A new species of Toxicocalamus (Squamata: Elapidae) from Papua New Guinea.

ABSTRACT

I describe a new species of the fossorial elapid snake genus Toxicocalamus from Mt. Simpson, Milne Bay Province, in southeastern New Guinea. The new species is similar to the poorly diagnosed T. loriae but differs from that species (and all other Toxicocalamus with the preocular distinct from the prefrontal) in having the preocular not in contact with the nasal and in having a pale-gray or yellow venter with gray bands across each ventral scale. The new species came from elevations of 1300-1490 m a.s.l. on the north slope of Mt. Simpson, and it seems likely to be confined to the mid-elevations of that mountain, judging from its morphological differences with specimens obtained from similar elevations on nearby Mt. Dayman. If true, this would make it the sixth species of herpetofauna apparently endemic to Mt. Simpson. This snake was common and found in both village gardens and adjacent primary rainforest, and I estimate its area of extent to be approximately 50,000 ha, so its IUCN conservation status would appear to be Least Concern.