Oxybelis rutherfordi, Jadin & Blair & Orlofske & Jowers & Rivas & Vitt & Ray & Smith & Murphy, 2020

Jadin, Robert C., Blair, Christopher, Orlofske, Sarah A., Jowers, Michael J., Rivas, Gilson A., Vitt, Laurie J., Ray, Julie M., Smith, Eric N. & Murphy, John C., 2020, Not withering on the evolutionary vine: systematic revision of the Brown Vine Snake (Reptilia: Squamata: Oxybelis) from its northern distribution, Organisms Diversity & Evolution (New York, N. Y.) 20 (4), pp. 723-746 : 737-741

Oxybelis rutherfordi sp. nov.

Rutherford’ s Vine Snake

Dendrophis auratus – Court 1858: 411

Dryiophis aeneus – Garman 1887: 284

Oxybelis acuminatus – Mole and Urich 1894: 86 Oxybelis aeneus aeneus – Bogert and Oliver 1945: 381 Oxybelis aeneus – Beebe 1952: 175

Oxybelis A. aeneus – Wehekind 1960: 75

Oxybelis ae. aeneus – Mertens 1972: 18

Holotype UTA R-64851 ( Figs. 12 and 13), from Trinidad, Arima Valley, William Beebe Tropical Research Centre , circa 6 km N Arima, 247 m, 10° 41′ 32″ N, 61° 17′ 22″ W. Collected by Mike G. Rutherford 20:00 h, 31 March 2018. Measurement: SVL 745 mm, total length 1245 mm

Paratypes FMNH 215839 , Trinidad, circa 2 miles south of Simla-Quarry Rd. , on Arima-Blanchisseuse Rd. (10° 39′2 1.73″ N, 61° 17′ 22.77″ W) , JCM, M. Dloogatch, and Reznick ; FMNH 49978 and 49982 Trinidad, San Rafael (10° 33′ 59 ″ N, 61° 15′ 59″ W) ; FMNH 215838 , circa 3 mi. south of Simla-Quarry Rd. , on Arima-Blanchisseuse Rd., egg farm (10° 39′ 38″ N, 61° 17′ 22″ W) , collected by JCM, M. Dloogatch, and R. Humbert ; MBLUZ 1268 , between San Francisco de Macanao and Cerro Los Cedros, Isla de Margarita, Nueva Esparta, Venezuela (11° 01′ 34″ N, 64° 17′ 30″ W) by Gilson Rivas, Eusebio Millán, Ángel Fernández, and Reina Gonto on 10 October 2013. FMNH 17839–40 , Puerto Viejo , Península de Paria, Sucre, Venezuela .

Diagnosis Using data from our examination of specimens from northern South America, we constructed the following description for Oxybelis rutherfordi . A vine snake with (1) two upper labials (4–5) bordering the orbit; (2) black spots or bars on anterior body, dorsum mostly uniform brown with little black pigment; there are small scattered black spots on the dorsum; (3) venter finely mottled with a pale mid-ventral stripe; (4) preocular shorter than the diameter of the eye; (5) second pair of chin shields in contact for most of their length; (6) eight upper labials with three labials behind orbit; (7) snout from above narrow, tapered, and rounded at the rostrum (snout type B); (8) supraoculars longer than the prefrontals; (9) last upper labial longer than the primary temporal; (10) lower surface of head uniform in color; (11) second upper labial does not contact the preocular.

Description of holotype ( UTA R-64851, Fig. 12 ) A female, SVL 735 mm, tail length 510 mm. Rostral broader than tall, barely visible from above; upper labials 8/8; internasals paired, extending to the anterior border of the second upper labial but not past the nasal, which is longer than both and extends to the middle of the second upper labial; prefrontals paired, contact upper labials 2–3 and nasal; frontal (circa 6.5 mm long) and supraoculars (circa 6 mm long) elongated; paired parietals circa 7.5 mm; supraoculars and parietals, contact upper postocular; postoculars 2/2, upper larger; upper labials 3–4 contact the

Fig. 13 Holotype Oxybelis rutherfordi sp. nov., UTA R-64851, preserved; a dorsal; b top of the head; c profile; d ventral views. Scale bar = 1 cm

preocular, 4–5 are in the orbit; 6–7–8 contact the primary temporal; 6 interrictals; one preocular less than the diameter of the eye; lower labials 8/8, first four contact the first pair of chin shields; second pair of chin shields longest; three paired gulars. Dorsal scales smooth in 17–17–13 rows. Ventrals in eight males vary from 183 to 188 (x = 185, SD = 1.87); ventrals in eight females vary from 180 to 190 (x = 184.63, SD = 3.42).

