Colubridae - 2005 Publications

Boiga  - Status of Boiga ocellata and Boiga siamensis

Pauwels et al. (2006) note that the name Boiga siamensis Nootpand, 1971 is validly published under the provisions of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, and represents a senior synonym of the Boiga ocellata Kroon, 1973, a widespread cat snake from south-eastern Asia. In order to stabilise the nomenclature, they designate the holotype of Boiga ocellata as the neotype of Boiga siamensis, thus reducing the former to an objective synonym of the latter.

Description of Boiga ranawanei

Samarawickrama et al. (2005) describe a new species of Boiga from Sri Lanka, Boiga ranawanei. The new species is most similar to B. barnesi, B. ceylonensis and B. beddomei. It can be distinguished from the first two by aspects of its colour pattern as well as greater subcaudal scale counts, and from B. beddomei by aspects of head scalation. The new species is restricted to the forests of Kandy District, Sri Lanka.