taxonID	type	description	language	source
4D23326CFFB8FF983FDAF9B00CA68CA0.taxon	materials_examined	Holotype. FMNH 258666 (field tag: HKV 64382), an adult female (Figures 3 and 6) collected dead on the road (DOR) on the mountainous road to Udomxai [= Oudomxai] about 25 km from Phongsaly City, Phongsaly District, Phongsaly Province, Laos (21.483333 ° N, 102.2 ° E; ~ 1000 metres above sea level). Collected by Mr Bounthavy Phommachanh on 6 October 1999.	en	Lee, Justin L. (2021): Description of a new species of Southeast Asian reed snake from northern Laos (Squamata: Colubridae: Genus Calamaria F. Boie, 1827) with a revised diagnosis of Calamaria yunnanensis Chernov, 1962. Journal of Natural History 55 (9 - 10): 531-560, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2021.1909165, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00222933.2021.1909165
4D23326CFFB8FF983FDAF9B00CA68CA0.taxon	diagnosis	Diagnosis A species of Calamaria distinguished from all other members of the genus from mainland Southeast Asia by having the following combination of morphological characters: (1) rostral scale wider than high; (2) portion of rostral scale visible from above approximately half the length of the prefrontal suture; (3) six scales and shields surrounding the paraparietal scale; (4) absence of a preocular scale; (5) four supralabials, with the second and third touching the eye; (6) five infralabials, the first pair separating the mental scale from the anterior chin shields; (7) 179 ventrals and three gular scales; (8) 22 paired subcaudals; (9) dorsal colour pattern in preservative bluish-grey with five indistinct dark brown longitudinal stripes; (10) ventral surface of tail in preservative uniform yellow, immaculate; and (11) absence of a distinct white nuchal collar posterior to the head. A summary of diagnostic characters and comparisons is given below and in Tables 3 – 4.	en	Lee, Justin L. (2021): Description of a new species of Southeast Asian reed snake from northern Laos (Squamata: Colubridae: Genus Calamaria F. Boie, 1827) with a revised diagnosis of Calamaria yunnanensis Chernov, 1962. Journal of Natural History 55 (9 - 10): 531-560, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2021.1909165, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00222933.2021.1909165
4D23326CFFB8FF983FDAF9B00CA68CA0.taxon	description	Description of the holotype Adult female in good condition, with some original layers of scales sloughed away on the head and midbody, small incision at base of tail and at midbody. SVL 326 mm, TailL 28 mm, TotalL 354 mm; HeadL 8.8 mm (7.3 mm measured from the parietal tip); HeadW 5.6 mm; SnL 2.8 mm; SnW 2.1 mm; EyeD 1.3 mm; NarEye 2.0 mm; IOD 3.5 mm. Body height at midbody 5.6 mm, at tail base 4.6 mm; eye- – mouth distance 1.1 mm; rostral scale width 2.0 mm, height 1.6 mm; prefrontal scale length 2.3 mm, suture 1.8 mm; frontal scale length 2.7 mm, width 1.9 mm; parietal scale length 4.0 mm, suture 2.5 mm. TailL / TotalL 0.079; HeadL / W 1.58; HeadL / SVL 2.25; SnL / HeadL 0.32; EyeD / SnL 0.46; NarEye / SnL 0.71; SnW / IOD 0.60; IOD / HW 0.63. Body elongate and vermiform, ellipsoid in cross section; tail thick, equal in diameter to rest of body anteriorly and medially; posterior portion of tail gradually tapering to the tip, which appears obtusely pointed in dorsal view, rounder in lateral view; head ovate in dorsal view, indistinct from neck; snout blunt, somewhat depressed posteriorly; nostrils small and elliptical; eyes small, round, diameter slightly larger than eye – mouth distance; pupil indistinct, round; rostral scale subtriangular in frontal view, wider than high, portion visible from above approximately 1 / 2 the length of the prefrontal suture, suture bordering prefrontal and rostral scale shallow- ‘ V’ - shaped; prefrontal scales subhexagonal, shorter than frontal; frontal scale shield-shaped, subhexagonal, 1.4 × longer than wide, around 1.1 × longer than parietal suture; posterior angle formed by the frontal / parietal sutures producing the posterior vertex of the frontal right (~ 90 °); parietals subhexagonal, longer than wide, scale length longer than frontal; parietal suture 1.4 × longer than prefrontal suture; anterior parietal angle formed by the sutures between the parietal / frontal and the suture