Synopsis of the Snakes of the Philippines A Synthesis of Data from Biodiversity Repositories, Field Studies, and the Literature Author Leviton, Alan E. Herpetology Division, Institute of Biodiversity Science & Sustainibility, California Academy of Sciences, 55 Music Concourse Drive, San Francisco, California 94118 & Research Associate, Division of Amphibians & Reptiles, Department of Vertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA. aleviton@calacademy.org Author Siler, Cameron D. Department of Biology and Sam Noble Museum, University of Oklahoma, 2401 Chautauqua Ave., Norman, OK 73072 - 7029, USA & Zoology Division, National Museum of the Philippines, Rizal Park, Burgos Ave., Ermita 1000, Manila, Philippines. camsiler@ou.edu Author Weinell, Jeffrey L. Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Biodiversity Institute, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas 66045 jweine2@gmail.com Author Brown, Rafe M. Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Biodiversity Institute, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas 66045 & Zoology Division, National Museum of the Philippines, Rizal Park, Burgos Ave., Ermita 1000, Manila, Philippines. rafe@ku.edu text Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences 2018 Oxford, England 2018-03-29 64 14 399 568 http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.11512589 journal article 299690 10.5281/zenodo.11512589 d7a23684-9222-422b-868a-6c8712a4fd05 0068-547X 11512589 Stegonotus muelleri Duméril, Bibron, and Duméril, 1854:682 Photo figures 60–61 Müller’s Ratsnake Stegonotus mülleri Duméril, Bibron, and Duméril, 1854:682 . Spilotes samarensis Peters, 1861:685 (type locality: “ Cubo-Cubo , Insel Samar ”; holotype : ZMB 4294 ) Stegonotus muelleri Boulenger, 1893:367 .— Sanguila, Cobb, Siler, Diesmos Alcala, and Brown, 2016:96 , fig. 71. TYPE LOCALITY AND TYPE SPECIMEN ( S ) .— Samar Id. , Philippines . Holotype : MNHN 848 . PHILIPPINE DISTRIBUTION ( ENDEMIC ) ( Map 35C [p. 146]).— Dinagat , Leyte (Prov.: Leyte , Southern Leyte ), Mindanao (Prov.: Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Davao del Sur , Misamis Occidental , Misamis Oriental, Sarangani, South Cotabato, Surigao del Norte ), Samar . REMARKS .— In his review of the Philippine species of Lycodon , Leviton (1965) commented on Boulenger’s reference to Stegonotus muelleri (Boulenger [1893:367]) , which, according to Boulenger was based on Stegonotus mülleri Duméril, Bibron, and Duméril (1854:682) . At the time Leviton stated that he was “restricting the nominal genus Stegonotus to include but a single species, S. mülleri ” (Leviton [1965:120]) then known from Samar Island in the Philippines , as had been reported on by Boulenger, who had also included Peters’ Spilotes samarensis ( Peters [1861:685] ) , also from Samar, in the synonymy of S. muelleri . Unfortunately, and at the same time, Leviton overlooked a specimen that was resident in the Stanford University collections, now at the California Academy of Sciences (CAS-SU 13233), that bears the locality Mercedes, Samar Island, Philippines , collected 25 July 1945 by Ralph F. Annereaux. An examination of this animal and with reference to both Duméril, Bibron, and Duméril and to Boulenger, indicates that this is a much larger snake than any of the known species of Lycodon , and it likely does indeed represent a distinct group that should be recognized in the Philippines . Furthermore, recent investigations indicate that it is rather widespread throughout the northern Mindanao PAIC islands of Leyte , Samar, Dinagat , and eastern Mindanao ( Sanguila et al. [2016] ). Whether or not the Papuan species that have been assigned to the genus Stegonotus are indeed related to the Philippine species is an open question as is the possibility of differentiation between Samar-Leyte populations versus those from Mindanao ( sensu Peters 1861 ). CONSERVATION STATUS [IUCN] .— Near Threatened [2016] ver. 3.1