A Revision of Snakes of the Genus Conophis (Family Colubridae, from Middle America)Wellman, John
Science
A Revision of Snakes of the Genus Conophis (Family Colubridae, from Middle America)
Wellman, John
Conophis; Snakes -- Central America
MÉXICO: _Campeche_: Champotón, UMMZ 73063-66; Encarnación, CNHM
106462. _Yucatán: no specific locality_, BMNH 80.7.13.30; Chichén
Itzá, AMNH 38826, 38833, CNHM 20610-11, 26986-87, 36299-300, 36303-04,
36307, 36316, MCZ 7422, 28748, UMMZ 68236, 73060-62, 80806, USNM
46395; Kantunil, CNHM 36301, 36305-06, 36308-09, 36312-13; _Libré
Union_, CNHM 36298, 36302, 36310-11, 36314; Mayapán, CNHM 40720;
Mérida, CNHM 19411, 19413, NMW 16828; Progreso, CNHM 40721; Tekom,
CNHM 49374; Yokdzonot, CNHM 36315.
=Conophis nevermanni= Dunn
_Coniophanes imperialis imperialis_, Wettstein, Sitz. Akad.
Wiss. Wien. mathem-naturw. Kl., 143:37-38, 1934.
_Conophis nevermanni_ Dunn, Copeia, no. 4:214, December 31,
1937; Smith, Proc. U. S. Natl. Mus., 92:395, November 5, 1942;
Savage, Trans. Kansas Acad. Sci., 50:484, December 31, 1949;
Taylor, Univ. Kansas Sci. Bull., 34(pt. 1): 145-146, October
1, 1951.
_Type._--Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, no. 22423,
obtained by Emmet R. Dunn from Prof. Manuel Valerio. Type locality:
Río Poas de Aserri (a few miles south of San José), Costa Rica.
_Diagnosis._--Head and body dark brown or black above with two or four
white stripes along body; usually two white lines on head immediately
above eye passing from canthus rosetralis posteriorly to connect with
white stripe on 6th row of dorsal scales; eight supralabials with
black margins above.
_Variation._--Six specimens have 173 to 183 (176.5 ± 4.00) ventrals.
Five of these snakes having complete tails have 71 to 89 (80.6 ± 7.15)
subcaudals; the number of ventrals plus subcaudals varies from 250 to
263 (257.0). In the six specimens the reduction from 19 to 17 dorsal
scales takes place between ventrals 84 and 97 (93.2 ± 4.71). Sexual
dimorphism is evident in the number of subcaudals; two females have 71
and 76 (73.5), and three males have 82 to 89 (85.3) subcaudals. The
longest specimen (ANSP 22424) is a female from San José, Costa Rica,
having a body length of 660 mm., a tail length of 168 mm. and a total
length of 828 mm.
The dorsal coloration (fig. 1, E) varies from a black ground-color
with two or four narrow white stripes to a dark brown ground-color
with a series of black stripes and four white stripes. In the black
specimens there are no dark stripes. The darkest specimen (NMW
16838:1) has only two white stripes; these more or less continuous
stripes are on the ventral third of the 2nd row of scales and
occasionally on the dorsalmost part of the first scale-row. The venter
is immaculate white except for black on the tips of the ventral
scales. The dorsum above the 2nd scale-row is uniform black. There are
no white stripes on the head.
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