Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
TO THE
mPS
JAMES R. DIXON
N
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iW^X \
LtDi<^>ri;
SMITHSONIAN
HERPETOLOGICAL INFORMATION
SERVICE
NO.
79
1989
SMITHSONIAN
HERPETOLOGICAL
INFORMATION
SERVICE
The
SHIS
series
publishes
and
distributes
translations, bibliographies, indices, and similar
items judged useful to individuals interested in
biology
the
of
amphibians
and
reptiles,
but
unlikely to be published in the normal technical
journals.
Single copies are distributed free to
interested individuals.
Libraries, herpetological
associations, and research laboratories are invited
to exchange their
publications with us.
INTRODUCTION
The genus Liophis currently contains 35 species and 62 recognized
subspecies.
About 137 names have been proposed, attesting to extensive
qualitative and quantitative variation between and among the species of
Liophis
The purpose of the checklist, keys, and country lists is to offer
museum curators and herpetologists a means to identify the species and
subspecies of one of the most commonly encountered xenodontine snake genera
of the Neotropics.
Species lists are constructed from specimens personally
examined and verified by me.
The keys resulted from an analysis of variation
of 5,198 specimens of all recognized populations.
.
others as recently as
only a few specimens
(most species), or over
data are generally
The checklist contains the accepted name and its author, followed by
primary synonomies, their author(s), date, page number, and type locality.
The primary synonomies are followed by the author, date, and page number of
the first proper usage of the epithet, if necessary for clarification.
Species are arranged alphabetically.
Subspecies are also arranged
alphabetically under each species, except for the nominate race, which is
placed first.
Synonomies for subspecies follow the accepted name, arranged
in alphabetical order, followed by the author(s) name(s).
A statement of
distribution follows the synonomy of each species and subspecies, along with
a citation denoting a publication with a distribution map.
b
3. a
b
4. a
5. a
b
6. a
b
7. a
b
8. a
9. a
b
10. a
b
.iaeqeri
williamsi
29
6
7
flavifrenatus
Seven supralabials
Eight supralabials
8
9
10
19
11
13
11. a
b
12. a
13 a
b
.
One preocul ar
Two preocul ars
12
taeniurus
14
festae
14. a
b
15. a
b
Ventral
Ventral
s
s
<179
>186
15
frenatus
16
17
16. a
b
17. a
.iuliae
epinephelus
18
miliaris
18. a
b
unmarked
marked with black
19. a
b
20. a
21. a
b
22. a
b
23. a
b
24. a
b
s
s
20
25
<167
>182
21
22
23
melanotus
reginae
24
.iaegeri
.iuliae
perfuscus
25. a
b
26. a
b
27 a
Subcaudal
Subcaudal
28. a
b
26
28
27
miliaris
<93
>96
ornatus
cursor
29. a
b
30. a
31. a
b
32. a
b
Ventral
Ventral
s
s
<159
>169
30
39
31
33
32
viridis
atraventer
33 a
.
34. a
b
35. a
One preocul ar
Two preocul ars
34
festae
35
37
36
36. a
37. a
38. a
38
almadensis
39. a
b
40. a
41
Ventral
Ventral
42. a
b
'*0
perfuscus
s
s
<168
>187
41
42
tyfihlus
guenthen
43
4
43. a
45
44
44. a
45. a
b
46. a
b
47. a
b
48. a
anomalus
vanzolinii
47
48
perfuscus
49
49. a
2,
p.
118, Dixon,
1983).
Coronella anomala Gunther 1858:37. Type locality: banks of the Rio Parana.
Lyqophis rutilis Cope 1862:80. Type locality: Rio Tigre, a tributary of the
Rio Parana, Paraguay.
Coronella pulchella Jan 1863:251. Type locality: Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Liophis anomala Amaral 1925:7.
DISTRIBUTION: Southern South America, from northwestern Argentina (Salta)
east-southeast through Uruguay to Porto Alegre, Brasil, south to the province
of Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Liophis atraventer Dixon and Thomas
Liophis atraventer Dixon and Thomas 1985:260. Type locality: Boraceia, Sao
Paulo, Brasil.
SUBSPECIES:
l.a
b
Ventral
Ventral
s
s
breviceps breviceps
breviceps canaimus
<169
>176
(see above)
DISTRIBUTION: Known only from the region of the Rio Ugueto, Amazonas,
Venezuela (see figure 3, p. 154, Dixon 1983).
Liophis cara.iasensis Cunha, Nascimento and Avila-Pires
DISTRIBUTION: Known only from the type locality (see figure between pp. 18 &
19, Cunha, et al 1985).
Liophis cobellus (Linnaeus)
Ventrals >171
Ventrals <164
cobellus ingeri
2
10
2. a
b
3. a
cobellus cobellus
cobellus dvticus
cobellus taeniogaster
(see above)
1983).
ingeri Roze.
DISTRIBUTION: Known only from the Chimanta and Auyan Tepufs, and km
marker 144 of the El Dorado-Santa Elena highway, Bolivar, Venezuela
(see figure 4, p. 158, Dixon 1983).
Liophis cursor (Lacepede)
Coluber
Coluber
Liophis
Liophis
DISTRIBUTION: Known only from the island of Martinique, West Indies (see
figure 1, p. 297, Dixon 1981).
Liophis dilepis (Cope)
11
2. a
3. a
b
Subcaudals <54
Subcaudal s >54
Ventral
Ventral
s
s
<165
>165
epinephelus pseudocobellus
epinephelus .iuvenalis
4
epinephelus bimaculatus
12
4. a
>143
5. a
6. a
7. a
6
7
13
(Bermejo
14
(Gunther)
DISTRIBUTION: Southeast Brasil to coastal Uruguay, and the Rio Parana Basin
of Argentina, Brasil, and Paraguay (see figure 3, p. 184, Dixon 1987).
SUBSPECIES: Two.
l.a
b
(Gunther) 1858.
ineata Jensen.
DISTRIBUTION: Known only from the Rio Parana Basin of Argentina, Brasil,
and Paraguay (see figure 3, p. 184, Dixon 1987).
Liophis .iuliae (Cope)
15
Coluber
Coluber
Coluber
Liophis
DISTRIBUTION: Known only from Rio Manjuro, Amazonas, Brasil, and from
1251'S - 5146'W, Mato Grosso, Brasil (see figure 2, p. 154, Dixon 1983).
Liophis marvel lenae Dixon
Coluber melanotus Shaw 1802:534. Type locality: Cape of Good Hope, Africa (in
error)
Coluber raninus Merrem 1820:106. Type locality: none given.
Coluber vittatus Hallowell 1845:242. Type locality: within 200 miles of
Caracas, Colombia (actually in Venezuela).
Liophis melanonotus Cope 1860:253. (replacement name for melanotus Shaw).
Liophis melanotus Dixon 1980:11.
,
16
l.a
(= Peru).
17
SUBSPECIES: Seven.
l.a
2. a
3. a
4. a
5. a
5.b
18
6. a
1,
p.
792,
(Wied)
1821.
19
Dromicus ornatus Garman 1887:281. Type locality: Saint Lucia, West Indies.
Dromicus qiqanteus Jan 1863:67. Type locality: unknown (see Dixon, 1981,
concerning the nature of this senior synonym).
Leimadophis boulenqeri Barbour 1914:339 (replacement name for ornatus Garman)
Liophis ornatus Dixon 1981:13.
,
DISTRIBUTION: Saint Lucia and the satellite island of Maria (see figure
792, Dixon 1983).
1,
p.
Lyqophis paucidens Hoge 1953:253. Type locality: Mato Verde, Mato Grosso,
Brasil
Liophis paucidens Dixon 1980:13.
,
(see figure 3, p. 9,
DISTRIBUTION: Known only from the West Indian island of Barbados (see figure
1, p. 297, Dixon 1981).
Liophis poeciloqyrus (Wied)
20
DISTRIBUTION: Much of eastern South America, from Venezuela (?) east and
south through Brasil to central Bolivia, southeast into northeastern
Argentina.
SUBSPECIES: None to possibly nine.
I do not recognize subspecies of this
taxon because of the mosaic nature of the variation examined thus far.
Note
that there are three senior synonyms for the name poeciloqyrus
Any use of a
senior synonym would upset the stability of the long, continued use of
poeciloqyrus in the literature, and I recommend none be used.
.
21
2. a
b
3. a
4. a
5. a
reqinae zweifeli
reqinae semilineatus
4
5
2,
p.
118,
22
(Roze)
1959.
23
in der heissen
(see figure
1,
DISTRIBUTION: Rainforests of the Guiana Shield and Amazon Basin, also the
Chaco and Cerrado of Bolivia, Brasil, and Paraguay, (see figure 1, p. 175,
Dixon 1987).
SUBSPECIES: Three.
l.a
b
2. a
24
DISTRIBUTION: Known only from three localities in the western part of the
Argentine state of Cordoba (see figure 1, p. 566, Dixon 1985),
Liophis viridis Giinther
Liophis viridis Giinther 1862:58. Type locality: Pernambuco, Brasil
Liophis tvphlus prasina Jan and Sordelli 1866:18(4)(3)
Type locality:
Brasil
.
(see
SUBSPECIES: Two.
l.a
b
viridis viridis
viridis prasinus
(see figure 2, p.
