Coluber poecilostoma 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 : 44-46

Coluber poecilostoma Wied, 1824 Plates 21–22 and figure 10 (lectotype)

1824 Isis : 665 (diagnosis, 2 color phases).

1825 Beitra¨ge: 250.

1827 Abbildungen: Lief. 10 (2 pls.).

PRESENT STATUS: Pseustes sulphureus poecilostoma (Wied, 1824) .

REMARKS: The species was first named in the Isis for 1824, prior to the subsequent treatments in the Beitra¨ge and in Lieferung 10 of the Abbildungen.

The diagnosis in the Isis recognized two varieties, distinguished by the color of the throat and lips. Both varieties were well illustrated in the Abbildungen, with two color plates showing yellowish-gray and slightly greenish-gray snakes having irregular, dark gray crossbands on the dorsa, black-edged labials, and the tops of the head red-brown. These plates were differentiated as A and B in the accompanying text, and are reproduced herein as plates 21 and 22, respectively:

Plate A [21]. Caninana de papo amarello (Kehle und Kiefer-Einfassung scho¨ n gelb). The corresponding plate shows the lips, side of throat, and ventrolateral edging all golden yellow.

Plate B [22]. Caninana de papo vermelho (Kehle und Kiefer-Einfassung rothbraun). The lips are red-brown like the top of the head, turning lighter reddish on the side of the throat and ventrolaterally. This plate also includes uncolored outline drawings of the dorsal and ventral sides of the head.

The description in the Beitra¨ge is complex, recognizing several varieties, including the two above. The first specimen of Coluber poecilostoma mentioned in the Beitra¨ge is the variety ‘‘B’’; it measured 1355 + 452 mm, had 214 ventrals and 126 subcaudals. The only extant specimen in Maximilian’s collection is AMNH R-3480, a male, which is broken into two pieces, from which we obtained SVL and tail measurements of 1290 + 480 mm; ventrals cannot be counted; subcaudals are 129. A decisive test is the comparison of the pattern of head scales with dorsal and ventral head outlines in plate B. Agreement is remarkable.

We therefore think that AMNH R-3480 ( fig. 10 ) is the specimen shown in plate B, and also that it probably is the first specimen described in the Beitra¨ge. It seemingly is the only surviving syntype and we consequently designate AMNH R-3480 as the lectotype of Coluber poecilostoma .

Coluber liocercus Wied, 1824 Plate 23 and figure 11 (holotype)

1824 Isis : 665 (diagnosis).

1825 Beitra¨ge: 265.

1831 Abbildungen: Lief. 14.

PRESENT STATUS: Leptophis ahaetulla liocercus (Wied, 1824) .

REMARKS: The original description is in the Isis for 1824. Only one specimen is described in the Beitra¨ge. It measured 793 + 438 mm, and had 159 ventrals and 147 subcaudals. AMNH R-3531, a male, measures 720 + 425 mm, has 161 ventrals and 146 subcaudals. The head scales agree perfectly with the plate.

Oliver (1948: 234) thought that this specimen was the type and, in spite of the disagreement in measurements, we agree that AMNH R-3531 is the holotype of Coluber liocercus . Oliver (1948: 234) stated that ‘‘ The coloration [of AMNH R-3531] is not like that shown in Wied’s color plate (head and neck green, rest of body and tail bronzy brown, the body darkened by black streaks on the keels; first scale row unkeeled, paler brownish like ventral surfaces), but the specimen has lost all of the stratum corneum and cannot be expected to have retained all details of coloration.’’ The specimen is faded ( fig. 11 ) and differs most noticeably from the plate in now lacking the conspicuous black keeling. It must be noted that the plate shows a dorsal color pattern that Vanzolini has never seen in an eastern Brazilian specimen .

It is impossible to settle on a specific type locality for this snake. No localities are given in the Isis or in the Abbildungen. The Beitra¨ge mentions too many localities—covering the coast of Rio de Janeiro and Espirito Santo from Marica´ to Vito´ ria.

Coluber variabilis Kuhlii Wied, 1824 Plate 24 and figure 12 (holotype and syntype)

1824 Isis : 665 (diagnosis of C. variabilis Kuhlii ). 1825 Beitra¨ge: 271.

1831 Abbildungen: Lief. 14 ( figs. 3–6 of composite pl.).

PRESENT STATUS: Spilotes pullatus (Linnaeus) .

