Erythrolamprus zweifeli ( Roze 1959 )

Ascenso, Alexandre C., Costa, João C. L. & Prudente, Ana L. C., 2019, Taxonomic revision of the Erythrolamprus reginae species group, with description of a new species from Guiana Shield (Serpentes: Xenodontinae), Zootaxa 4586 (1), pp. 65-97 : 74-76

Erythrolamprus zweifeli ( Roze 1959)

Figures 3D , 4B , 5A , 6D

Leimadophis zweifeli Roze 1959 ; Amer. Mus . Novitates:4. Terra typica: Rancho Grande , Aragua, Venezuela. Holotype: MBUCV 95.

Liophis reginae zweifeli — Dixon, 1983a; Ann. Carnegie. Mus . 52:3.

Erythrolamprus reginae zweifeli — Grazziotin et al. 2012; Cladistics. 1:21.

Liophis zweifeli — Rivas et al. 2012; Zootaxa:46.

Liophis zweifeli — Wallach et al. 2014; Snakes of the World:395.

Holotype: Adult female, MBUCV 95 , collected by J. Racenis in Setember 0 6, 1949, at the municipality of Rancho Grande, state of Aragua, Venezuela ( Fig. 4B ).

Paratypes: Fourteen specimens, all from Venezuela : AMNH 59430 , Curupao Hydroelectric Power Plant, state of Miranda ; CM 7355 , El Limon, Caracas DF ; CM 2278 , Los Canales , Parque Nacional Natural Naiguatá, state of Miranda ; MBUCV 96 , MBUCV 621 , MBUCV 659 , MBUCV 3076–81 , Rancho Grande Biological Reservation, state of Aragua ; MBUCV 505 , Caracas Botanical Garden, Caracas DF ; MBUCV 3082 , El Estanque, Borburata, state of Carabobo ; and MBUCV 3083 , El Junquito, Cararacas DF .

Diagnosis. Erythrolamprus zweifeli is distinguished from all congeners by unique combination of the following characters: (1) dorsal scale rows 17, reducing to 15 rows after midbody; (2) apical pit single (3) ventrals 138–149 in females and 135–149 in males; (4) subcaudals 73–95 in females and 73–96 in males; (5) dorsum of head black with cream marks on proximal region of the shields; dorsal scales yellowish-cream with apical half black; (6) upper edges of supralabials black, like the head; (7) belly creamish-white with black spots; (8) lateral black spots and lateral-posterior stripe absent or indistinct; (9) ventral surface of tail creamish-white with points or spots near cloacal shield; (10) intrasulcal region of hemipenial body homogeneously ornamented with spines; (11) medial region of asulcate face of hemipenial body ornamented with slightly elongated spines organized in one to three rows, extending to the level of lobe separation; (12) sulcus spermaticus bifurcates at proximal region of hemipenial body; and (13) moderate body size (SVL 129–553 mm).

Comparisons. Erythrolamprus zweifeli shares usually cream belly with black spots of square or rhomboid shape with E. reginae , E. macrosomus , E. dorsocorallinus , and eventually E. oligolepi s regarding ventral marks. Erythrolamprus zweifeli differs from E. oligolepis by having 17 dorsal scale rows at midbody and ventral rectangular dark spots (vs. 15 dorsal scales rows at midbody and belly usually without marks); from E. reginae and E. macrosomus by having dorsal scales yellowish-cream with apical half black (vs. dorsal ground color regularly dark brown); from E. dorsocorallinus by absence of lateral-posterior stripe and dorsal scales yellowish-cream (vs. presence of lateral-posterior stripe and dorsal scales reddish or bluish-cream). Additionally, E. zweifeli differs from all subspecies of E. epinephelus by having dorsal scales yellowish-cream with apical half black (vs. dorsum of the head cream or olive green, with bands on anterior portion of body, a black spot, and a thick postorbital stripe on each side of head). Regarding the sympatric taxa, E. zweifeli differs from E. cobella , E. taeniogaster and E. breviceps by having a cream belly with rectangular marks occupying an area lower than a ventral scale (vs. cream belly scattered of complete black bands, usually occupying two ventral scales); from E. typhlus and E. poecilogyrus by having 17 dorsal scale rows in the midbody (vs. 19 dorsal scale rows in the midbody); from E. taeniurus by having 135–149 ventral scales (vs. 152–181 ventral scales); from E. miliaris by having dorsum of head black with yellow spots and 59–91 subcaudal scales (vs. dorsum of head regularly yellow and 51–64 subcaudal scales).