between the supraocular / parietal broad obtuse, pointing laterally (~ 130 °); supraoculars subrectangular, width of frontal around 2.4 × maximum width of supraoculars; paraparietal shaped like a temporal scale with 6 / 6 scales and shields in contact; postocular rectangular, not as high as eye diameter; preocular absent; nasal scale small, barely surrounding nostrils; supralabials 4 / 4, 1 st and 2 nd smallest, 1 st in contact with nasal, 1 st and 2 nd in contact with prefrontal, 2 nd and 3 rd in contact with eye, 4 th largest and rectangular; infralabials 5 / 5, 1 st smallest and blocking mental from contacting upper genials, 1 st – 3 rd in contact with upper genials; 3 rd – 4 th in contact with lower genials, 5 th largest; mental triangular, unremarkable; upper genial scales paired and rectangular, completely in contact; lower genials in contact anteriorly and separated at midsection by the first gular scale, posterior portion truncate-tipped; three gular scales before first ventral scale, all rhomboid. Table 3. (Continued). Table 4. (Continued). Dorsal scale rows smooth, in 13 – 13 – 13 rows across entire body; dorsal scales reducing to six rows above the 12 th subcaudal scale, reducing to four scales above the last subcaudal scale; ventrals 179; subcaudals 22, all paired; cloacal plate single; total body scales 202; subcaudal ratio 0.109; maxillary teeth 9 / 9, modified. Colouration of the holotype in preservative After formalin fixation and preservation in 70 % ethanol for 21 years, the dorsum is bluish-grey, exposed areas of skin where layers of scales have been removed are dark brown; margins of dorsal scales dark grey with faint light yellow vermiculations on scales; there are five indistinct dark brown longitudinal stripes starting at the nape, fading posteriorly towards the tail; these stripes are one dorsal scale row wide, separated from each other by 1 – 1.5 dorsal scale rows; first three rows of nape pale yellow, immaculate; top of head same colour as dorsum, hued olive-brown on top of head shields; eye blue, pupil grey-blue; bottom half of supralabials and rostral pale yellow; underside of head and rest of venter also pale yellow, margins of ventral scales immaculate with yellow pigment extending onto the first three dorsal scale rows on nape, reducing to two rows across the rest of the body bordered by outermost row of longitudinal stripes; underside of tail the same as rest of venter. Colour in life not recorded.	en	Lee, Justin L. (2021): Description of a new species of Southeast Asian reed snake from northern Laos (Squamata: Colubridae: Genus Calamaria F. Boie, 1827) with a revised diagnosis of Calamaria yunnanensis Chernov, 1962. Journal of Natural History 55 (9 - 10): 531-560, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2021.1909165, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00222933.2021.1909165
4D23326CFFB8FF983FDAF9B00CA68CA0.taxon	discussion	Comparisons Calamaria nebulosa sp. nov. was compared to all other members of the genus inhabiting mainland Southeast Asia. Since C. nebulosa sp. nov. is known only from a single female, morphological data from male Calamaria specimens were excluded from the comparisons. Calamaria nebulosa sp. nov. is morphologically assigned to Calamaria by having an elongate, cylindrical body, absence of a loreal scale, four supralabials, five infralabials and 13 rows of iridescent dorsal scales throughout the body. Additional morphological features that distinguish C. nebulosa sp. nov. from its congeners can be found in Table 4. The absence of a preocular scale in Calamaria nebulosa sp. nov. distinguishes it from all congeners inhabiting mainland Southeast Asia (i. e. Calamaria abramovi Orlov, 2009, Calamaria albiventer (Gray, 1834), Calamaria andersoni Yang and Zheng 2018, Calamaria buchi Marx and Inger, 1955, Calamaria concolor Orlov, Nguyen, Nguyen, Ananjeva and Ho, 2010, Calamaria gialaiensis Ziegler, Sang and Nguyen, 2009, Calamaria ingeri Grismer, Kaiser and Yaakob, 2004, C. lumbricoidea, C. pavimentata, Calamaria sangi Nguyen, Sang and Ziegler, 2009, C. septentrionalis and Calamaria strigiventris Poyarkov, Nguyen, Orlov and Vogel, 2019) except for Calamaria dominici Ziegler, Tran and Nguyen in Ziegler et al., 2019, Calamaria lovii gimletti Boulenger, 1905, C. lovii