, without any conspicuous pale blotches on the paler dorsolateral stripe, which remains clearly visible, and with only numerous, rather inconspicuous darker spots present, as is illustrated in Fig. 6A for specimen QSMI 1693 from Umphang District. In a few specimens, the dorsum is nearly uniformly pale greyish-brown without distinct spots and with only a remnant of the pale dorsolateral stripe, as is illustrated in Fig. 6B for specimen QSMI 1695 from Phop Phra District. In both pale morphs, however, traces of the full-developped coloration pattern of a series of blotches can be seen. In these pale morphs the postocular streak is generally either vague or absent, whereas the underside of the tail is nearly white (vs. dark grey in the more colorful specimens with pronounced blotches). However, in these pale morphs the cloudy spots near the corners of the ventral plates are always distinct. Coloration pattern of the venter The color of the ventral plates is pinkish-white with the corners of these plates pale salmon. The pale salmon color of the corners usually extends to the first dorsal row (adjacent to the ventral plates). At the border of the pale salmon corner of the ventral plate and their pinkish-white central part is an inconspicuous greyish-brown spot that is cloudy and usually amoeboid-shaped or a vague short streak (see Fig. 7A ). This pattern is best shown anteriorly, whereas posteriorly the pinkish-white background color of the spots may change to a very pale brownish-white and the spots often become darker, denser and more closely set in the corner of the ventral plate, but never intensely dark (see Fig. 7B ). Salmon pigment accumulations . A peculiar characteristic of the coloration pattern of the species consists of the salmon (pale orange) color covering the corners of the ventral plates and the first row of dorsal scales, sometimes extending to the second row, in the ventrolateral area of the anterior part of the body. This pigmentation is strongly concentrated along the edges of these plates and scales. We recorded these accumulations in a good number of the DOR-specimens, but they are particularly conspicuous in specimen SHPC11.10.11-14 (see Fig. 8A and 8B ). These pigment accumulations also appear to be present in specimen QSMI 1694, a living individual from Tha Song Yang District, Tak Province . Hemipenes. We everted specimens of specimens QSMI 1686 and QSMI 1693. They show that the hemipenis of this species is short, single, not forked and bulbous; the proximal part is short (or less prone to be everted following pressure on the base of the tail) with some large basal spines; the distal part is slightly pear-shaped and densely covered with many short, curved spines, their tip pointing downwards in the direction of the vent; among these tiny spines may be seen a number of much larger spines similarly curved and directed downwards; spines at the tip of the organ are larger. The sulcus is divided near the base but this forking is just short and cannot be distinguished more proximally where it seems to “disappear” amidst the spines ( Fig. 9 ). Lips of the sulcus are not prominent.