Part 5

Remarks.--On April 14, two females (57 and 45 in snout-vent length, the tail of the latter measuring 103) were easily captured by hand on a burned-over rice field.

=Lygosoma reevesii= (Gray)

Tiliqua Reevesii Gray, Ann. [Mag.] Nat. Hist., ser. 1, 2:292, December, 1838 (type locality, China).

Specimens examined (6).--Central National Forest, near Pup´yong-ni, 3 (KU); 4 mi. NNE Sogwi-ri, Cheju Do, 1 (KU); 7 mi. NNE Sogwi-ri, Cheju Do, 1 (UMMZ); 16 mi. NE Mosulp´o, Cheju Do, 1 (UMMZ).

Remarks.--On October 23 an individual was captured while sunning on a stump on a wooded hillside in the Central National Forest; two others at this locality were collected on damp ground-cover on the same hillside. A juvenile from Cheju Do was found among moss-covered rocks in a stream bed; the other specimens from Cheju Do were found among moss-covered rocks on the western slope of Halla San.

Each ovary of a female obtained on October 23 contained five enlarged follicles, about 1 mm. in diameter. The left testis of a male obtained on August 10 seemed enlarged, indicating possible sexual activity, and measured approximately 6 x 2 mm. The snout-vent length of our largest male is 41, that of our largest female, 48. The prefrontals are in contact in all of our specimens save one (UMMZ 113446).

There is disagreement among herpetologists concerning the generic name of the small lygosome skink in the United States and its ecological equivalent in China and Korea. We tentatively use Lygosoma (Conant, 1951:207-208), although Mittleman (1950) pointed out reasons for using Scincella. Shannon (1956:41) discussed the debated issue whether or not the lygosome skinks of the New and Old worlds are conspecific.

=Rhabdophis tigrina lateralis= (Berthold)

Tropidonotus lateralis Berthold, Nachrichten Gesell. Wiss. Göttingen, p. 180, 1859 (type locality, China).

Specimens examined (26).--Central National Forest, near Pup´yong-ni, 1 (KU); 2 mi. N Chip´o-ri, 2 (KU); 3 mi. NW Chip´o-ri, 4 (KU); 4 mi. N Ch´onan, 1 (KU); 3 mi. S Kumhwa, 1 (KU); 1 mi. SW Naegong-ni, 1 (KU); 4 mi. E Seoul, 1 (KU); 5 mi. E Seoul, 2 (UMMZ); 5 mi. ESE Seoul, 4 (KU); 6 mi. E Seoul, 1 (KU), 4 (UMMZ); 7 mi. ESE Seoul, 1 (KU); 6 mi. NNE Sogwi-ri, Cheju Do, 2 (KU); 5 mi. NE Taejon, 1 (KU).

Remarks.--This common, vagrant species was found on brushy hillsides, near buildings on hills above rice fields, in tall grasses near streams, in rice fields, and along drainage and irrigation ditches. The earliest and latest dates of collection were April 5 and November 7. On the first date mentioned an individual was found in hibernation with five Elaphe rufodorsata and one Agkistrodon halys in an earthen Korean burial mound. The specimen was uncovered by a bulldozer at a depth of about one foot below the surface. We were told that 18 snakes of this species were found in the same place (7 mi. ESE Seoul) the previous winter.

The stomach of each of four individuals contained one Rana nigromaculata. The stomach of another individual contained a R. nigromaculata and remains of a carabid beetle, whereas another contained three small, partially-digested frogs that appeared to be Hyla arborea. P. M. Youngman reported to us that he found a snake of this species that was attempting to swallow a toad, Bufo bufo gargarizans. One of the small individuals from Cheju Do was being eaten by a Zamenis spinalis when found. One specimen was parasitized by three nematodes, Kalicephalus natricis (see Olsen, 1957:208).