ingermarxorum Darevsky and Orlov, 1992, C. schlegeli schlegeli, C. thanhi Ziegler and Quyet, 2005 and C. yunnanensis, where the condition of the preocular is either absent or variable. Among these taxa, C. nebulosa sp. nov. is distinguished from C. schlegeli schlegeli (the only species of Calamaria in the region where the preocular can be present or absent) by having the end of the tail tapering to an obtuse point (vs blunt point), dorsal scales reducing to four rows above the last subcaudal anterior to the tail tip (vs reducing above the 3 rd – 25 th subcaudal), and by having a bluish-grey dorsum with longitudinal stripes (vs dorsum usually black with a reddish head or a yellow nuchal collar with no light vermiculations on dorsal scales); from C. dominici by having the mental separated from the anterior genials (vs mental in narrow contact with anterior genials), dorsal scales reducing to four rows above the last subcaudal anterior to the tail tip (vs reducing above the 5 th – 6 th subcaudal), 179 ventrals and 22 subcaudals in female (vs 174 ventrals and 17 – 18 subcaudals in females), tail length 7.9 % of total length in female (vs 6.0 % of total length in females) and a bluish-grey dorsum with longitudinal stripes (vs dark blue dorsum covered with bright yellow spots); from C. lovii gimletti by having the posterior genials meeting only anteriorly (vs meeting at midline), the end of the tail tapering to an obtuse point (vs tapering to a blunt point), 179 ventrals and 22 subcaudals in female (vs 215 – 249 ventrals and 10 – 12 subcaudals in females) and a bluish-grey dorsum with longitudinal stripes (vs dorsal colour variable, but usually with a light nuchal collar, small yellow spots on the nape and tail and no light vermiculations on dorsal scales); from C. lovii ingermarxorum by having the portion of the rostral scale visible from above roughly equal to half the length of the prefrontal suture (vs greater than half the length of the prefrontal suture), the length of the prefrontal smaller than the frontal scale (vs longer than frontal), mental separated from the anterior genials (vs in contact with anterior genials), posterior genials meeting only anteriorly (vs meeting at midline), the end of the tail tapering to an obtuse point (vs tapering to a blunt point), dorsal scales reducing to four rows above the last subcaudal anterior to the tail tip (vs reducing above the 4 th – 5 th subcaudal), 9 modified maxillary teeth (vs 8), and a bluish-grey dorsum with longitudinal stripes (vs dorsum blue-grey with a light nuchal collar and greyish venter); and from C. thanhi by having the end of tail tapering to an obtuse point (vs tapering gradually to a point), dorsal scales reducing to four rows above the last subcaudal anterior to the tail tip (vs not reducing to four rows), 179 ventrals and 22 subcaudals in female (vs 198 ventrals and 21 subcaudals in female) and by having a bluish-grey dorsum with longitudinal stripes (vs dorsum dark blue or grey with several light body and tail rings). Most specimens of C. yunnanensis can be distinguished from C. nebulosa sp. nov. by having a distinct nuchal colour posterior to the head and a dark brown midventral stripe under the surface of the tail (vs nuchal collar and midventral stripe absent) and by having dark brown margins on each of the ventral scales (vs ventral scales immaculate). However, some specimens of C. yunnanensis do not share these colour pattern traits. In specimens where the colouration is difficult to interpret in preservative or is variable, C. nebulosa sp. nov. can be differentiated from C. yunnanensis by having 179 ventrals in female (vs 199), subcaudal / total body scale ratio of 10.9 % in female (vs 8.7 %), tail length approximately 7.9 % of total length in female (vs 5.0 %), dorsal scales reducing to six rows above the 12 th subcaudal (vs 3 rd to 5 th subcaudal) and reducing to four rows above the last subcaudal (vs third-to-last subcaudal). All specimens of C. yunnanensis have narrow dark brown longitudinal stripes present on the margins of each dorsal scale row, occasionally restricted to the flanks in some specimens (vs five, wider dark brown longitudinal stripes, not present on every margin of each dorsal scale row), but these characters can be difficult to interpret on some specimens and should be treated with caution.	en	Lee, Justin L. (2021): Description of a new species of Southeast Asian reed snake from northern Laos (Squamata: Colubridae: Genus Calamaria F. Boie, 1827) with a revised diagnosis of Calamaria yunnanensis Chernov, 1962. Journal of Natural History 55 (9 - 10): 531-560, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2021.1909165, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00222933.2021.1909165
