A new snake of the genus Dendrelaphis Boulenger, 1890 (Squamata: Colubridae) from the coastal area of southern Vietnam.

We describe a new species of Dendrelaphis from the coastal area in southern Vietnam based on morphological data and nucleotide sequences from one partial mitochondrial gene (Cytb). Dendrelaphis binhi sp. nov. is diagnosed by the following morphological characters: body scale rows 13 at neck and midbody, 9-11 before vent; vertebral scale row feebly enlarged; ventrals 154-158 in males and 161-170 in females; subcaudals 95-106 in males and 95-102 in females; one supralabial touching the eye; 18 or 19 maxillary teeth; hemipenis spinose, reaching 10th or 11th SC, with a slender papilla; cloacal plate divided; dorsum dark brown; and a white stripe along the lower flank. The new species differs from its congeners by an uncorrected p-distance in Cytb sequences of at least 8.1%.

Contributions to the biodiversity of Vietnam - Results of VIETBIO inventory work and field training in Cuc Phuong National Park.

VIETBIO [Innovative approaches to biodiversity discovery and characterisation in Vietnam] is a bilateral German-Vietnamese research and capacity building project focusing on the development and transfer of new methods and technology towards an integrated biodiversity discovery and monitoring system for Vietnam. Dedicated field training and testing of innovative methodologies were undertaken in Cuc Phuong National Park as part and with support of the project, which led to the new biodiversity data and records made available in this article collection. VIETBIO is a collaboration between the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin - Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science (MfN), the Botanic Garden and Botanical Museum, Freie Universität Berlin (BGBM) and the Vietnam National Museum of Nature (VNMN), the Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources (IEBR), the Southern Institute of Ecology (SIE), as well as the Institute of Tropical Biology (ITB); all Vietnamese institutions belong to the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST). The article collection "VIETBIO" (https://doi.org/10.3897/bdj.coll.63) reports original results of recent biodiversity recording and survey work undertaken in Cuc Phuong National Park, northern Vietnam, under the framework of the VIETBIO project. The collection consist of this "main" cover paper - characterising the study area, the general project approaches and activities, while also giving an extensive overview on previous studies from this area - followed by individual papers for higher taxa as studied during the project. The main purpose is to make primary biodiversity records openly available, including several new and interesting findings for this biodiversity-rich conservation area. All individual data papers with their respective primary records are expected to provide useful baselines for further taxonomic, phylogenetic, ecological and conservation-related studies on the respective taxa and, thus, will be maintained as separate datasets, including separate GUIDs also for further updating.

Gekko phuyenensis sp. nov. (Squamata: Gekkonidae), a new species from southern Vietnam.

A new species of the genus Gekko Laurenti, 1768 is described from Phu Yen Province, southern Vietnam based on morphological and molecular evidence. Gekko phuyenensis sp. nov. differs from other congeners by its moderate size, with a snout-vent length of 90.292.8 mm; nares in contact with rostral; internasal 1; interorbitals 35 or 36; ventrals 3032; dorsal tubercle rows 9 or 10; precloacal pores 12 or 13 in males and precloacal pits 13 in female; subdigital lamellae under first finger 1821, fourth finger 19 or 20, first toe 1820, and fourth toe 2123; subcaudals median enlarged; no webbing between toes; and the absence of tubercles on hind limbs. Molecular phylogenetic analyses of mitochondrial gene COI (681 bp) using the geckos from Phu Yen and its congeners in southern Vietnam resolve the new species as the sister lineage to G. cf. grossmanni from Khanh Hoa Province. Genetic distances between G. phuyenensis sp. nov. and its congeners in southern Vietnam range from 16.924.2%. The discovery of this new species raises the number of known species of Gekko in Vietnam to 14.

A new skink of the genus emSubdoluseps/em Freitas, Datta-Roy, Karanth, Grismer amp; Siler, 2019 (Squamata: Scincidae) from southern Vietnam.

We describe a new species of the genus Subdoluseps Freitas, Datta-Roy, Karanth, Grismer Siler from a coastal area in southern Vietnam. Subdoluseps vietnamensis sp. nov. is characterized by the following morphological characters: medium size in adults (snout-vent length up to 48.7 mm); tail length/snout-vent length ratio 1.04; toes not reaching finger when limbs adpressed; 27-30 midbody scale rows, smooth; 55-57 paravertebral scales; 55-62 ventral scale rows; 64-74 subcaudal scales; frontoparietal scale single; four supraoculars; prefrontals not in contact with one another; two loreal scales; seven supralabials; ear-opening with two lobules on the anterior border; smooth lamellae beneath finger III 9 or 10 and toe IV 12-15; six enlarged precloacal scales; and four distinct black stripes on dorsum. The new species differs genetically from its closest congeners, S. bowringii (Günther) and S. frontoparietale (Taylor), by uncorrected p-distances of 10.0% and 9.5%, respectively in ND1 sequences, and clusters into the same matriline with these two congeners on the phylogenetic trees.

A new skink of the genus Scincella Mittleman, 1950 (Squamata: Scincidae) from southern Vietnam.