Two females of this oviparous species (lengths of body, 680 and 700) collected on May 14 contained nine eggs (18 mm. long), and 13 eggs (15 mm.) respectively; a third (length of body, 610) obtained on June 26 contained 10 eggs that were approximately 18 mm. long. A female (UMMZ 113458, length of body, 710), which was captured on July 10 and kept alive in captivity, laid 11 eggs on August 12 between 9 and 10 in the morning. The weight of nine of these eggs averaged 3.32 (3.0-3.6) grams; the last two eggs deposited were small and weighed only 1.3 and 1.4 grams. The eggs were incubated unsuccessfully. One that was opened on September 14 and another opened on September 26 contained young easily recognized as of this species. In captivity the parent snake underwent ecdysis on about July 20 and again on August 26.

Our largest female and largest male have respective total lengths of 1013 (840 + 173) and 740 (575 + 165). Our smallest specimens, captured on September 9, measured 215 and 230 mm. in length of body, and probably represent young of the year. The snake found in hibernation on April 5 measured 275 in length of body. The ventrals of 11 males averaged 161.3 (158-171) and those of 14 females, 165.1 (160-170); subcaudals of eight males averaged 69.6 (66-74) and those of 14 females, 61.5 (52-73).

Males seem to have small scales in the anal region that are more strongly keeled than scales elsewhere on the body (the scales catch on finger tips when rubbed in a posteroanterior direction), but males lack small tubercles on the upper and lateral parts of the head as mentioned by Maslin (1950:433). The comments of the same author (op. cit.:434) concerning integumental poison glands in the nuchal region of this species are of interest in view of several reports that we received of swollen extremities resulting from handling snakes of this species.

In using the generic names Rhabdophis and Amphiesma for species formerly placed in the genus Natrix, we follow Malnate (1960), who divided Natrix (auct.) into five distinct genera.

=Amphiesma vibakari ruthveni= (Van Denburgh)

Natrix vibakari ruthveni Van Denburgh, Proc. California Acad. Sci., ser. 4, 13(2):3, July 26, 1923 (type locality, Pusan, Korea).

Specimens examined (5).--Central National Forest, near Pup´yong-ni, 1 (KU); 4 mi. SW Ch´ongyang-ni, 1 (KU); 10 mi. NE Mosulp´o, Cheju Do, 1 (UMMZ); 6-7 mi. NNE Sogwi-ri, Cheju Do, 1 (KU), 1 (UMMZ).

Remarks.--The specimen from the Central National Forest was captured on August 18 near a stream on a damp ground-cover of leaves. The specimens from Cheju Do were taken in early September, one in a grassy area, and the other two on earthen banks of road-cuts on the slopes of Halla San. The stomach of one individual from Cheju Do contained an earthworm. Our largest specimen, a male having 154 ventrals and 68 subcaudals, measured 508 (380 + 128).

The subcaudal counts of 68 (KU 38861) and 69 (UMMZ 113461) on two males from Cheju Do are higher than the maximal count known for the subspecies ruthveni in Korea, and resemble those of Amphiesma vibakari vibakari of the Japanese islands. The subcaudals average 61 (55-65) in ruthveni and 71 (63-83) in vibakari according to Van Denburgh (1923:3-4). A juvenile from the Central National Forest (KU 38862), lacking the tip of the tail, has 64 subcaudals.

=Dinodon rufozonatum= (Cantor)

Lycodon rufo-zonatus Cantor, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 1, 9:483, August, 1842 (type locality, island of Chusan, China).

Dinodon rufozonatus, Peters, Sitzungsber. Gesell. naturf. Freunde Berlin, p. 89, 1881.

Specimens examined (4).--Central National Forest, near Pup´yong-ni, 3 (KU); Yongsan (Seoul), 1 (UMMZ).

Remarks.--The three specimens from the Central National Forest were taken in the period August 12-26. Two were caught in live-traps set for small mammals in deep forest among granite outcrops. The specimen from Yongsan was obtained on October 27 in a partly wooded area. Ventrals and subcaudals of our four specimens (all males) numbered, respectively, 198, 200, 198, 205, and 74, 75, 75, __. Total length of the largest specimen was 960 (790 + 170).

We follow Chang (1932:54) and most subsequent authors in regarding D. rufozonatum as a monotypic species.

=Zamenis spinalis= (Peters)