4D23326CFFB8FF983FDAF9B00CA68CA0.taxon	distribution	Distribution and natural history The only known specimen was collected DOR on a mountainous road to the city of Udomaxi, Phongsaly Province, northern Laos (Figure 7). The type locality is approximately 1000 metres above sea level, where the surrounding habitat is dominated by dry evergreen forests and tropical montane deciduous forests (MacKinnon and MacKinnon 1986). The climate surrounding Phongsaly Province is monsoon influenced and humid subtropical (Cwa in the Köppen climate classification), with a rainy season starting in the spring around May and ending in the fall around October (Peel et al. 2007; Geiser and Nagel 2013). Nothing else is known about the natural history of the new species. It is presumed to resemble other Calamaria in being an oviparous species that spends most of its life underground or below the forest floor, feeding on small soft-bodied invertebrates such as earthworms (Inger and Marx 1965).	en	Lee, Justin L. (2021): Description of a new species of Southeast Asian reed snake from northern Laos (Squamata: Colubridae: Genus Calamaria F. Boie, 1827) with a revised diagnosis of Calamaria yunnanensis Chernov, 1962. Journal of Natural History 55 (9 - 10): 531-560, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2021.1909165, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00222933.2021.1909165
4D23326CFFB8FF983FDAF9B00CA68CA0.taxon	conservation	Conservation status Calamaria nebulosa sp. nov. is known from only a single specimen and has not been recorded since its discovery in 1999. The full extent of its distribution is unknown but the habitat around the type locality is relatively continuous across most of northern Laos, as well as adjacent Vietnam, northern Thailand, eastern Myanmar and southern China. It is likely that C. nebulosa sp. nov. also occurs in these countries, but until additional specimens are found, I recommend that this new species be listed as ‘ Data Deficient’ following the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List categories (IUCN 2019).	en	Lee, Justin L. (2021): Description of a new species of Southeast Asian reed snake from northern Laos (Squamata: Colubridae: Genus Calamaria F. Boie, 1827) with a revised diagnosis of Calamaria yunnanensis Chernov, 1962. Journal of Natural History 55 (9 - 10): 531-560, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2021.1909165, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00222933.2021.1909165
4D23326CFFB8FF983FDAF9B00CA68CA0.taxon	etymology	Etymology The species epithet ‘ nebulosa ’ is the nominative form of the word ‘ nebulous ’, meaning ‘ misty, foggy or cloudy’ in Latin, and is given in the feminine form to match the female genitive declension of the genus name Calamaria. The species name is an allusion to both the type locality of this snake, situated in the mountainous regions of Laos, and the generally clouded appearance of its dorsal ground colour in preservative. I recommend the English common name ‘ Clouded reed snake’.	en	Lee, Justin L. (2021): Description of a new species of Southeast Asian reed snake from northern Laos (Squamata: Colubridae: Genus Calamaria F. Boie, 1827) with a revised diagnosis of Calamaria yunnanensis Chernov, 1962. Journal of Natural History 55 (9 - 10): 531-560, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2021.1909165, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00222933.2021.1909165
