Tantilla taeniata

Antúnez-Fonseca, Cristopher A., Castro, Jocelyn A., España, Farlem G., Townsend, Josiah H. & Wilson, Larry D., 2020, A new species of Tantilla of the taeniata group (Squamata: Colubridae) from Refugio de Vida Silvestre Barras de Cuero y Salado in Caribbean coastal Honduras, Amphibian & Reptile Conservation (e 258) 14 (3), pp. 86-102 : 99-100

Revised Key to Members of Tantilla taeniata Group

Townsend et al. (2013) published the most recent key to the members of the Tantilla taeniata group. Since that paper appeared, several new species have been described and placed in this group ( Batista et al. 2016; McCranie et al. 2017; and herein), so this is an opportune time to revise the key for the identification of 25 of the 26 species now recognized (the information available on T. trilineata remains insufficient to include this poorly known taxon in the key; see Tables 1 and 2 ).

1. Pale middorsal stripe absent…………………………………………………………………………………………2 Pale middorsal stripe present, variously developed…………………………………………………………………6

2. Pale lateral stripe present along length of body…………………………............……………..……………3

Pale lateral stripe interrupted along middle of body, present only on anterior portion of body, or absent...4

3. Pale nuchal band divided middorsally and laterally, pale lateral stripe well developed... T. jani (in part)

Pale nuchal band complete; pale lateral stripe barely discernible…………………………….. T. cuniculator

4. Pale lateral stripe present but interrupted along middle of body………………………………... T. briggsi Pale lateral stripe, if present, confined to anterior portion of body………………………………………………5

5. Pale nuchal band poorly developed, confined to scale posterior to parietals; subcaudals fewer than 60 (known range, 44–51)………………………………………………………………………………………… T. tayrae (in part)

Pale nuchal band well developed, extending onto parietals; subcaudals more than 60 (single known value, 62)……………………………………………………………………………………………. T. johnsoni

6. Subcaudals fewer than 30 (known range, 21–26)……………………………………………... T. brevicauda Subcaudals more than 30………………………………………………………………………………………………7

7. Pale lateral stripe occupies rows 4 and adjacent halves of rows 3 and 5…….…………..………….8 Pale lateral stripe occupies adjacent halves of rows 3 and 4 or restricted to row 4……………………......…11

8. Pale nuchal collar does not cross last supralabial………………………………………………... T. oaxacae Pale nuchal collar crosses last supralabial……….…………………………………………………………………….9

9. Pale nuchal collar divided medially; well-developed dark stripe present on lateral edges of ventrals…………………………………………………………………..………………………………….. T reticulata Pale nuchal collar complete; venter essentially immaculate…………………………………………………10

10. Pale middorsal stripe confined to middorsal scale row; subcaudals 65 (single known value)……………………………………………………………………………………………………….. T. berguidoi Pale middorsal stripe occupies middorsal scale row and adjacent halves of paravertebral rows; subcaudals 56 or fewer (known range, 43–56)……………………….………………………………………....... T. flavilineata

11. Pale nuchal band reduced to two nuchal spots…………………………………………………………. T. striata Pale nuchal band complete, divided medially, or divided both medially and laterally…………………………………...12

12. Pale middorsal stripe on middorsal scale row and some portion of paravertebral rows at least on posterior portion of body………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...13 Pale middorsal stripe confined to middorsal scale row, or on middorsal scale row and some portion of paravertebral rows on anterior portion of body, continuing on or reducing to middorsal row on posterior portion of body……………………………………………………………..............................................………………..…..19

13. Pale middorsal stripe confined to middorsal scale row anteriorly, expanding to some portion of paravertebral rows posteriorly………………………………………………………………………………………………………..14 Pale middorsal stripe on middorsal scale row and some portion of paravertebral rows along length of body…………………………….....………………………………………………………………………………..15

14. Lower half to two-thirds of paraventral scale row colored similarly to ventrals…....... T. stenigrammi Paraventral scale row pigmented on anterior half or more of trunk, upper half of scale darkly pigmented thereafter…………………………………………………......……………………………………………. T. triseriata

15. Ventral surface some shade of red……………………...……………………………………………………...16 Ventral surface yellow or white…………………….……………………………………..………………………17

16. Ventral scales 153 or more (range 153–163)………………………………...….…………………… T. psittaca Ventral scales 152 or fewer (range 141–152)…………………………….………………………………… T. taeniata

17. Pale nuchal collar divided………………………………………………...…..……………………… T. tritaeniata Pale nuchal collar complete……………………………………………………….…………………………………18

18. Ventrals 142–158 in both sexes combined………………………………...……………………………… T. gottei Ventrals 161–178 in both sexes combined…………………………………..…………………………… T. excelsa

19. Pale middorsal stripe on middorsal scale row and adjacent one-third of paravertebral rows on anterior portion of body, reducing to middorsal row on posterior portion of body…………… T. lydia Pale middorsal stripe confined to middorsal scale row, either as continuous stripe or as fragmented series of spots………………………………………………………..…………...……..……………………………………20 20. Pale middorsal stripe fragmented, consisting of series of isolated spots………...…………………………21 Pale middorsal stripe complete, but confined to middorsal row….…………………....….…………………………24

21. Pale lateral stripe consisting of series of spots on dorsal scale row 4…….......…………………………… T. olympia Pale lateral stripe absent or present on some portion of dorsal scale rows 3 and 4…………..………………22

22. Pale lateral stripe absent or barely evident on adjacent halves of dorsal scale rows 3 and 4 on anterior portion of body…….......…………………………………………………………………………………… T. tayrae (in part) Pale lateral stripe present on adjacent portions of dorsal scale rows 3 and 4 length of body..….……………….23

23. Pale nuchal band interrupted both dorsally and laterally……………………………………………………. T. jani Pale nuchal band usually complete.…………………………………………………………………….…… T. vulcani

24. Paraventral scale uniformly brown.…………………………………...…………………………………… T. tecta Paraventral scale divided into dark upper half and pale lower half………….…………...………………………25

25. Subcaudal scales 56 or fewer (range 52–56)……………………………………………………………. T. slavensi Subcaudal scales 64 or more (combined range 64–72)…………………………………..…………………………26

26. Ventral scales 157 or fewer (range 153–157)…………..…………………………………….…... T. hendersoni

Ventral scales 162 or more (range 162–172)………………………………………………………...…... T. impensa