Amphiesmoides ornaticeps (Werner, 1924), an addition to the snake fauna of Vietnam, with a redescription and comments on the genus Amphiesmoides Mainate, 1961 (Squamata: Natricidae)

Abstract

Natricine specimens recently collected in northern Vietnam are referable to Amphiesmoides ornaticeps, a barely known species previously recorded only from southeastern China. Besides the first country record for Vietnam, we provide records of the species from the provinces of Bac Giang, Hoa Binh, and Nghe An. Morphological characters of Vietnamese specimens agree well with those of China. The status of the genus Amphiesmoides is discussed on the basis of morphological analyses. Preliminary results show that Amphiesmoides ornaticeps is morphologically distinct from the genus Amphiesma Dum??ril, Bibron & Dum??ril, 1854.