First record of Achalinus hunanensis Ma, Shi, Xiang, Shu & Jiang, 2023 (Serpentes, Xenodermidae) in Guangxi, China, with supplementary morphological information

Amongst these, Achalinus Peters, 1869, is the most species-rich taxon. It is widely distributed across eastern and south-eastern Asia, ranging from northern Vietnam to south-western China and extending partially into Japan.Achalinus hunanensis Ma, Shi, Xiang, Shu & Jiang, 2023 was originally described, based on two male specimens collected from Huaihua City and Changsha City, Hunan Province, China.

Subsequent surveys also recorded this species in Dushan County, Guizhou Province, marking its first known occurrence there and providing the first description of female specimens. During our herpetological surveys in 2024, three Achalinus specimens were collected from Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China. Due to severe desiccation, DNA extraction was unsuccessful for specimen GXNU2024090120.