Comparison and discussion: About thirty species are known in this genus, of which eight are green, 

 bearing ventrolateral stripes or not, and are called "bamboo-leaf green snakes". The new species can be 

 distinguished from the previously known forms by the following distinctive characteristics; 1) a reduced 

 number of dorsal scale rows, 17(1 9)- 17- 13, which is different from all other species of the genus; 2) a 

 relatively low number of supralabials, 8 on each side. The Large-scaled zhuyeqing, T. macrolepis 

 Beddome 1^1, also has between 7 and 8 supralabials, but in this species the numbers of scale rows at 

 midbody and before vent are 12-15 and 9-10 respectively; 133-143 ventral scales; upper head scales are 

 much enlarged, with a single large scale separating the supraoculars. All these characters are different from 

 those of the new species. 



Three female snakes of zhuyeqing collected by Kaulback in the Namti Valley, northern Burma, with 

 17-17-13 dorsal scale rows, 143-149 ventrals and 57-60 pairs of subcaudals, where tentatively referred by 

 Smith (1943: 518) f'l to the species T. stejnegeri Schmidt. T. stejnegeri was described from specimens 

 collected in Shaowu, Fujian Province, and its range includes southern China, northern Burma, and 

 westwards it reaches Darjeeeling in India. The examination of 196 specimens (90 males, 106 females) of 

 zhuyeqing 1^1 originating from nine Chinese provinces gave the following results: dorsal scales behind the 

 head on 21 or 23 rows (rarely 22, 24 or 25 rows; solely the specimen Nr 1 from Huili, Sichuan Province, 

 has 19 rows), usually 21 scale rows at midbody (very few specimens have 23 rows, and solely the specimen 

 Nr 2 from Huili, Sichuan Province, has 19 rows), 15 scale rows before vent (only the specimen Nr 3 from 

 Lei Shan, Guizhou Province, has 1 3 or 12 scale rows), dorsal scales all keeled, with the exception of the 

 two outer most rows, number of ventral scales 154-178 in the males (mean: 162.5), 154-173 in the females 

 (mean: 160.7), 9-1 1 supralabials, sometimes 12, with only 1 specimen from Chongan, Fujian Province and 

 one from Lei Shan, Guizhou Province, having 8 supralabials on each side, and a number of infralabials 

 included between 10 and 14 (there is not any specimen with 9 infralabials). The differences between the 

 new species and the zhuyeqing 1^1 are therefore very clear. We consider that if other characters of the 

 specimens from northern Burma mentioned above are similar to those of the new species, these animals 

 should be also referred to the Motuo zhuyeqing. 



Shan laotietou, Zayii variety '^) Trimeresurus monticola zayQensis C") Jiang, 



subsp. nov. (Fig. 1, 1-3) 1"1 



Types: Holot>pe male (Sichuan Institute of Biology Nr 73 I 5024, 22 July 1973, Xizang, Zayii, 

 elevation 1800 m), cotypel'^l female (Sichuan Institute of Biology Nr 73 I 5025, 30 July 1973, Xizang, 

 Zayii, Bendui, elevation 2070 m), paratype male (Sichuan Institute of Biology Nr 73 II 5349, 1965, 

 Xizang, Zayii). 



Diagnosis: The new subspecies is separated from other known forms of Shan laotietou I*'l by the 

 following characters: in the the new subspecies, the largest supralabial is the third one, whereas in other 

 subspecies it is the fourth one ['''1; the number of ventral scales of the new subspecies is greater than 170, 

 when it is less than 158 in other subspecies; the subcaudal scales are single in the new subspecies, with a 

 few exceptions, whereas in other subspecies these scales are paired, only a few being single I'^l. 



Range: Xizang Province: Zayii and Motuo. 



