The herpetofauna of Pu Luong Nature Reserve, Vietnam

Abstract

Based on our field surveys between 2016 and 2024, we herein provide a herpetofaunal list of the Pu Luong Nature Reserve, Vietnam, comprising 40 species of amphibians and 63 species of reptiles. Four species, Occidozyga lingnanica, Vietnamophryne orlovi, Zhangixalus dennysi, and Pseudocalotes brevipes are newly recorded in Thanh Hoa Province, and 30 species are recorded for the first time from Pu Luong Nature Reserve, comprising 12 species of amphibians (Leptobrachella minima, L. namdongensis, Ophryphryne hansi, O. microstoma, Limnonectes limborgi, Hylarana annamitica, H. maosonensis, Rana johnsi, Polypedates megacephalus, Theloderma corticale, T. gordoni, Tylototriton pasmansi), four species of lizards (Cyrtodactylus bobrovi, Draco maculatus, Sphenomorphus cryptotis, and Tropidophorus hainanus), 11 species of snakes (Python bivittatus, Xenopeltis unicolor, Boiga guangxiensis, Dendrelaphis pictus, Gonyosoma coeruleum, Lycodon futsingensis, L. meridionalis, Pareas margaritophorus, Ptyas korros, Bungarus fasciatus, and Ophiophagus hannah), and three species of turtles (Geoemyda spengleri, Manouria impressa, and Platysternon megacephalum). This study also highlighted the conservation value of the hereptofauna of Pu Luong Nature Reserve with nine species listed in the CITES Appendices (2023), 20 species listed in the Vietnam Red Data Book (2024), 13 species listed in the IUCN Red List (2024), and nine species listed in the Governmental Decree No. 84/2021/NĐ-CP. Additional data on the natural history of amphibian and reptile species was also provided.