Bothrocophias myrringae sp. nov.
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publication ID |
https://dx.doi.org/10.3897/vz.72.e87313 |
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lsid:zoobank.org:pub:8BD90760-0230-4339-A2E9-06E99D0D6DEB |
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https://treatment.plazi.org/id/D9A9BE21-B0FA-5DA9-8530-8F227DC08F75 |
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treatment provided by |
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scientific name |
Bothrocophias myrringae sp. nov. |
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Bothrocophias myrringae sp. nov.
Figs 1 View Figure 1 , 6G-I View Figure 6 , 7 View Figure 7 , 8A-C View Figure 8
Chresonymy.
Bothrocophias microphthalmus . Campbell and Lamar (1989): page 255, figure 229; Campbell and Lamar (2004): Volume 1, Plate 474.
Holotype.
[Figs 1 View Figure 1 , 6G-I View Figure 6 , 7 View Figure 7 , 8A-C View Figure 8 ] INSZ 0268, an adult male from vereda Mundo Nuevo, municipality of La Calera, department of Cundinamarca, Colombia, coordinates: N 4.660602778, W -73.88491667; elevation 2,761 m. a.s.l. The specimen was collected by local people and brought to Francisco Javier Ruiz, staff of the INS, on 29th August 2020.
Paratypes.
COLOMBIA [n =5; Fig. 8C-D View Figure 8 ]: Cundinamarca: Municipality of Guayabetal. Locality: unknown, IAvH-R 6877, coordinates N 4.17508, W -73.88117 (approximate to the town). Municipality of Choachí. Locality: Palo Alto, IAvH-R6840, coordinates N 4.61578, W -73.8904. Municipality of Fómeque. Locality: vereda de Coasavistá, INSV-SR-00365, coordinates N 4.495001, W -73.852056. - Meta: Municipality of El Calvario. Locality: unknown, INSVSR-0099, coordinates N 4.358925, W -73.71358889. Municipality of San Juanito. Locality: unknown, IAvH-R7045, coordinates N 4.457913889, W -73.67618889 (approximate to the town).
Diagnosis.
Bothrocophias myrringae sp. nov. can be distinguished from all its congeners by the following combination of characters: (1) 157-161 ventral scales in females, 152-155 ventral scales in males; (2) internasal scales in contact or separated by a single small scale (3) absence of canthorostral scales; (4) lacunolabial scale usually present; (5) hemipenial lobes slim and cylindrical, moderately capitate distally, weakly ornamented toward the apex with large and scarce calyces with weakly spinulate edges; (8) bifurcation point of the hemipenial lobes about 2-4 sudcaudal scales; (9) hemipenial body ornamented by numerous mesial spines that increase in size from the center to periphery of the hemipenial body and arranged in oblique lines; (10) in sulcate view, lateral and mesial spines of the hemipenial body variable in size; (11) sulcus spermaticus walls weakly defined; (12) usually more than 28 dark-brown bands and/or opposite or juxtaposed trapezoid-shaped blotches with paler centers dorsally; and (13) ventral surfaces of the tail with bright reddish or orange-reddish speckles with black spots without a regular pattern and heavily marked with dark pigment towards the base (Fig. 7 View Figure 7 ).
Comparisons.
Bothrocophias myrringae sp. nov. can be distinguished from all its congeners by its creamy yellow ventral surfaces and ventral scales mottled with dark brown pigment, becoming creamy white toward the edges in contact with the paraventral scales, forming a white-cream paraventral stripe which proximally fuses with the final edges of the postocular stripe, and distally is interrupted by dark spots without a regular pattern; mesial ventral surfaces become heavily mottled with dark brown pigment toward the tail (versus homogeneously dark brown to black in B. campbelli ; heavily mottled with dark brown pigment, with the pale interspaces between the ventrolateral blotches encroaching on the lateral edges of the ventral scales in B. colombianus ; greyish brown medially, becoming paler laterally, with or without alternating dark brown spots in B. hyoprora ; yellow mottled with pale to dark brown, darker posteriorly in B. lojanus ; pale pink to almost white in B. myersi ); ventral tail surface bright reddish or orange-reddish speckles with black spots in an irregular pattern, and the base of tail heavily marked with dark pigment (versus base of tail dark brown and distally yellow or yellow-green in B. andianus ; bright yellow to tan with diffuse grayish or brown pigment in B. campbelli ; cream or pale yellow with a sparse peppering of brown in B. colombianus ; whitish with a moderate suffusion of grey in B. myersi . Comparisons of meristic and hemipenial characters with all its congeners of toadheaded pitvipers are summarized in Table 4 View Table 4 .