REMARKS: Wied unexpectedly used a latinized trinomial ( Coluber variabilis Kuhlii ) for this taxon, when he first named it in the 1824 Isis . The spelling was maintained in the 1825 Beitra¨ge. Wied , however, evidently came to doubt its appropriateness and the name was changed to a binomial both in plate 24 and the accompanying letterpress text 27 in the 1831 Abbildungen. The binomial there is followed by a comma and then, in smaller font, the name Kuhlii in position of authority. The reference is to ‘‘Dr. Kuhl aus Leiden, er hatte sie mit Merrem Coluber vatiabilis genannt.’’ This first or earlier ‘‘ Coluber variabilis Merrem’’ is cited in Peters and Orjeja-Miranda (1970: 282) who give Boulenger’s Catalogue as source though they say they ‘‘have not been able to verify this citation.’’ In any case, everything is buried in synomy and Wied’s action was not an early use of the subspecies concept.

27 The text accompanying plate 24 is lacking in the American Museum copy of the Abbidungen but was available (and copied from) the MZUSP copy in São Paulo.

Wied described two specimens in the Beitra¨ge, giving measurements of one young one. The subsequent plate in the Abbildungen apparently shows the specimen measured in the Beitra¨ge; the color pattern indicates that the snake is a young one. The composite plate (pl. 24) shows the whole snake and underside of the head in color, and dorsal and ventral outlines of the head scutellation.

The measured juvenile was ‘‘somewhat more’’ than 367 mm body length, plus 122 mm tail length, with 207 ventrals and 111 subcaudals. AMNH R-3483 ( fig. 18A ), a male, measures 420 + 140 mm, has 202 ventrals and 113 subcaudals; it corresponds with the plate and probably is the specimen measured and figured; we regard it as the holotype.

A larger syntype, AMNH R-3482, male, 1330 + 420 mm, 208 ventrals, and 104 subcaudals, belongs very probably to the same series, but there is no hard evidence for this assertion.

Figures

Fig. 10. Lectotype of Coluber poecilostoma Wied, in dorsal and ventral view (AMNH R-3480). Scale line 5 10 mm.

Fig. 11. Holotype of Coluber liocercus Wied (AMNH R-3531).

Fig. 12. Synypes of Coluber variabilis Wied in dorsal and ventral view (5 Spilotes pullatus (Linnaeus). A. Holotype of Coluber variabilis Wied (AMNH R-3483). B. Second syntype of Coluber variabilis (AMNH R-3482). Both are in the Maximilian collection, but this larger specimen seems not to have been used in the description of C. variabilis.

Fig. 3. Title page from the third volume of Prince Maximilian’s Abbildungen zur Naturgeschichte Brasiliens (Wied, 1822–1831). Illustrated taxa are listed on the volume (Liefererung) title pages, but the contained plates are unnumbered (there are 6 plates in each of 12 Liefererungen). The herpetological plates reproduced herein are arbitrarily numbered 1–56 following the organization of the present work, which reflects the order of species presentation in volume 1 of the Beitra¨ge (fig. 4). Geographic modifiers (Neuwied and Runkel) were dropped from the Wied family name in 1824. After that, ‘‘Wied-Neuwied’’ appeared only on the title pages of the Abbildungen, which had begun publication two years earlier.

Fig. 4. Title page of volume 1 of Prince Maximilian’s Beitra¨ge zur Naturgeschichte von Brasilien (Wied, 1825). This first of four volumes is the only one devoted to herpetology. Many new species are described in this fundamental work, which assembles information for all reptiles and amphibians collected by Wied.

Fig. 5. Holotype of Agama picta Wied in dorsal view (AMNH R-108); 90 mm SVL. The once-vivid color pattern has completely faded.

Fig. 6. Holotype Agama picta Wied. Details of head in dorsal, lateral, and ventral view (AMNH R-108); 5 mm scale line.

Fig. 18. Lectotype of Xenodon rabdocephalus (Wied, 1824). One of two unnumbered folio plates (left) showing ‘‘Coluber rabdocephalus’’ in the Abbildungen zur Naturgeschichte (Wied, 1827 [1822–1831] = plate 35 herein. Same specimen (right), now AMNH R-3609. This specimen suffered some decomposition in the past, with the body becoming very soft and breaking completely in two parts (arrows show place of break). Telling points of resemblance between painting and specimen are numbered: 1. Longitudinal white line on neck, terminating Y-shaped at first dorsal blotch; 2–6. Anterior and posterior pale edges of dorsal blotches, showing both resemblances and minor copying errors; asterisk (*) denotes the undivided anal plate. The resemblance between the painting and specimen is very close, allowing for the inevitable accumulated copying errors (i.e., Wied’s original penand-ink watercolor was copied from life and it in turn was copied by an artist for the published plate).