Helicops sp.

Schoeneberg, Yannis & Koehler, Gunther, 2022, Distribution and identification of the species in the genus Helicops Wagler, 1830 (Serpentes, Colubridae, Xenodontinae), Biodiversity Data Journal 10, pp. 69234-69234 : 69234

Helicops sp.

Materials

Type status: Other material. Occurrence: catalogNumber: SMF 34035 ; recordedBy: E. Bresslau leg.; individualCount: 1; sex: female; Taxon: scientificName: Helicops sp.; Location : country: Brazil; stateProvince: Pernambuco; Event : year: 1913-1914; Record Level : institutionID: SMF

Diagnosis

The female specimen SMF 34035 is distinguished from all other congeners, except H. angulatus , H. infrataeniatus and H. modestus by having 17 dorsal scale rows at mid-body and posterior body and 124 ventrals (compared to 111-117 in H. nentur ). From the rest, it differs in having a black venter with cream, narrow transversal bands, which are approximately a ventral scale wide, often left and right halves are shifted one ventral scale, forming a pattern resembling a chessboard. Helicops angulatus has a banded venter, Helicops infrataeniatus has a venter either with three black stripes on a cream background or checkered black and cream, sometimes red, H. modestus has a uniform cream venter. Additionally, the specimen can be distinguished from H. infrataeniatus by its distribution. It originates from the Brazilian Province Pernambuco, whereas H. infrataeniatus occurs no further north than Mato Grosso do Sul in Brazil (Pholidosis of specimen 34035, see Table 3 ; for information on references, see Suppl. material 3).

Distribution

The specimen originates from the Province Pernambuco in Brazil, no exact locality is available.