4D23326CFFA1FF903FA2FBDD0A758B72.taxon	materials_examined	Holotype. NZMC, original catalogue number ZISP 17073 (Figure 1 (b )), collected ‘ in the vicinity of Tszindun, in the gorge of monsoon forest 1100 – 1200 meters’ [= in the vicinity of Jingdong, Jingdong Yi Autonomous County, southern Yunnan Province, China] a male specimen (maturity unknown) collected on 31 May 1956 by Soviet Researcher Alexei K. Zaguliayev, as part of the joint Soviet – Chinese field expeditions to Yunnan Province, China. A translation of the original description can be found in the Supplementary data. Topotypic specimens. (Figure 5). KIZ 054176 (alternate catalogue: 75 II 0198), an adult female collected from Jingdong Yi Autonomous County, southern Yunnan Province, China (same locality as the type specimen) on 11 May 1975 (collector unknown); KIZ 056010 – 011 (alternate catalogues: 75 II 0224 – 225, respectively), two males from the same locality collected on 10 June 1975 (collector unknown); and KIZ 056009, sex unknown, from the same locality and date as KIZ 056009 – 010. Referred specimen. ROM 41547 (Figures 4 and 6), a male specimen (maturity unknown) found 8.8 km west of Simao, Yunnan Province, China (22 ° 46 ʹ 47.928 ʹ ’ N, 100 ° 54 ʹ 24.0372 ʹ ’ E; ~ 1270 metres above sea level) collected by Robert W. Murphy and Nikolai L. Orlov on 14 June 2002.	en	Lee, Justin L. (2021): Description of a new species of Southeast Asian reed snake from northern Laos (Squamata: Colubridae: Genus Calamaria F. Boie, 1827) with a revised diagnosis of Calamaria yunnanensis Chernov, 1962. Journal of Natural History 55 (9 - 10): 531-560, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2021.1909165, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00222933.2021.1909165
4D23326CFFA1FF903FA2FBDD0A758B72.taxon	diagnosis	Diagnosis A species of Calamaria distinguished from all other members of the genus found in mainland Southeast Asia by having the following combination of morphological characters: (1) rostral scale wider than high; (2) portion of rostral scale visible from above less than half the length of the prefrontal suture; (3) six scales and shields surrounding the paraparietal scale; (4) absence of a preocular scale; (5) four supralabials, with the second and third touching the eye; (6) five or six infralabials, the first pair separating the mental scale from the anterior chin shields; (7) 167 – 184 ventrals in males, 199 in female, three gular scales; (8) 15 – 20 subcaudals in males, 19 in female, all paired; (9) dorsal colour pattern variable, usually bluish-grey or olive-brown with indistinct dark brown longitudinal stripes across each dorsal scale row forming a network-like pattern, sometimes restricted to the flanks; (10) ventral surface red or yellow usually with dark brown margins on the ventral scales and a black midventral stripe under the tail, completely immaculate in some specimens; and (11) a light yellow nuchal collar posterior to the head usually present, absent in some specimens. A summary of diagnostic characters and comparisons is given below and in Tables 3 – 4.	en	Lee, Justin L. (2021): Description of a new species of Southeast Asian reed snake from northern Laos (Squamata: Colubridae: Genus Calamaria F. Boie, 1827) with a revised diagnosis of Calamaria yunnanensis Chernov, 1962. Journal of Natural History 55 (9 - 10): 531-560, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2021.1909165, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00222933.2021.1909165
4D23326CFFA1FF903FA2FBDD0A758B72.taxon	description	Description of the referred specimen Male (maturity unknown) in good condition, with one incision at the tail base and another along the posterior portion of body. SVL 226 mm, TailL 20 mm, TotalL 246 mm, HeadL 7.4 mm (6.4 mm measured from the parietal tip), HeadW 4.0 mm, SnL 2.6 mm, SnW 2.0 mm, EyeD 1.0 mm, NarEye 1.5 mm, IOD 3.1 mm. Body height at midbody 3.5 mm, at tail base 3.3 mm; eye – mouth distance 0.8 mm; rostral scale width 0.9 mm, height 1.1 mm; prefrontal scale length 1.8 mm, suture 1.0 mm; frontal scale length 2.4 mm, width 1.9 mm; parietal scale length 3.3 mm, suture 1.8 mm. TailL / TotalL 0.081; HeadL / W 1.6; HeadL / SVL 2.83; SnL / HeadL 0.41; EyeD / SnL 0.38; NarEye / SnL 0.58; SnW / IOD 0.66; IOD / HW 0.76. Body elongate and vermiform, round in cross section; tail thick, roughly equal in diameter to rest of body; posterior portion of tail slightly tapering, then abruptly tapering at the tip, which appears obtusely pointed in dorsal view (weakly acute), round in lateral view; head sub-oblong in dorsal view, indistinct from neck; snout blunt, weakly depressed posteriorly; nostrils small and elliptical; eyes