Table 1 in Revealing two centuries of confusion: new insights on nomenclature and systematic position of Argyrogena fasciolata (Shaw, 1802) (auctt.), with description of a new species from India (Reptilia: Squamata: Colubridae)

Table 1. Comparison of available characters for the type specimen of C. faciolatus Shaw with other Lycodon species from South and East India. Species from India formerly allocated to the genera Dryocalamus and Dinodon are ignored. Data sourced from Russell (1796), Shaw (1802), Whitaker and Captain (2004), Mukherjee and Bhupathy (2007), Purkayastha (2013), Ganesh and Vogel (2018), Vogel and David (2019), Ganesh et al. (2020, in part), and Kalki et al. (2020). We did not include the character “Supraocular-prefrontal-contact” as used by Ganesh and Vogel (2018) for delimiting Lycodon anamallensis from L. aulicus because it is a consequence of the condition “Preocular-frontal-contact”.
TaxonVentralsSubcaudalsPreocular-frontal-contactCollar / in contact with parietalsColouration of upper labialsDorsal body patternColuber fasciolatus (holotype)19262noabsentyellow with dark brown centershort whitish bands stippled with black not extending onto ventral scale edgesLycodon anamallensis (Indian populations)♂♂ 174-186 ♀♀ 186-197♂♂ 63-64 ♀♀ 59-74noabsentcreamy white or yellow with dark brown centershort yellowish or whitish bands stippled with black not extending onto ventral scale edges, or patternlessColuber aulicus (s. str.)♂♂ 180-206 ♀♀ 191-215♂♂ 65-72 ♀♀ 57-73yespresent / yeswhitishcreamy-white bands extending onto ventral scale edgesLycodon deccanensis198-21466-69nopresent / yeslight brown with irregular dark brown specklesirregular dirty whitish bands with dark brown speckles extending onto ventral scale edgesLycodon fasciatus197-22069-94scarcelypresent / yesdark greyish-whitedirty whitish-brown bands extending onto ventral scale edgesLycodon flavicollis210-22465-72yespresent / usuallyyellowwithout or with very faint yellow bands not extending onto ventral scale edgesLycodon flavomaculatus165-18353-63noabsent but a small spot presentwhiteyellow bands extending onto ventral scale edgesLycodon jara167-18852-74noabsentwhitish-greyoverall speckled with small yellow spotsLycodon laoensis163-18760-76yespresent /yeswhitishyellow-white bands extending onto ventral scale edgesLycodon travancoricus176-20664-76yespresent /scarcelygreyish, mottled with brownyellow bands extending onto ventral scale edgesColuber striatus154-19535-50nopresent / yeswhitishwhitish-brown or yellowish bands extending onto ventral scale edgesColuber zawi179-20745-75yesabsentwhitish-brownshort white bands not extending onto ventral scale edges