Bothrocophias myrringae sp. nov. can be distinguished from Ecuadorian, Peruvian, and Bolivian populations of toadheaded pitvipers currently classified as B. microphthalmus by ventral surface of tail with uniformly bright reddish or orange-reddish speckles with black spots without a regular pattern (versus heavily marked proximally with black or dark brown pigment, medially mottled with pale to dark brown, and distally with pale diffuse or pale mottling with interspaces in Bolivian and Peruvian populations). Comparisons of meristic and hemipenial characters with the Ecuadorian, Peruvian, and Bolivian populations of toadheaded pitvipers the complex are summarized in Table 5 View Table 5 .
Description of holotype.
(Figs 5 View Figure 5 - 7 View Figure 7 , Table 3 View Table 3 ) Male, small (SVL = 542 mm, TL = 95 mm, ratio 17.5%), head and body strongly differentiated by nuchal constriction; head longer than wide (HW/HL 53.3%); snout prognathous and not upturned; absence of nasorostral and canthorostral scales; two internasal scales in contact; rostral visible from dorsal view and in narrow contact with internasal scales; two canthal scales in broad contact with internasals, the first preocular, and loreal scales in lateral view; three intercanthal scales; two supraocular scales wider than long (SW/SL= 66.4%); seven intersupraocular scales; 26 interrictal scales; two nasal scales: anterior nasal scale in broad contact with rostral, internasal, and first supralabial scale, and posterior nasal scale in contact with loreal, two prefoveal, and subnasal scales; a single subnasal scale; two prefoveal scales on both sides of the head; a single lacunolabial scale in broad contact with the first and second supralabial scales as well as with prefoveal and loreal scales, and in narrow contact with supralacunal scale; a single supralacunal scale in broad contact with first preocular scale and in narrow contact with second preocular and loreal scales; a single sublacunal in broad contact with second supralabial, and in narrow contact with third preocular, lacunolabial, and single posfoveal scale; a single subocular scale; a single posfoveal scale; five interoculolabial scales; two postocular scales; six supralabial scales, second supralabial slightly higher and wider than fourth to seventh supralabial scales, and notably higher and wider than first supralabial scale; eight infralabial scales, first infralabial scales separated by mental scale and in broad contact with first pair of gular scales, second and third infralabial scales in contact with first pair of gular scales; three pairs of gular scales; four preventral scales; dorsal scale rows 21-23-19; 155 ventral scales; anal scale single; 54 subcaudal scales; slender tail not prehensile.
Color of the holotype in life.
(Fig. 8A-B View Figure 8 ) The dorsal surface of the head has a dark to reddish-brown ground color with diffuse dark brown marks without a distinctive pattern. The lateral surface of the head is scattered pale yellow from the snout to anterior edge of the eye; a conspicuous dark-brown postocular stripe with white edges running obliquely from the posterior edge of the eye to the angle formed by the quadrate and jaw bone joint encompasses the temporal scales, the last two supralabial scales, the last infralabial scale, and the mesial scales located between the preventral and infralabial scales; conspicuous tricolored ocelli present on fourth to sixth infralabial scales with white or white-cream centers, followed by dark-brown or black edge, and an external broader edge yellow or reddish-yellow. Ventral surfaces of the head are tan with a peppering of brown and dark yellow without ocelli. Ground color of the dorsal body surfaces is pale yellow, tan to brown mottled with dark brown-reddish pigment and weak orange speckles; 34 dark-brown dorsal bands and/or opposite or juxtaposed trapezoid-shaped blotches with pale centre ornamented with or without brown spots. Ventral scales are creamish yellow with ventral scales heavily marked, with brown-reddish and dark yellow pigment towards the edges in contact with the paraventral scales and spotted without a regular pattern on the mesial surface with a conspicuous white-cream paraventral stripe which proximally fuses with the final edges of the postocular stripe, and distally is interrupted by dark spots without a regular pattern. Dorsal surfaces of the tail covered by two broad dark brown bands separated by three narrow pale bands that fuse toward the distal end of the tail; ventral tail surface bright reddish or orange-reddish, darkening heavily towards the base, speckled with black spots in an irregular.
Color of the holotype in ethanol.
(Fig. 6 View Figure 6 ) After six months in ethanol, dark brown and brown coloration was maintained, and surfaces with brown-reddish, reddish-yellow, and yellow coloration became pale grey or creamy white.
Color pattern variation.