Variation: Rostral visible from above and followed by nine plate-like scales on the crown: a pair of internasals, a pair of prefrontals, the frontal and two larger supraoculars, and a pair of parietals. The preoculars extend slightly on to the crown between the prefrontals and supraoculars. Internasals are about 0.83 of the prefrontals. Preoculars are about 55% of the eye diameter. In profile, the nasal scale is elongate extending from the edge of the rostral, beyond the posterior edge of the internasal to the anterior border of the fused prefrontal–loreal. The preocular scale is short and less than the diameter of the eye. Scales bordering the orbit are the preocular, supraocular, two small post oculars, and upper labials 4–5 or 5–6. The primary temporal contacts both postoculars, the parietal, and two secondary temporals, as well as upper labials 6–7–8. Upper labials can be seven to nine, but most often eight. The shortest upper labial can be the first or the eighth. The longest upper labial is the last (eighth or ninth). Upper labials 1–2 contact the nasal, 2–3 contact the prefrontal–loreal, and 3–4 contact the preocular. The tallest upper labial can be the fifth or sixth. Lower labials can number seven through 10, usually eight; the first four contact the anterior chin shields; a total of six contact both pair of chin shields. The anterior pair of chin shields are shorter (about 50%) than the length of the second pair of chin shields; the second pair are in contact anteriorly and partially separated by a pair of scales posteriorly. Dorsal scales are in 17–17–15 rows.

In males, total lengths vary from 671 to 1475 mm (n = 8, x = 1075.25, SD = 210.45), SVL varies from 391 to 860 mm (n = 8, x = 658.75, SD = 128.1), tail lengths vary from 280 to 449 mm (n = 7, x = 422.14, SD = 65.94), and tail/SVL ratios vary from 0.64 to 0.73 (n = 7, x = 0.70, SD = 0.03). In females, total lengths vary from 831 to 1274 mm (n = 8, x = 1090.63, SD = 166.01) and tails vary from 382 to 521 mm (n = 7, x = 464.0, SD = 56.15). Tail/SVL ratios in females vary from 0.643 to 0.715 (x = 0.68, SD = 0.027).

Ventrals in males vary from 183 to 188 (n = 8, x = 185.0, SD = 4.88); ventrals in females vary from 180 to 190 (n = 10, x = 184.63, SD = 3.42). Subcaudals in males vary from 163 to 175 (n = 5, x = 168.4, SD = 4.18). Ventrals in females vary from 180 to 190 (n = 8, x = 184.63, SD = 3.42); subcaudals in females, 162–171 (n = 6, mean = 166.33, SD = 3.25).

Size: To at least 1668 m in total length based on UWIZM.2012.27.49.

Coloration and pattern ( Figs. 12 and 14 ) Crown is brown sometimes with small black spots. Overall head and body brown or gray–brown, upper and lower labials intense yellow and separated from the brown by a black stripe on the dorsal edge of the second labial that extends past the eye to the last labial; ventral surface of head yellow transitioning to cream posteriorly. Small black dash-like marks on scale rows 1–7 on the upper edge of each scale, separated by two scale rows. Ventral surface is yellow to cream with finely stippled pigment most restricted to the outer edges of the ventrals leaving an indistinct mid-ventral stripe. Ventrals may have small black marks with irregular borders. In preservative, the brown pigment fades to gray.

Geographic distribution It occurs on both islands of Trinidad and Tobago and on the adjacent mainland of Venezuela, including Margarita Island and Los Testigos Archipelago. The species also is present in most of Northern Venezuela from the eastern Andes to the Peninsula de Paria, including the coastal ranges, and into French Guiana. It also occurs in lowland areas such as the Llanos and the Orinoco Delta in the Venezuelan Guayana.

Remarks Population from the Maracaibo-like basin and those from the Cordillera de Merida on the Venezuelan Andes need to be evaluated to assess if these are conspecific with O. rutherfordi . We believe it is likely that the population from southern and Amazonian Venezuela are O. aeneus .

Habitat The holotype was resting coiled on a branch of Miconia sp. (family Melastomataceae ) shrub at night, in a garden approx. 5 m from a building. Top of the head and dorsum light brown with occasional dark flecks, lateral stripe on head darker brown, venter yellow on head and first few centimeters of body then fading to light tan. This species has been found in relatively open habitats at Aripo Savanna in Trinidad as well as in secondary forests and in forest edge situations. On Tobago, it was found in roadside vegetation and in old cacao plantations. In Venezuela, MBLUZ 1268 was collected active in a bush circa 1.5 m above the ground on a dry creek.

Etymology This snake is named in honor of Mike G. Rutherford, collector of the holotype and curator of the Zoology Museum at the University of the West Indies, for his contributions to the zoology and natural history of Trinidad and Tobago.

Comparison A vine snake with eight upper labials, two of them border the orbit, three are behind the orbit, and the shortest is the seventh. All other brown vine snake species have eight or nine upper labials with three bordering the orbit and the shortest is the seventh. Oxybelis aeneus , O. koehleri , O. microphthalmus , and those from Panama have eight or nine upper labials and the fifth is the shortest.

Figures

Fig. 12 Holotype (UTA R-64851) of Oxybelis rutherfordi sp. nov. in life prior to preserva- tion collected in the Arima Valley, Trinidad (M.G. Rutherford)

Fig. 14 Oxybelis rutherfordi sp. nov. in life. a and b Tobago specimens. JCM; c Aripo Savanna, Trinidad. JCM; d an exceptionally large specimen (2.1 m) from Tobago (M. Patrikeev)