A new skink of the genus Scincella Mittleman, 1950, from Binh Phuoc Province, southern Vietnam is described based on morphological data, including hemipenial characters, and nucleotide sequences from COI. The following morphological characters diagnose Scincella baraensis sp. nov.: relatively small size in adults (snout-vent length up to 49.2 mm); when limbs adpressed, toes do not or just reach fingers; 30 smooth midbody scale rows and dorsal scales not enlarged; 66-70 paravertebral scales; 64-66 ventral scale rows; 7 supralabials, the fifth and sixth below the center of the eye; enlarged temporal scales 1+2; nuchals present; ear with small auricular lobules; 18-20 smooth lamellae beneath toe IV; hemipenis smooth, short, and unforked; dorsum with faint black dots. The new species differs from its congeners by an uncorrected p-distance in COI sequences of at least 16.2%.

A new skink of the genus Scincella Mittleman, 1950 (Squamata: Scincidae) from Ba Den Mountain, Tay Ninh Province, southern Vietnam.

Ba Den is an isolated mountain in southern Vietnam and home to two endemic species of lizards. Herein, we describe another endemic species, a new skink of the genus Scincella Mittleman, 1950, from the area based on morphological data, including hemipenial characters and nucleotide sequences of COI. The following morphological characters diagnose Scincella badenensis sp. nov.: medium size in adults (snout-vent length up to 64.4 mm); toes reach to fingers when limbs adpressed; midbody scale rows 32-36, smooth; paravertebral scales 67-71; dorsal scales not enlarged; ventral scale rows 68-74; supraoculars four; prefrontals in broad contact with one another; loreal scales two; tympanum deeply sunk, without auricular lobules; two enlarged anterior temporal scales; smooth lamellae beneath toe IV 18-20; pair of enlarged precloacal scales; hemipenes short, smooth and forked near the tip with two short lobes and two small terminal papillae; no dorsal pattern in males; and females with black interruptive vertebral line. The new species differs from its congeners by at least 10.4% uncorrected p-distance in COI sequences.

A new skink of the genus Sphenomorphus Fitzinger, 1843 (Squamata: Scincidae) from Hon Ba Nature Reserve, southern Vietnam.

A new forest skink of the genus Sphenomorphus Fitzinger, 1843 is described from Khanh Hoa Province, southern Vietnam based on morphological characters of four specimens and a fragment of 653 nucleotides of the gene COI. Sphenomorphus yersini sp. nov. is characterized by the following morphological characters: medium size in adults (snout-vent length up to 55 mm); tail length/snout-vent length ratio 1.81; toes reach to fingers when limbs adpressed; midbody scale rows 32-34, smooth; paravertebral scales 61-69; ventral scale rows 58-67; subcaudal scales 112; supraoculars four, rarely five; prefrontals in broad contact with one another; loreal scales two; tympanum deeply sunk; smooth lamellae beneath finger and toe IV 10-12 and 18-20 respectively; a pair of enlarged precloacal scales; hemipenis deeply forked and asymmetrical with two differently sized smooth lobes. The new species differs from its most similar congener, Sphenomorphus buenloicus Darevsky Nguyen, 1983, by 16.4-16.7% uncorrected p-distance in COI sequences.

Molecular, morphological and acoustic assessment of the genus Ophryophryne (Anura, Megophryidae) from Langbian Plateau, southern Vietnam, with description of a new species.

Asian Mountain Toads (Ophryophryne) are a poorly known genus of mostly small-sized anurans from southeastern China and Indochina. To shed light on the systematics within this group, the most comprehensive mitochondrial DNA phylogeny for the genus to date is presented, and the taxonomy and biogeography of this group is discussed. Complimented with extensive morphological data (including associated statistical analyses), molecular data indicates that the Langbian Plateau, in the southern Annamite Mountains, Vietnam, is one of the diversity centres of this genus where three often sympatric species of Ophryophryne are found, O. gerti, O. synoria and an undescribed species. To help resolve outstanding taxonomic confusion evident in literature (reviewed herein), an expanded redescription of O. gerti is provided based on the examination of type material, and the distributions of both O. gerti and O. synoria are considerably revised based on new locality records. We provide the first descriptions of male mating calls for all three species, permitting a detailed bioacoustics comparison of the species. We describe the new species from highlands of the northern and eastern Langbian Plateau, and distinguish it from its congeners by a combination of morphological, molecular and acoustic characters. The new species represents one of the smallest known members of the genus Ophryophryne. At present, the new species is known from montane evergreen forest between 700-2200 m a.s.l. We suggest the species should be considered Data Deficient following IUCN's Red List categories.

A new color pattern of the Bungarus candidus complex (Squamata: Elapidae) from Vietnam based on morphological and molecular data.

Kraits with black and white bands from Nui Chua National Park, central Vietnam are morphologically similar to the Burmese Krait, Bungarus magnimaculatus, however, analysis of molecular data finds them to be nested within the B. candidus complex.

A new species of kukri snake (Squamata: Colubridae: Oligodon Fitzinger, 1826) from Con Dao Islands, southern Vietnam.

We describe a new kukri snake, Oligodon condaoensis sp. nov., from Con Dao Islands, southern Vietnam based on the morphological characters of four specimens. It differs from other congeners by a combination of the following characters: medium size in adults (total length up to 552 mm); 17-17-15 dorsal scale rows; deeply forked hemipenes without spines and papillae, extending to subcaudal 13 or 14; 11-13 maxillary teeth, the posterior three being enlarged; cloacal plate undivided; head scalation complete; nasal divided; presubocular absent; 168-176 ventrals; 33-37 subcaudals; overall dorsal coloration dark gray, faint body stripes present or absent; and ventral coloration cream to dark gray without rectangular blotches. We also provide a list of 43 species of amphibians and terrestrial reptiles recorded from Con Dao Islands.