(Fig. 8C-D View Figure 8 ) Adults of Bothrocophias myrringae sp. nov. exhibit sexual dimorphism. The dorsal, lateral, and ventral surfaces of the head and body of males are melanized with conspicuous tricolored ocelli on the third to seventh infralabial scales, and the lateral and ventral surfaces of the head in females exhibit a homogenous creamish yellow to pale yellow coloration without ocelli in the labials and gular scales (Fig. 8C-D View Figure 8 ). In addition, eye color in males is usually homogeneously mottled with dark brown pigment and weak orange speckles around the pupil; in females, it is orange-gold with a peppering of brown. One female (IAvH-R7045: San Juanito, Meta) has 25 dorsal bands, which was an unusual count among our samples.
Meristic variation.
(Table 4 View Table 4 ) Female and male adults of Bothrocophias myrringae sp. nov. exhibit sexual dimorphism in ventral scale counts (Table 4 View Table 4 ). One female (IAvH-R6877: Guayabetal, Cundinamarca) has a single canthorostral scale on the right side of the head. One male (INSVSR-00099: El Calvario, Meta) lacks a lacunolabial scale on both sides of the head, and this is the only specimen showing this condition.
Hemipenial morphology.
(n =2, Fig. 5D-F View Figure 5 ) Hemipenes in situ extend to the level of the 8th or 12th subcaudal scale, bilobation point ranges between the 2rd and 4th subcaudal scale. Everted and inflated, the organ is deeply bilobed, bicalyculate and moderately capitate distally; hemipenial lobes slim and cylindrical; in sulcate view, lobe crotch ornamented with scattered spinules; sulcus spermaticus cetrolineal, bifurcate and with walls weakly defined, bifurcation occurs below bilobation point and proximal to the midpoint of the hemipenial body; sulcus spermaticus branch runs to lobe tips; intrasulcar area barely covered with spines that increase in size distally; second half of each hemipenal lobe scarcely ornamented by large calyces with weakly defined edges; sulcus spermaticus walls weakly defined. In sulcate view, hemipenial body barely covered with small spines proximally; hemipenial body ornamented medially by few large and strongly calcified mesial spines arranged in oblique rows, with lateral and mesial spines of the hemipenial body variable in size; the spines in each lobe are replaced distally by large calyces with weakly spinulate edges. In lateral view, hemipenial body barely covered with small spines proximally; lobes ornamented medially by scattered, large, and strongly calcified lateral spines that increase in size distally; and the large spines replaced distally by large, weakly defined calyces. In asulcate view, the hemipenial body is barely covered with small spines proximally; hemipenial body ornamented medially by scattered, large, and strongly calcified lateral spines arranged in oblique rows which increase in size distally; and the spines in each lobe replaced by large and poorly developed calyces through an oblique cut.
Etymology.
The specific epithet Bothrocophias myrringae is the Latin translation of the Spanish nickname “Mirringa,” which means “pinch” or something very small. The word “Mirringa” was popularized by Rafael Pombo (1833-1912), a Colombian poet and writer who wrote a popular fable titled "Mirringa Mirronga." Given the popularity of the fable, as well as the homophonic similarity of “Mirringa” and the name “Myriam,” the nickname “Myrringa” began to be used as a term of endearment. The name of the new species is in honor of the educator Myriam Sierra Guerrero (mother of the first author). She was the philosophical and conceptual advisor of professor Tulio Manuel Angarita Serrano and contributed to the development of the modern Colombian education model that all schools within Colombia currently employ. Professor Sierra Guerrero also helped develop the theoretical framework for the implementation of institutional educational projects in Colombian public and private schools (see Angarita-Serrano 1990; Angarita-Serrano 1994; Angarita-Serrano and Chaves 1995; Angarita-Serran 1996; Angarita-Serrano 2000).
Distribution and natural history.
The known localities of Bothrocophias myrringae sp. nov. are from 1754 to 2761 m a.s.l. in both the central mountains and eastern slopes of the Cordillera Oriental of Colombia in the municipalities of La Calera, Choachí, Fómeque, and Guayabetal (Cundinamarca), and El Calvario and San Juanito (Meta, Fig. 9 View Figure 9 ). Bothrocophias myrringae sp. nov. appears to be associated with cloud montane, high Andean Forest, and subparamos but is also tolerant of disturbed or transformed habitats such as livestock pastures and agricultural fields. The new species was found in sympatry with Bothrops atrox in localities from Fómeque. No natural history data are available.
Envenomation.
A total of three snakebite events in the last decade might have potentially been caused by B. myrringae sp. nov., all of which were from the municipality of El Calvario (Meta). Each case was categorized as mild, moderate, and severe, respectively, and one fatality was reported. Local symptoms reported included oedema (100%), pain (100%), erythema (66%), and phlyctens (33%); systemic symptoms included respiratory failure (33%) and muscular weakness (33%). Symptoms such as paresthesia ecchymosis, bruising, sickness, vomit, vertigo, gingivorrhagia, hematuria, and altered vision were not reported.
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