About Lycodon futsingensis (Pope, 1928)
Lycodon futsingensis, commonly called the Fuqing white ring snake, is morphologically similar to Lycodon ruhstati (the black backed white ring snake), although Lycodon ruhstati has more abdominal scales and lower tail scales. Lycodon futsingensis has a blunt snout, and a flat, nearly trapezoidal head. In adult individuals, the head and back are black, and the upper lip scales are black with scattered white spots that vary in size and extent. The trunk and tail are primarily colored black or dark blackish brown. The trunk has 24-29 white rings, and the tail has 10-15 white rings, which all bear scattered black spots. These white rings are irregular, and span 1 to 6 dorsal scales in width: they are thinner at the spine and widest at the abdomen. The anterior ventral surface of the head and torso is mainly white, mixed with black spots, while the posterior ventral surface is mostly black brown.