Redescription of the holotype. Body cylindrical; SVL 447 mm, CL 190 mm (42.5% SVL); head length 22.8 mm, height 7.8 mm, and width 11.6 mm; diameter of ocular orbit 4.3 mm; distance between orbit and rostral shield 5.7 mm; rostral triangular, 4.5 mm wide and 3.2 mm high, visible in dorsal view; internasals two, 1.9 mm length, and 2.1 mm wide; prefrontals two, 3.0 mm length, and 3.1 mm wide, in contact with supraoculars, preocular, loreal, and postnasal; frontal pentagonal, 5.9 mm length, and 4.2 mm wide; parietals two, 6.3 mm length and 4.2 mm wide; supralabials eight, second and third contacting loreal, fourth to fifth contacting eye, and sixth and seventh higher than remaining supralabials; supraoculars longer than wide; nasal divided above nostril and contacting first two supralabials, internasals, prefrontals, loreal, and rostral; loreal tetragonal, 1.3 mm length and 1.9 mm high, contacting second and third supralabials, postnasal, prefrontals, and preocular; preocular contacting supraocular, prefrontal, nasal, third and fourth supralabials; postoculars two, upper postocular higher than lower. Temporals 1+3/1+2, anterior longer than upper posterior temporal; symphysial triangular; infralabials 10, first pair in broad contact behind symphysial; first five pairs contacting chinshields; anterior chinshields 5.9 mm long; posterior chinshields 5.7 mm long; smooth dorsal scale rows 17/17/15, reduction at the level of 80 th /81 st ventrals (right/left); apical pit absent; ventrals 144; subcaudals 81; cloacal plate divided.

Dorsum of head, body and tail yellowish-cream with distal half of scales black; cream marks in anterior portion of cephalic shields; cream parietal mark starting at the level of eighth supralabial, extending into the region of contact between anterior and posterior temporal and anterolateral region of parietal scale; ventral region of body cream, with rectangular spots; tail cream, with spots or dots more concentrated on first subcaudals.

Morphometric and meristic variation (n= 98). SVL 129–553 mm (mean= 358.6; SD= 101.7; n= 97) and CL 46–221 mm (mean= 136; SD= 47; n= 97); head length 10.3–26.0 mm (mean= 18.2; SD= 3.6; n= 93), height 3.7– 9.9 mm (mean= 6.8; SD= 1.4; n= 91), and width 1.8–16.4 mm (mean= 9.8; SD= 2.4; n= 91); diameter of ocular orbit 1.0– 4.7 mm (mean= 3.4; SD= 0.6; n= 90); distance between orbit and rostral shield 2.5–6.3 mm (mean= 4.5; SD= 0.9; n= 90); rostral triangular, 2.0– 5.5 mm wide (mean= 3.6; SD= 0.8; n= 91), 1.4–6.0 mm high (mean= 2.5; SD= 0.6; n= 91); internasals 0.7–7.2 mm long (mean= 1.9; SD= 0.7; n= 92), 1.0– 3.2 mm wide (mean= 2.1; SD= 0.4; n= 91); prefrontals 1.3–3.6 mm long (mean mean= 2.4; SD= 0.5; n= 93), 1.5–3.7 mm wide (mean= 2.6; SD= 0.5; n= 93); frontal pentagonal, 3.0– 6.6 mm long (mean= 5.1; SD= 0.8; n= 93), 2.0– 4.3 mm wide (mean= 3.2; SD= 0.6; n= 93); parietals two, 2.4–8.3 mm long (mean= 6.1; SD= 1.1; n= 93), 2.2–5.5 mm wide (mean= 3.6; SD= 0.6; n= 93); loreal tetragonal, 0.5–2.3 mm long (mean= 1.3; SD= 0.3; n= 93), 0.6–2.4 mm high (mean= 1.6; SD= 0.3; n= 93); infralabials 8–10 (mean= 9.9; SD= 0.3; n= 94); infralabials contacting chinshileds 4–6 (mean= 5.0; SD= 0.2; n= 95); anterior chinshields 2.8–7.3 mm long (mean= 4.6; SD= 0.9; n= 92), posterior chinshields 2.5–6.8 mm long (mean= 4.8; SD= 1.1; n= 92); dorsal scale rows 17 with reduction at the level of 66–90/67–90 ventrals (right/ left, n= 91); ventrals 138–149 in females (mean= 143.1; SD= 2.5; n= 317), 135–149 in males (mean= 143; SD= 3.1; n= 192); subcaudals 73–95 in females (mean= 80.3; SD= 3.7; n= 39), 73–96 in males (mean= 81.4; SD= 5.1; n= 36).

