A new species of the genus Hebius (Squamata, Natricidae), previously confused with H. boulengeri (Gressitt, 1937)

A new species of the genus Hebius is described from Yunnan Province, China. The new species was previously identified as H. boulengeri, but it can be separated from H. boulengeri and other species of this genus by a combination of the following characters: 19-19 - 17 dorsal scale rows, 148–155 ventrals, 90–105 subcaudals, one preocular, three postoculars, 23–25 maxillary teeth, a distinct continuous white streak from posteroventral margin of eye extending backward and upward to nape to connect with dorsolateral stripe on each side, and white venter.

The genetic divergence between the new species and H. boulengeri was 6.6 % and the genetic divergences between the new species and other congeners ranged from 6.8 % to 15.9 % in the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene.