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
The palest specimen (NMW 16838:2) has four dorsal white stripes; the
lateral pair of these stripes is on the ventral half of the 2nd and
the dorsal third of the 1st scale-rows; the dorsolateral pair is on
the dorsal two-thirds of the 6th and the ventral third of the 7th rows
of scales. This latter stripe is the posterior continuation of the
white stripe on the head, which originates immediately posterior to
the rostral scale and passes posteriorly along the canthus rostralis
and along the lateral margin of the supraocular scale to the nape.
Posterior to the place of scale reduction, the dorsolateral white
stripe is displaced ventrally one scale-row. Except for black flecks
or spots on the lateral margins of the ventrals, the venter is
immaculate white. The dorsum above the lateral white stripes is brown
and black; there is a pair of dorsolateral white stripes. The dorsal
half of the 2nd, most of the 3rd, 4th and 5th rows of scales are
black; the dorsal margin of the 3rd, both margins of the 4th, and the
ventral margin of the 5th rows are paler brown. The dorsal two-thirds
of the 7th, all but the dorsal most part of the 8th, and the middle
two-thirds of the 10th scale-rows are black; the areas between are a
medium brown.
Only six specimens are available on which to base a description of the
variation in this species. Furthermore, there are no juveniles, notes
on the colors of living individuals, or photographs of this species.
[Illustration: FIG. 4. Selected locality records for _Conophis
pulcher_ and _Conophis nevermanni_.]
_Remarks._--Taylor (1955:563-565) hesitantly referred a specimen (KU
35630) from 32 kilometers north of Barranca, Puntarenas Province,
Costa Rica, to _Conophis lineatus nevermanni_. This specimen, a
female, has 169 ventrals and ventral scale-reduction taking place
opposite the 109th ventral; both of these characters are well out of
the range of _C. nevermanni_. Furthermore, the ventral margins of the
supralabials are brown, and the pale dorsal stripes are tan and too
wide for _C. nevermanni_ (compare figs. 1, C and E). The specimen
definitely is _C. lineatus dunni_, and corresponds well with another
specimen from Costa Rica (ANSP 12232).
The dark brown or black dorsum with two or four white stripes and the
presence of eight supralabials having dark brown dorsal margins, in
combination with the characters of the genus, serve to distinguish
_Conophis nevermanni_ from other Central American snakes.
_Distribution._--Pacific coastal plain of northwestern Costa Rica and
the Meseta Central of central Costa Rica (fig. 4).
_Specimens examined._--Total of six, as follows: COSTA RICA:
_Guanacaste_: Bebedero, Río Tenorio, NMW 16838(5). "_San José_," ANSP
22424.
=Conophis pulcher= Cope
_Tomodon lineatus_ (in part), Salvin, Proc. Zool. Soc. London,
28:455, 1860.
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