Atractus careolepis, Köhler, Gunther & Kieckbusch, Max, 2014

Köhler, Gunther & Kieckbusch, Max, 2014, Two new species of Atractus from Colombia (Reptilia, Squamata, Dipsadidae), Zootaxa 3872 (3), pp. 291-300 : 295-297

Atractus careolepis sp. nov.

Figs. 4–6

Holotype. A male, SMF 68413, collected on August 0 1 1970 by M. Henning and F. Klaaßen in the Punta de Betin (approximately 11.2522°, -74.2197°, 15 m asl), municipality of Santa Marta, province of Magdalena, Colombia.

Diagnosis. A species of the genus Atractus that differs from all congeners by the following combination of characters: (1) 17 smooth dorsal scale rows; (2) preocular absent; (3) loreal absent; (4) temporals 1+2; (5) seven supralabials; (6) six or seven infralabials; (7) eight maxillary teeth; (8) three gular scale rows; (9) three preventrals; (10) 146 ventrals in single male; (11) 31/32 subcaudals in single male; (12) dorsum of body and tail reddish brown with paired, occasionally slightly alternating lateral vertical cream blotches, approximately one dorsal scale broad, not contacting in vertebral region; (13) venter cream with reddish brown blotches, forming two parallel series on anterior body and a checkered pattern on the rest of body; (14) SVL of single known male 178 mm; (15) small to moderate tail length in single known male (16.3 % of SVL); (16) hemipenis morphology unknown.

Comparisons. Among all currently recognized congeners, Atractus careolepis is most similar in external morphology to A. lancinii , A. macondo , and A. sanctaemartae . Atractus careolepis differs from all of them by the absence of the loreal scale resulting in the contact of the prefrontals with the supralabials (vs. loreal scale present in A. lancinii , A. macondo , and A. sanctaemartae ). Atractus careolepis further differs from A. lancinii by having seven supralabials and seven infralabials (vs. eight supralabials and eight infralabials in A. lancinii ) and 146 ventrals in the single male (vs. 174–186 ventrals in A. lancinii ). Atractus careolepis differs further from A. macondo by having a body pattern of pale transverse bands on a dark dorsum (vs. dorsum uniformly reddish brown in A. macondo ); eight maxillary teeth (vs. nine maxillary teeth in A. macondo ); three gular scale rows (vs. two rows in A. macondo ); and 31–32 subcaudals in the single known male (vs. 29 subcaudals in the single known male). Atractus careolepis differs further from A. sanctaemartae by having a body pattern of pale transverse bands on a brown dorsum in the single known male (vs. black dorsum with alternate light transversal bands in males of A. sanctaemartae ).

Description of the holotype. Male; SVL 178 mm; long TL 29 mm (complete; 16.3 % SVL); TTL 207 mm; head not distinct from body; body cylindrical, maximum body diameter 7.1 mm (4 % of SVL); head rounded in dorsal view; HL 7.61 mm (4.3 % SVL); HW 6.0 mm (75.9 % of HL); snout rounded in dorsal view, slightly truncate in lateral view; eye diameter 1.2 mm; pupil round; interorbital distance 3.2 mm (40.5 % HL); rostro-orbital distance 3.0 mm (37.9 % HL); naso-orbital distance 2.0 mm (25.3 % HL). 17/17/17 smooth dorsal scale rows, 16 dorsal scale rows above cloaca, 10 dorsal scale rows above second subcaudal; apical pits absent; 146 ventrals; 31/ 32 subcaudals; three pre-ventrals; cloacal scute entire; rostral slightly visible from above, subtriangular, wider than high (rostral height 0.9 mm, rostral width 1.2 mm); two subrectangular internasals, height 0.7 mm, width 0.8 mm; internasal suture sinistral in respect to prefrontal suture; nostril in suture of prenasal and postnasal; 1/1 subrectangular postnasal, length 0.4 mm, postnasal height 0.5 mm; loreal absent, prefrontals in contact with supralabials; preocular lacking; two subtriangular postoculars, upper postocular approximately equal in size to lower postocular (upper postocular length 0.6 mm; upper postocular height 0.7 mm); temporal formula 1+2, anterior temporal equal in size to lower posterior temporal, upper posterior temporal three times as long as lower posterior temporal (dextral) or two times as long as lower posterior temporal (sinistral) (anterior temporal: height 0.9 mm, length 1.5 mm; upper posterior temporal: dextral: height 0.9 mm, length 3.4 mm; sinistral: height 1.0 mm, length 2.1 mm); seven supralabials, first smaller than all others, third supralabial larger than second and fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh supralabial equal in size or slightly larger than third; second and third supralabial in contact with prefrontals; third and fourth supralabial in contact with the eye; six and seven infralabials, first three in contact with the chin shields; dextral third infralabial larger than all other infralabials; sinistral third and fourth larger than all other infralabials; first pair of infralabials in contact, preventing contact of mental and chin shields; gular scale rows from infralabials to preventrals three; two chin shields, length 2.7 mm, width 1.1 mm; two subpentagonal prefrontals, length 2.1 mm, width 1.9 mm; subrectangular supraoculars, length 1.2 mm, width 1.0 mm; subtriangular frontal length 2.2 mm, width 2.1 mm; parietal length 4.3 mm, width 2.1 mm.

Coloration of the holotype. After 43 years preservation in 70% ethanol: dorsal surface of head Raw Umber (280) with Light Buff (2) blotches on most upper head scales; supralabials Light Buff (2); ventral surface of head Light Buff (2) with Raw Umber (280) speckles on anterior infralabials and chin shields; dorsal surfaces of body and tail Raw Umber (280) with paired occasionally slightly alternating lateral vertical Pale Buff (1) blotches, approximately one dorsal scale broad, not contacting in vertebral region; ventral surface Light Buff (2) with Raw Umber blotches (280), forming two parallel series on anterior body and a checkered pattern on the rest of body; dark coloration on venter more intense on posterior portion of body.

Etymology. The name careolepis is a compound noun derived from careo (Latin for “be without”) and lepis (Greek for “scale”) referring to the absence of the loreal scale in this species.

Figures

FIGURE 4. Dorsal (a) and ventral (b) views of the holotype of Atractus careolepis (SMF 68413). Scale bars equal 5.0 mm.

FIGURE 5. Dorsal (a), lateral (b), and ventral (c) views of head of the holotype of Atractus careolepis (SMF 68413). Scale bars equal 1.0 mm.

FIGURE 6. Dorsal view of body (a) and tail (b), lateral view body (c) and tail (d), and ventral view of body (e) and tail (f) of the holotype of Atractus careolepis (SMF 68413). The head orientation of the specimen is directed to the right in a, c, and e and to the left in b, d, and f. Scale bars equal 1.0 mm.