181,
Dixon
1987).
Liophis williamsi
(Roze)
El
25
2,
26
COUNTRY LISTS
(containing taxa of Liophis )
BRAS I
CENTRAL AMERICA
COSTA RICA
Liophis epinephelus .iuvenal is
PANAMA
Liophis epinephelus .iuvenal is
Liophis epinephelus epinephelus
Liophis 1 ineatus
SOUTH AMERICA
ARGENTINA
Liophi
Liophi
Liophi
Liophi
Liophi
Liophi
Liophi
Liophis
Liophi
Liophi
Liophi
Liophi
Liophi
BOLIVIA
Liophi
sp.
nov.
anomalus
eleqantissimus
flavifrenatus
quentheri
.iaeqeri corall iventris
mil iaris semiaureus
meridional is
27
PERU
ECUADOR
Liophis
Liophis
Liophis
Liophis
Liophis
Liophis
Liophis
Liophis
Liophis
Liophis
Liophis
Liophis
Liophis
breviceps breviceps
cobellus dvticus
epinephelus albiventris
epinephelus bimaculatus
epinephelus epinephelus
epinephelus fraseri
epinephelus lamonae
festae
1 ineatus
mil iaris chrvsostomus
reqinae semil ineatus
taeniurus
typhlus tvphlus
FRENCH GUIANA
Liophis
Liophis
Liophis
Liophis
Liophis
Liophis
Liophis
breviceps breviceps
cobellus cobellus
1 ineatus
mil iaris mil iaris
poeciloqyrus
reqinae reqinae
tvphlus typhlus
GUYANA
Liophis
Liophis
Liophis
Liophis
Liophis
Liophis
Liophis
breviceps breviceps
cobellus cobellus
1 ineatus
mil iaris mil iaris
poeciloqyrus
reqinae reqinae
typhlus typhlus
PARAGUAY
Liophis
Liophis
Liophis
Liophis
Liophis
Liophis
Liophis
Liophis
Liophis
Liophis
Liophis
Liophis
Liophis
almadensis
dilepis
flavifrenatus
frenatus
quentheri
iaeqeri cora11 iventris
lonqiventris
meridionalis
mil iaris semiaureus
poeciloqyrus
reqinae macrosomus
saqittifer modestus
typhlus elaeoides
Liophis
Liophis
Liophis
Liophis
Liophis
Liophis
Liophis
Liophis
Liophis
Liophis
breviceps breviceps
cobellus dyticus
epinephelus fraseri
festae
mil iaris chrvsostomus
problematicus
mil iaris chrvsostomus
reqinae semil ineatus
taeniurus
typhlus typhlus
SURINAME
Liophis
Liophis
Liophis
Liophis
Liophis
Liophis
Liophis
breviceps breviceps
cobellus cobellus
1 ineatus
mil iaris mil iaris
poeciloqyrus
reqinae reqinae
tvphlus typhlus
URUGUAY
Liophis
Liophis
Liophis
Liophis
anomalus
.iaeqeri .iaeqeri
mil iaris semiaureus
poeciloqyrus
VENEZUELA
Liophis
Liophis
Liophis
Liophis
Liophis
Liophis
Liophis
Liophis
Liophis
Liophis
Liophis
Liophis
Liophis
breviceps breviceps
breviceps canaimus
cobellus cobellus
cobellus trebbaui
epinephelus opisthotaenius
1 ineatus
melanotus melanotus
melanotus subspecies
poeciloqyrus (?)
reqinae semil ineatus
reqinae zweifeli
typhlus typhlus
wiHiamsi
CARIBBEAN ISLANDS
BARBADOS
Liophis perfuscus
28
CURACAO
Liophis triscalis
DOMINICA
Liophis .iuliae
GUADELOUPE
Liophis .iuliae
MARIE-GALANTE
Liophis .iuliae
MARTINIQUE
Liophis cursor
SAINT LUCIA
Liophis ornatus
TOBAGO
Liophis melanotus
Liophis reqinae
TRINIDAD
Liophis cobellus cobellus
Liophis melanotus subsp.
Liophis reqinae zweifeli
SOUTH AMERICA
No. 3
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62
64
L_
66
Montserrat
A
Guadeloupe
16-
-16
Marie-Galante
'.
L.
Desirade
juliae
Dominica
L.
cursor
Martinique
L.
ornatus
-14
14-
Santa Lucia
Barbados
L.
L.
triscalis
perfuscus
Curacao
Q'
12-
^.-
The Grenadines
Grenada
-12
/^ Tobago
<i-
L.
L.
L.
reginae
cobellus
melanotus
Trinidad
+
62
-10