A NEW SPECIES OF WATER SNAKE GENUS HYPSISCOPUS (SERPENTES: HOMALOPSIDAE) FROM SULAWESI, INDONESIA

Amir Hamidy (Laboratory of Herpetology, Museum Zoologicum Bogoriense, Research Center for Biosystematics and Evolution, National Research and Innovation Agency of Indonesia (BRIN)Gd. Widyasatwaloka, KST Soekarno, Jl. Raya Jakarta-Bogor Km. 46, Bogor 16911, Indone)
Quraisy Zakky (Division of Animal Bioscience, Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, IPB University, Gd. Biologi, Jl. Agatis Kampus IPB Dramaga, Bogor 16680, Indonesia)
Nurul Fitriyana (epartment of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Tanjungpura University, Jl. Prof. Dr. H. Hadari Nawawi, Pontianak, West Kalimantan 78124, Indonesia)
Wempi Endarwin (Ministry of Environment and Forestry of the Republic of Indonesia, Gd. Manggala Wanabakti, Jl. Jend. Gatot Subroto, Jakarta 10270, Indonesia)

Treubia
Vol. 50 No. 1 (2023)

We describe a new species of water snake genus Hypsiscopus that was formerly placed in the genus Enhydris from Towuti Lake, South Sulawesi, based on six specimens collected in 2003 and a specimen collected in 2019. The new species has several significant differences from other species in the genus Hypsiscopus (H. matannensis, H. plumbea, and H. murphyi) in possessing laterally compressed tail, higher number of scale rows in mid body, higher number of ventral scales, lower number of subcaudal scales, and distinct color pattern. The new species is likely distributed only in the Towuti Lake, and has higher level endemicity compared to H. matannensis. Further studies on the population and distribution are needed to evaluate its conservation status.