Contemporary Herpetology Information Series 1998 Number 1 18 February 1998 17:00 GMT -- 11:00 CST © 1998, All Rights Reserved, Contemporary Herpetology.	ISSN 1097-7112
	THE DISCOVERY AND DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW SPECIES ICHTHYOPHIS BANNANICA DATONG YANG 1984. Acta Herpetol. Sinica 3[2]:73-75.

    Below we provide a translation of the original description of Ichthyophis bannanicus Yang (1984. The Discovery and Description of the New Species Ichthyophis bannanica. Acta Herpetol. Sinica 3[2]:73-75). The original description is in Chinese, along with an English abstract containing a diagnosis; the description was not presented in English. Below we provide a near-literal translation of the original description. We have also included the English abstract for completeness. In doing so, we note the discrepancy between the original English title provided by Yang, and that of the literal translation.

   Translation of this article was funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) grant A3148 to R.W. Murphy. This publication is contribution 115 from the Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Biology, Royal Ontario Museum.

-- C.H. and R.W.M.

   After carefully studying these two specimens and checking against the reference of all the species in this genus, we found that Ichthyophis from Yunnan Province is a new species, the description of which follows below. The type specimen is kept in then Kunming Institute of Zoology.

   New species Ichthyophis bannanica sp. nov., Ichthyophis glutinosus, Yang et Su 1976, Acta Zoologica Sinica vol 22(1):115.

Ichthyophis bannanica Yang. Holotype KIZ74001 female, A. dorsal head, B. ventral head, C. left side of head Ichthyophis glutinosus (Linnaeus), a. dorsal head, b. ventral head, c. right side of head (from the book "The Caecilians of the world" by Taylor, P29.)

   Holotype specimen: KIZ 74001 female, from near the town of Mengla County, Xishuangbanna, Yunnan Province, 600 m above sea level, collected on May 7, 1974. Paratype specimen: KIZ 58005 female, Xishuangbanna, collected in 1958 by the Comprehensive Survey Team of Yunnan.

   Diagnosis: New species Ichthyophis bannanica and I. glutinosus have similar external shape, the main difference being that in Ichthyophis bannanica the first cervical groove of the collar fold is far from the corner of the mouth, being 2/5 (4 mm) the length of the distance between snout tip and the corner of the mouth; both ends of the second nuchal groove cannot be seen from the dorsal surface of the head; the head width at eyes is longer than that between snout and eye. However, the first cervical groove of I. glutinosus almost meets the corner of the mouth; both ends of the second cervical groove can be

   Description of Shape: Body worm-like, ventral surface a little flattened. The total lengths of two female Ichthyophis are 350 and 417 mm, head flat, shovel-like, head length 12 mm, a little longer than head width; the rounded snout tip overlaps the low jaw, nostrils are located on both sides of snout tip; interorbtal space is about twice the internasal space; tentacle located in the middle of edge of the upper lip, is about 1.5 mm from the eye, about 4.5 mm from nostril, the base is concave, and it also has a hole to provide retraction; eyes spot-like, hidden below membranes, the pupils of soaked specimens appear round in shape (under microscope). Ventral neck has three cervical grooves, interspace collar-like, so it is named the Collar fold, the first cervical groove is about 4 mm from the corner of the mouth on lateral part of the head, 2/5 the distance between snout tip to the corner of the mouth; both ends of the second cervical groove cannot be seen from the dorsal surface of the head; annular folds on body 328-381, including 4 on the tail; there are two rows of scales between the annular folds on front half of the body, 3-4 rows in the middle, mostly 4 rows in the hind body, very seldom 5 rows, scale width is longer than length, width is about 1.5 mm, translucent, squamulae form rings in a series of concentric circles; annular folds appear arc-shape and orient towards anterior on the dorsal surface, changing to angles ventrally and orienting towards posterior, dorsal-ventral diameter is 3-4 mm. Longitudinal fold becomes and deeply enters the cloacal fissure. Cloacal opening of females is a longitudinal fold forming a deep cloacal fissure.

   There are 4 rows of teeth in the mouth, two rows each on top and bottom, pre-maxillary and maxillary teeth number 20-1-20 prevomeropalatine teeth 17-1-17.

   In life, both dorsal and ventral surfaces have a brown base color, but it is dark brown on dorsum and light brown on ventral areas. Dorsal part appears shiny, like wax. Lateral body yellow.

   Ecology: It lives in ditches and by small valleys in the river valley basin of tropical Xishuangbanna Region, Yunnan. It is vertically distributed 600m above sea level.

YANG, D. AND C. SU

1976. Ichthyophis glutinosus was found in Xishuangbanna of Yunnan. Zoology Journal [Beijing] 22(1): 115. [In Chinese]

BOULENGER, G. A.

1890. The Fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma. Reptilia and Batrachia. London. 515-517.

KIRTISINGHE, P.

1957. The Amphibia of Ceylon. Ceylon. 94-97.

TAYLOR, E. H.

1968. The Caecilians of the World. Univ. of Kansas. 90-94.

   Diagnosis: This species is closely related to I. glutinosus, but differs in, 1) first cervical groove about 4 mm long, farther from the corner of the mouth, and 2/5 the distance from the snout to the corner of the mouth; 2) second cervical groove invisible from above; 3) head width at the eye longer than the distance from the snout to the eye.

   Type specimens are preserved in Kunming Institute of Zoology.