small, round, diameter larger than eye – mouth distance; pupil indistinct, round; rostral scale triangular in frontal view, wider than high, portion visible from above roughly 4 / 5 the length of the prefrontal suture, suture bordering prefrontal and rostral scale deep- ‘ V’ - shaped; prefrontal scales subhexagonal, shorter than frontal; frontal scale shield-shaped, hexagonal, 1.3 × longer than wide, around 1.4 × longer than parietal suture; posterior angle formed by the frontal / parietal sutures producing the posterior vertex of the frontal right (~ 90 °); parietals subhexagonal, longer than wide, longer than frontal; parietal suture 1.4 × longer than prefrontal suture; anterior parietal angle formed by the sutures between the parietal / frontal and the suture between the supraocular / parietal broadly obtuse, pointing laterally (~ 127 °); supraoculars subrectangular, width of frontal around 2.7 × maximum width of supraoculars; paraparietal shaped like a temporal scale with 6 / 6 scales and shields in contact; postocular scale rectangular, not as high as eye diameter; preocular absent; nasal scale small, subrectangular, barely surrounding nostrils; supralabials 4 / 4, 1 st and 2 nd smallest, 1 st in contact with nasal, 1 st and 2 nd in contact with prefrontal, 2 nd and 3 rd in contact with eye, 4 th largest and rectangular; infralabials 5 / 5, 1 st smallest and blocking mental from contacting upper genials, 1 st – 3 rd in contact with upper genials; 3 rd – 4 th in contact with lower genials, 5 th largest; mental triangular, unremarkable; upper genial scales paired and rectangular, completely in contact; lower genials in contact anteriorly and separated at midsection by the first gular scale, posterior portion round-pointed; three gular scales before first ventral scale, all rhomboid. Dorsal scale rows smooth, in 13 – 13 – 13 rows across entire body; dorsal scales reducing to six rows above the 3 rd subcaudal scale, reducing to four scales above the 16 th (third-tolast) subcaudal scale; ventrals 167; subcaudals 19, all paired; cloacal plate single; total body scales 187; subcaudal ratio 0.102; maxillary teeth 8 / 8, modified. Colouration of the referred specimen in preservative After formalin fixation and preservation in 70 % ethanol for 18 years, the dorsum is greybrown and highly iridescent; margins of all dorsal scales dark brown with faint light brown vermiculations on the medial portion of most dorsal scales; dark margins of dorsal scales forming a weak network-like pattern; along flanks, three dark brown longitudinal stripes, lower two stripes 0.5 – 1.0 dorsal scale rows wide, separated from each other by 0.5 dorsal scale rows; first two stripes on flanks broader (one dorsal scales wide) than highest stripe (0.5 dorsal scale rows wide) along the anterior portion of body; highest stripe two dorsal scales above lower stripes, reduced to one dorsal scale row at midbody; medial portion between stripes filled with light white vermiculations; all longitudinal stripes fade posteriorly, except for one pair that continues onto the posterior portion of tail; dorsal portion of head dark brown with occasional light brown hueing along cephalic scales; nuchal collar whitish-tan, around one dorsal scale in width at vertebrum then widening in lateral view, originating at the third and fourth row of dorsal scales; supralabials and nasal tannish, fourth supralabial mostly white; flanks along nape also white, connecting to nuchal collar; eye blue, pupil greyish-blue; underside of head cream with grey-brown mottling scattered along mental, infralabials, upper genials and nuchal region of first dorsal scales; venter white, margins dark brown; underside of tail with small dark spotting along margins and dark brown midventral stripe starting from tail tip, breaking up near the start of the cloacal plate. Description of the topotypic specimens and variation Zhao et al. (1998) and Yang and Rao (2008) published descriptions of C. yunnanensis based on the same three topotypic specimens (2 males, 1 female). Although they originate from the type locality, the written descriptions of these specimens by these authors have slight differences from Chernov (1962) ’ s original description and from ROM 41547. Zhao et al. (1998) indicated that the midventral stripe and