Cophias jararaca Wied, 1824

Vanzolini, Paulo E. & Myers, Charles W., 2015, The Herpetological Collection Of Maximilian, Prince Of Wied (1782 - 1867), With Special Reference To Brazilian Materials, Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2015 (395), pp. 1-155 : 65

Cophias jararaca Wied, 1824

Plates 45–46 and figure 23 (not a type)

1820, 1821 Reise 1, 2: various places.

1824 Isis : 670 (as Cophias atrox ).

1824 Abbildungen: Lief. 7 (pl. labelled Cophias atrox Merr. , a juvenile), Lief. 8 (pl. labelled Cophias jararaca ).

1825 Beitra¨ge: 470 (as Cophias jararakka ), 603 (discussion of variant spellings and pronunciations: Chiararague, Jararaca, Jararakka, Xararaca), 606 (note on coloration of C. Jararaca).

PRESENT STATUS: Bothrops jararaca (Wied, 1824) .

REMARKS: The several places in the Reise where Wied mentions the jararaca are incidental and without systematic value. In fact, he refers to it either as ‘‘jararakka’’ or Cophias atrox . In the Isis for 1824 the entry is ‘‘ C[ophias]. atrox Merr. Die Jararakka. ’’ The change of opinion came after the plate (see pl. 45) for Lieferung 7 of the Abbildungen had already been printed: this plate, of a young specimen (‘‘pullus’’), is entitled ‘‘ Cophias atrox ’’ and the text is headed ‘‘ Cophias jararaca ...aus der Kupfertafel Cophias atrox .’’ The text has a footnote reference to a second plate (pl. 46), of an adult specimen, appearing in Lieferung 8 (for which there is no separate text, at least not in the AMNH copy of the Abbildungen). But both specimens are described in the text to Lieferung 7.

This text and the plates comprise the original description of Cophias jararaca and the specimens figured are the original syntypes. In the Beitra¨ge Wied used the German spelling of Jararakka and gave data on the two syntypes and on two additional specimens. In the collection there is one specimen, a female, AMNH R-4025. The relevant data are:

AMNH R-4025 practically coincides with the adult syntype in scale counts, but there is a large and unredeemable difference in length. There seems little chance of a misprint, as the measurements are repeated in the Abbildungen and in the Beitra¨ge. Additionally, there is no resemblance to the plates. We must conclude that neither of the syntypes of Cophias jararaca is at hand. In no place is a locality indicated.

Figures

Fig. 23. A specimen of Cophias jararaca Wied (AMNH R-4025); formerly indicated as ‘‘holotype’’ in AMNH records, but confirmation is lacking.