Reclassification of Oligodon ningshaanensis Yuan, 1983(Ophidia:Colubridae) into a New Genus, Stichophanes gen. nov. with Description on Its Malacophagous Behavior

作     者：Xiaohe WANG Kevin MESSENGER Ermi ZHAO Chaodong ZHU 

作者机构：Chengdu Institute of Biology Chinese Academy of Sciences Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences Alabama A and M University Institute of Zoology Chinese Academy of Sciences 

出 版 物：《Asian Herpetological Research》 (亚洲两栖爬行动物研究（英文版）)

年 卷 期：2014年第5卷第3期

页      面：137-149页

核心收录：

学科分类：0710[理学-生物学] 07[理学] 071002[理学-动物学] 

主　　题：Stichophanes gen. nov. ningshaanensis Dipsadinae molecular phylogeny hemipenial morphology,mollusks -predator 

摘      要：The complete mitochondrial cytb gene and the partial nuclear c-mos gene of Oligodon ningshaanensis Yuan, 1983 were sequenced and used for reconstructing the phylogenetic relationship of this taxon amongst alethinophidian snakes. Its strong affinity to the New World subfamily Dipsadinae and the Old World species Thermophis baileyi was inferred. Hemipenial morphology found by authors conflicts with the original description and its similarity with those of the dipsadid snakes is in accordance with our molecular results. Feeding tests show that O. ningshaanensis is a malacophagous predator, which is another matchless character for this species. This behavior is described and compared with other known slug- and snail-feeding snakes. The discovery of the particular position of our subject indicates that erecting a new genus is necessary accommodate this unique species.