Phylogeny and Systematics of Oligodon juglandifer (Wall, 1909) with Comments on the Taxonomic Status of Oligodon lipipengi Jiang, Wang, Li, Ding, Ding & Che in Che et al. 2020

Colubrid snakes of the genus Oligodon Fitzinger, 1826, are an integral part of the snake fauna of the Oriental region, with at least ninety species. Despite the speciose nature of the genus, most members are elusive and poorly studied. One such member of the genus is O. juglandifer (Wall, 1909), which is known to science from a handful of specimens. It is thought to have a narrow distribution range and is classified as ‘vulnerable’ by the IUCN regarding its conservation status. Recent fieldwork near the type locality led to the discovery of the species, which allowed us to review our current knowledge of the species and present molecular data for the species to assess its phylogenetic relationship. Morphological data based on a freshly collected specimen and existing museum material and molecular data suggest that O. lipipengi Jiang, Wang, Li, Ding, Ding & Che in Che et al. 2020 syn. nov. is a junior synonym of O. juglandifer (Wall, 1909).