nuchal collar in C. yunnanensis may be present or absent, while Yang and Rao (2008) did not note the presence of either feature. Photographs of these specimens from the KIZ collection allow me to clarify this issue (Figure 5; Shuo Liu, pers. comm.) The official museum catalogue numbers for these specimens are different than those given in Yang and Rao (2008), but they can be associated with their specimen numbers based on scale counts and body measurements. In the single female specimen (KIZ 054176), the distinct nuchal collar and midventral stripe on the tail is absent. The dorsum is brown, becoming darker posteriorly near the tail, with indistinct longitudinal stripes along the edges of the dorsal scales forming a ‘ net-like’ pattern. The venter is immaculate yellow, with the light pigment extending onto the first outer row of dorsal scales. Zhao et al. (1998) and Yang and Rao (2008) also provide conflicting data on the number of ventrals and subcaudals for this specimen, with the former reporting 198 ventrals and 19 subcaudals and the latter reporting 201 ventrals with 21 subcaudals. A re-count of the scales for this specimen indicates that it has 199 ventrals and 19 subcaudals, agreeing more with Zhao et al. (1998). This number is significantly higher than for the male specimens of C. yunnanensis (167 – 184), but sexual dimorphism in the number of scale counts is common in Calamaria, and most females in the genus have a higher number of ventrals than the males (Inger and Marx 1965). In the other specimens (KIZ 056009 – 010), both males, the midventral stripe is present on the tail and a nuchal collar is present in one of the specimens (KIZ 056010). The other specimen (KIZ 056009) is partially destroyed with only the midbody and tail remaining, so it is uncertain whether or not it had a nuchal collar. Both specimens also have some dark brown vermiculate-shaped spots present on the underside of the tail in addition to the midventral stripe (KIZ 056009 – 010). It is unknown whether or not the type specimen contained this characteristic, but a few small dark vermiculations are present on ROM 41547. Otherwise, the colouration of these three specimens agrees with Chernov (1962) ’ s original description of C. yunnanensis and with ROM 41547, with the only differing characteristic being the presence of indistinct dark brown longitudinal stripes on the dorsum. Chernov (1962) did not note this feature in his description but stated that the margins of the dorsal scales were often dark brown and ‘ continuous’, suggesting that there were indistinct stripes as described in these other topotypic specimens. Indeed, the striped pattern is barely visible on some the other topotypic specimens in the KIZ collection due to their state of preservation, and this artefact could have caused Chernov to miss this character when he was writing his description. Another characteristic shared by these specimens is the presence of dark brown margins along the ventral scales, which is shared with ROM 41547. The scale counts for both specimens are identical to those given by Zhao et al. (1998) and Yang and Rao (2008), except KIZ 056009 has 20 subcaudal scales instead of 22 scales as reported by these authors. A fourth specimen (KIZ 056011), unreported in either study, was also found in the collection. It is an immature individual and its sex cannot be accurately determined, but it clearly possesses the same colour pattern characteristics as KIZ 056009 – 010 and ROM 41547. Overall, the colour polymorphism observed in these topotypic specimens agrees with the description provided by Zhao et al. (1998), while Yang and Rao (2008) ’ s omission of these characteristics may have caused confusion in diagnosing the species. Photographs of a live C. yunnanensis shown in Yang and Zheng (2018, fig. 4) and in Figure 1 offer some insight into the live colouration of this species. The specimen agrees with the colour pattern observed in KIZ 054176. However, the dorsum is predominately olive-brown, becoming dark grey-brown posteriorly, with well-defined dark brown longitudinal stripes across the body forming a network-like pattern on the dorsum. The venter in this specimen is a bright coral red, extending onto the lower flanks of the first two dorsal scale rows and on the labial region of the head and nostrils. A streak of red pigment forms a small marking posterior to the parietals but is too indistinct to be considered a nuchal collar, as it is nowhere near as pronounced as the markings present in other specimens. Red colouration may have been present on the ventral surface of other topotypic C. yunnanensis specimens and ROM 41547, but this pigment tends to fade quickly after preservation.	