Color pattern in preservative. Dorsum of head, body, and tail creamish-white with distal half of scales black; gular region and supralabials cream; cream marks on anterior region of cephalic shields; cream parietal mark starting at the level of eighth supralabial, extending to the region of contact between anterior and posterior temporal, and anterior-lateral region of the parietal; ventral surface of body creamish-white with rectangular spots; tail creamish-white with spots and points usually more concentrated on the first subcaudals ( Fig. 5A ).

Ontogenetic variation of color in preservative. Hatchlings and juveniles with creamish-white nuchar collar (two to three dorsal scales long), a cream dorsum with the half of scales black, belly scattered with black, and the ventral surface of the tail without spots or dots.

Color in life. Dorsum of head dark grey, with yellowish-cream marks on the anterior region of cephalic shields; gular region and supralabials yellowish-cream; dorsum of head, body and tail yellowish-cream with distal half of the scales black; first two dorsal scale rows with the same pattern as the rest of the body; ventral surface of body and tail yellowish-cream with black spots ( Fig. 6D ).

Hemipenial morphology (everted organ n= 2). Fully everted and maximally expanded hemipenes renders slightly bilobed, non-capitate, and non-calyculated organs; hemipenis with smooth apical disk on the end of lobes; hemipenial body covered by spinules, more concentrated on the marginal region of sulcus spermaticus; lobes with spinules on lateral region of asulcate and sulcate faces; sulcus spermaticus bifurcates at basal region of hemipenial body, branches with centrifugal orientation extending to central region of apical disks; basal region of sulcus with an inflated portion ornamented by elongated spines; intrasulcal region with elongate spines in a row extending into the proximal third of the sulculs spermaticus branches; proximal region of hemipenial body of asulcate face with bulges on both sides, ornamented by elongated spines; medial region of hemipenial body at asulcate face ornamented with a row of elongated spines; region around intrasulcal spines with an area without ornamentation ( Fig. 3D ).

Geographic distribution. Erythrolamprus zweifeli occurs in mountainous regions of the Cordillera de La Costa and Cordillera de Mérida in Venezuela, as well as on the insular region of Trinidad Island ( Fig. 8 ).

Figures

FIGURE 3. Sulcate (left) and asulcate (right) views of the hemipenis of Erythrolamprus reginae (RMNH 42042—A), E. oligolepis (MPEG 23979—B), E. macrosomus (CEPB 2125—C), E. zweifeli (AMNH 137302—D), E. dorsocorallinus (UFAC 129—E), and E. rochai (MPEG 25681—F). Scale Bar = 5 mm.

FIGURE 4. Dorsal (left) and ventral (right) views of the topotype of Erythrolamprus macrosomus (MCP 13063; SVL= 557 mm—A), holotype of Leimadophis zweifeli (MBUCV 95; SVL= 447 mm—B), holotype of Liophis dorsocorallinus (ULABG 6691; SVL= 474 mm—C), and holotype of Liophis miliaris intermedius (ZFMK 34243a; SVL= 340 mm—D). Photos by M. Rivera (A), E. La Marca (B), and M. Franzen (D).

FIGURE 5. Dorsal and lateral views of head; dorsal, ventral and lateral views of midbody; and ventral and lateral views of tail of Erythrolamprus zweifeli (AMNH 137302—A), E. dorsocorallinus (MZUSP 7362—B), and E. rochai (MPEG 25680 -C). Scale Bar = 10 mm.

FIGURE 6. General aspect of individuals in life of Erythrolamprus reginae from Trésor reserve, French Guiana (A), E. oligolepis from Maués, Amazonas, Brazil (B); E. macrosomus from San Sebastian de La Selva, Misiones, Argentina (C); E. zweifeli from Parque Nacional Henri Pittier, Rancho Grande, Aragua, Venezuela (D); E. dorsocorallinus from Boca Pariamanu, Peru (E); and E. dorsocorallinus from Barinas, Venezuela (F). Photos by Trésor Foundation (A), P. Peloso (B), J. Chiavo (C), J. Mejías (D), S. de Jong (E), and D. Sandoval (F).

FIGURE 8. Geographic distribution of the Erythrolamprus reginae species group. White symbols for each species represents literature records; red symbols for each species represents the type localities of each species; the other symbols and colors refer to the specimens examined in first hand.