Chikila

Diagnosis. As for the family. Content. Four species, Chikila alcocki sp. nov., Chikila darlong sp. nov., Chikila fulleri (Alcock, 1904), Chikila gaiduwani sp. nov. The following characters are common to all species of Chikila described here, and are consequently not repeated in the species accounts: body subcylindrical; TAs closer to nares than CM; nares small (approximately same size as TAs), ovate with long axis directed toward TAs, in lateral view equidistant from tip and top of snout, closer to lip, visible laterally, barely visible dorsally, not visible ventrally; mouth strongly recessed; teeth pointed, very gently recurved, bicuspid, second (labial) cusp close to tip (lingual cusp), relatively uniform within each series, decreasing in size posteriorly in outer rows, none massive; PMs slightly smaller and more recumbent than corresponding OMs; VP and PM series slightly closer posteriorly than anteriorly; upper tooth series extending far behind choanae; fewer than ten IMs in short series; no tooth row diastemata; palate not strongly arched transversely; anterior margins of choanae approximately level with position or expected position of eye; tongue not attached anteriorly, paired paramedian longitudinal grooves on tongue extending posteriorly from a short distance behind narial plugs; palate and most of tongue smooth; large narial plugs; C 1 and C 2 well-marked, latter substantially longer; NG 3 broadly incomplete ventrally; short TG on C 1; longitudinal midline crease between mandibles extending onto C 1; pale areas at CMs; midbody PAs longest; no AGs complete posterior to vent; no terminal keel; terminal annulus / cap ca. length of one preceding PA (lateral view); body terminus rounded; no subdermal scales.

Type species. Herpele fulleri Alcock, 1904 by original monotypy.