en	Lee, Justin L. (2021): Description of a new species of Southeast Asian reed snake from northern Laos (Squamata: Colubridae: Genus Calamaria F. Boie, 1827) with a revised diagnosis of Calamaria yunnanensis Chernov, 1962. Journal of Natural History 55 (9 - 10): 531-560, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2021.1909165, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00222933.2021.1909165
4D23326CFFA1FF903FA2FBDD0A758B72.taxon	distribution	Distribution and natural history So far, C. yunnanensis has been collected from three localities in south-central Yunnan Province, China (Figure 7). The type locality, Jingdong Autonomous County, is situated 1100 – 1200 metres above sea level, while the locality of ROM 41547 was at 1270 metres above sea level. The type specimen was found underneath a rock in a forested montane valley. The photographed individual in Yang and Zheng (2018) was located approximately 60 km north-west of the type locality in Nanjian Yi Autonomous County, Dali, Yunnan Province, China (24 ° 48 ʹ 09.3 ” N, 100 ° 32 ʹ 58.5 ” E; ~ 1700 metres above sea level). It was found on 27 July 2011 at night between 17: 00 and 18: 00 UTC, attempting to climb across a rock along the road’s shoulder (Chung-Wei You, pers. comm). The surrounding habitats in these localities include a mix of tropical montane deciduous forests near Simao, and montane evergreen broadleaf forests near Nanjing Yi and Jingdong Autonomous Counties. The climate in these regions is monsoon influenced and considered humid subtropical (Cwa) or subtropical highland (Cwb) according to the Köppen Classification (Peel et al. 2007). Besides this information, nothing else is known regarding its natural history, but given these observations, it is likely a nocturnal species. Similar to other species of Calamaria, it is presumed to be a fossorial species of snake that spends most of its life underground or below the forest floor, feeding on small soft-bodied invertebrates such as earthworms (Inger and Marx 1965).	en	Lee, Justin L. (2021): Description of a new species of Southeast Asian reed snake from northern Laos (Squamata: Colubridae: Genus Calamaria F. Boie, 1827) with a revised diagnosis of Calamaria yunnanensis Chernov, 1962. Journal of Natural History 55 (9 - 10): 531-560, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2021.1909165, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00222933.2021.1909165
4D23326CFFA1FF903FA2FBDD0A758B72.taxon	conservation	Conservation status Calamaria yunnanensis has been recorded from two localities in southern Yunnan Province China based on a total of six to seven known specimens. The full extent of this species distribution in Yunnan Province is unknown. I recommend that C. yunnanensis be listed as ‘ Data Deficient’ following the IUCN’s Red List categories (IUCN 2019).	en	Lee, Justin L. (2021): Description of a new species of Southeast Asian reed snake from northern Laos (Squamata: Colubridae: Genus Calamaria F. Boie, 1827) with a revised diagnosis of Calamaria yunnanensis Chernov, 1962. Journal of Natural History 55 (9 - 10): 531-560, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2021.1909165, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00222933.2021.1909165
4D23326CFFA1FF903FA2FBDD0A758B72.taxon	etymology	Etymology The species epithet ‘ yunnanensis ’ is a reference to the type locality situated in Yunnan Province, China. I recommend the English common name ‘ Yunnan reed snake’.	en	Lee, Justin L. (2021): Description of a new species of Southeast Asian reed snake from northern Laos (Squamata: Colubridae: Genus Calamaria F. Boie, 1827) with a revised diagnosis of Calamaria yunnanensis Chernov, 1962. Journal of Natural History 55 (9 - 10): 531-560, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2021.1909165, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00222933.2021.1909165
