LEVITON, BROWN, & SILER: PHILIPPINE VENOMOUS SNAKES 
519 
have been inappropriately parading under that nominal taxon, T. philippensis among them, known 
from Leyte, Samar, and southern and northeastern Mindanao. However, on the large and topo¬ 
graphically diverse island of Mindanao, and on careful examination, the Zamboanga and northern 
Sulu (Basilan) population also appears to be quite distinct from populations inhabiting other parts 
of the island, although Vogel et al. (2007) had referred them to T. philippensis. Recent unpublished 
studies by the authors suggest that it may be a distinct species for which the name T. hombronii 
Guichenot in Jacquinot and Guichenot, 1853 (type locality, Zamboanga) is available. Thus, this 
taxon will have to be resun*ected from the synonymy of T. philippensis to accommodate the Zam¬ 
boanga and northern Sulu (Basilan) population. Furthermore, a recently documented population of 
Tropidolaemiis found on Leyte bears a strong resemblance to T. philippensis (Fig. 48B) but also 
T. subannulatus (see Vogel et al. 2007:30, fig. 24 from Negros Id.). We have refrained from sug¬ 
gesting any changes at this time because this also is said to be under study by Vogel and David (see 
also remarks under Trimeresums flavomaculatus and Tropidolaemus subannulatus). 
Tropidolaemus subannulatus (Gray, 1842) 
Pliilippine Temple Pitviper 
Figures 5A-B, 11, 12A-C, 52A, C-D 
Trimesurus subannualtus Gray, 1842:48. 
Trimeresums vmg/e/7 (part), Taylor, 1922a:296.— Leviton, 1964:265.— Toribe, 1993:108.— David and Ine- 
ich, 1999:295. 
Tropidolaemus wagleri (part), Burger, 1971:110.— (part) Gumprecht et al., 2004:41-42, 8 col. photos (pp. 
339-340). 
Tropidolaemus subannulatus, Vogel et al., 2007:23. 
Description. — Scales on head and chin strongly keeled; internasals not in contact, separat¬ 
ed by 2 [rarely 1] scales; scales on snout along a straight line from rostral to level of supraoculars, 
(c?) 4-7, ($) 5-8; scales on dorsum of head on a line between supraoculars 9-16; 3^^ upper labial 
usually separated from subocular scale by 1 or 2 scales; body scales in 21-23 longitudinal rows at 
midbody (cj), 21-29 rows ($); ventrals {S) 128-148, ($) 127-147; subcaudals (cj) 45-53, (5) 
40-54; body color above, variable, green or blue in females, green in males and juveniles (but blue 
in some Negros populations), belly, ($) uniform or with blue or red blotches, (c?) and Juveniles uni¬ 
form or with red spotting. (After Voget et al. 2007:23 et seq.) 
Size. — Total length 963 mm (Snout-vent length 820 mm; tail length 143 mm.) for largest 
($)and 463 mm (Snout-vent length 384 mm; tail length 79 mm.) for largest (cj) reported by Vogel 
et al. (2007:23). 
Distribution. — Philippines (Balabac; Basilan; Bohol; Dinagat; Jolo; Leyte; Luzon [Prov.: 
Albay, Bulacan, Cavite, Cagayan, Camarines Norte, Isabela, Quezon]; Mindanao [Prov.: Agusan 
del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Lanao del Norte, Zamboanga]; Negros [Prov.: Negros Occidental, 
Negros Oriental]; Palawan; Panay; Samar, Sibutu; Tumindao; Sulu Archipelago). Elsewhere: 
Malaysia (Borneo [Sabah, Sarawak]); Indonesia (Belitung, Borneo [Kalimantan], Buton, Sangihe 
Archipelago, Sulawesi) (see Vogel et al. [2007:23, 31] for details). 
Remarks. — Given the variation observed among samples of this species studied by Vogel et 
al. (2007), they concluded, “We refrain from giving a more detailed description here, as the varia¬ 
tion among this species or complex of species will be discussed in the next and forthcoming paper 
of the series. A splitting into several taxa seems to be likely.” (Vogel et al. 2007:23.) 
