Achalinus (common name: odd-scaled snakes) is a genus of harmless snakes in the family Xenodermidae. Species of the genus are found in China, Japan, Taiwan, and northern Vietnam. Ten species are recognized as being valid. Achalinus was previously placed in Colubridae (along with other xenodermids). The nickname "odd-scaled" is because their dorsal scales do not overlap one another as in most snakes, but instead are spread out and lie individually similar to pieces of a puzzle. Odd-scaled snakes are burrowers that crawl below the fallen leaves of the forest.
Species ImageSpeciesTaxon authorSubsp.*Common nameGeographic rangeA. aterBourret, 19370Bourret's odd-scaled snakeNorthern Vietnam and China in Guizhou and Guangxi A. dabieshanensisC. Zhang, Liu, R. Huang & B. Zhang, 20230Dabie Mountains odd-scaled snakeChina A. damingensisY. Xu, Yang, J. Wu, Gong, R. Huang & S. Huang, 20230China (Guangxi) A. dehuaensisK. Li, Y. Wu, R. Xu, Zhu, Ren, Guo & Dong, 20210Dehua odd-scaled snakeChina A. emilyaeZiegler, T.Q. Nguyen, C. Pham, T.Th. Nguyen, A. Pham, van Schingen, Th.Th. Nguyen & Le, 20190Emily's burrowing snakeVietnamA. formosanusBoulenger, 19081Formosa odd-scaled snakeTaiwan and Japan in the southern Ryukyu IslandsA. hainanusC. Huang, 19750Hainan odd-scaled snakeChina on Hainan islandA. huangjietangiR. Huang, Peng & S. Huang, 20210Huang's odd-scaled snakeHuangshan City, Anhui Province, ChinaA. hunanensisS. Ma, Shi, Xiang, Shu & J. Jiang, 2023Hunan odd-scaled snakeHunan Province, ChinaA. jinggangensis(Zong & J. Ma, 1983)0Zong's odd-scaled snakeChina in JiangxiA. julianiZiegler, T.Q. Nguyen, C. Pham, T.Th. Nguyen, A. Pham, van Schingen, Th.Th. Nguyen & Le, 20190Julian's burrowing snakeVietnamA. meiguensisHu & Zhao, 19660Szechwan odd-scaled snakeChina in western Sichuan at elevations of 1200–1400 mA. mirabilisXu et al., 2026 0Kuocang Mountain Odd-scaled SnakeChinaA. nigerMaki, 19310Black odd-scaled snakeTaiwanA. ningshanensisYang, R. Huang, K. Jiang, Burbrink & S. Huang, 20220Ningshan odd-scaled snakeChinaA. panzhihuaensisHou, K. Wang, Guo, Chen, Yuan & Che, 20210Panzhihua odd-scaled snakeChinaA. pingbianensisK. Li, Yu, Y. Wu, Liao, K. Tang, Liu & Guo, 20200Pingbian odd-scaled snakeChinaA. rufescensBoulenger, 18880Boulenger's odd-scaled snakeNorthern Vietnam and China in Hong Kong, Hainan and west to Guizhou, Shaanxi, Guangdong and FujianA. sheniS. Ma, Xu, Qi, Y. Wang, S. Tang, Huang & J. Jiang, 20230Shen's odd-scaled snakeHunan Province, ChinaA. spinalisW. Peters, 18690Peters' odd-scaled snakeNorthern Vietnam, Japan (Kyūshū, Honshū, the Ryukyu Islands, Koshiki, Tokuno-shima: Kametoku and Inokawa), and central China (east to Fujian, west to Yunnan and Sichuan, and north to Gansu and Shaanxi. Also in Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Jiangsu and Hubei) at an elevation of 1,230 mA. timiZiegler, T.Q. Nguyen, C. Pham, T.Th. Nguyen, A. Pham, van Schingen, Th.Th. Nguyen & Le, 20190Tim's burrowing snakeVietnamA. tranganensisLuu, Ziegler, Ha, Lo, Hoang, Ngo, Le, Tran & T.Q. Nguyen, 20200Vietnam: Ninh Binh provinceA. vanhoensisHa, Ziegler, Sy, Le, T.Q. Nguyen & Luu, 20220VietnamA. werneriVan Denburgh, 19120Amami odd-scaled snakeJapan in the central Ryukyu IslandsA. yangdatongiHou, K. Wang, Guo, Chen, Yuan & Che, 20210Yang's odd-scaled snakeChinaA. yunkaiensisJ. Wang, Y. Li & Y. Wang, 20190Yunkai Mountain's odd-scaled snake, Yunkai Mountain's burrowing snakeChina A. zugorumMiller, Davis, Luong, Do, C. Pham, Ziegler, Lee, de Queiroz, Reynolds & T.Q. Nguyen, 20200Zug's odd-scaled snake Northern Vietnam *) Not including the nominate subspecies.
Nota bene: A taxon author (binomial authority) in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Achalinus.
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