New records of reptiles from Kim Bang Proposed Species and Habitat Conservation Area, Vietnam

The terrain of the proposed SHCA is characterised by limestone karst formation and a narrow valley. However, the reptile fauna of Kim Bang SHCA is still poorly studied, with only 17 species of reptiles recorded from this area so far.

This study aimed to provide novel data on the distribution of reptiles with their taxonomy and natural history from the Kim Bang Proposed Species and Habitat Conservation Area of Vietnam.As a result of our field surveys in 2025, we herein report ten species of reptiles for the first time from Kim Bang SHCA, namely Chrysopelea ornata (Shaw, 1802); Takydromus sexlineatus Daudin, 1802; Ahaetulla prasina (Boie, 1827); Boiga multomaculata (Boie, 1827); Hemidactylus garnotii Duméril & Bibron, 1836; Protobothrops mucrosquamatus (Cantor, 1839); Pareas margaritophorus (Jan, 1866); Gekko palmatus Boulenger, 1907; Ptyas multicincta (Roux, 1907); and Tropidophorus hainanus Smith, 1923 with morphological data.