Synophis calamitus Hillis, 1990

Pyron, R. Alexander, Guayasamin, Juan M., Penafiel, Nicolas, Bustamante, Lucas & Arteaga, Alejandro, 2015, Systematics of Nothopsini (Serpentes, Dipsadidae), with a new species of Synophis from the Pacific Andean slopes of southwestern Ecuador, ZooKeys 541, pp. 109-147 : 123-125

Taxon classification Animalia Squamata Colubridae

Synophis calamitus Hillis, 1990

Holotype.

KU 197107, 4 km SE Tandayapa, Pichincha Province, Ecuador.

Paratype. KU 164208, 9km SE Tandayapa, Pichincha Province, Ecuador.

Etymology.

From the Latin for “calamity,” referring to accidents that befell the original collectors ( Hillis 1990).

Description.

A group of relatively small (~450mm SVL) dipsadine snakes of the cloud forests of the Pacific versant of the Andean highlands of Ecuador diagnosable by 9-11 infralabials, 7-9 supralabials, fused prefrontals, internasals separated, loreal present, 1 or 2 postoculars, 163-166 ventrals, 110-125 subcaudals, dorsal scales in (21-23)-19-17 weakly keeled rows, neural spine expanded and flattened, and laterally expanded zygapophyses. Known from middle to high-elevation (~1900-2200m) cloud forests north of the Río Toachi. Nothing is known of diet or reproduction.

Notes.

A detailed description was also provided by Hillis (1990). The hemipenes have likely not been examined. Easily confused with Synophis bicolor ; at least one specimen (QCAZ 11931) from near the type locality was originally mis-identified (O. Torres-Carvajal, pers. comm.). We suggest that all populations north of the Río Toachi are likely to represent Synophis calamitus . As mentioned above, one specimen apparently matching Synophis bicolor (BMNH 1940.2.30.31) is known from Río Soloya near Mindo north of Río Toachi, but this may have been mis-labeled, or mis-referenced geographically. The specimen of " Synophis bicolor " examined by Zaher (1999), QCAZ 452, cannot be located (O. Torres-Carvajal, pers. comm.), but originates from Chiriboga, Pichincha Province, Ecuador, north of Río Toachi, and thus may represent an Synophis calamitus . If this is the case, the hemipenes of Synophis calamitus and Synophis lasallei are nearly identical ( Zaher 1999; Martinez 2011). Finally, one specimen sequenced here from Tambo Tanda (MZUTI 3694) appears to have aberrantly subdivided head scales, possessing one extra postocular, and 2 extra supralabials and infralabials (Fig. 8), which are misshapen and abnormally small. The badly damaged paratype also appears to have two postoculars on one side (O. Torres-Carvajal, pers. comm.). Thus, we concur with Hillis (1990) that one postocular, 7 or 8 supralabials, and 9 infralabials (along with the divided internasals and smooth anterior dorsal scale-rows) are generally diagnostic of the species, but with rare individual variation.