The Amphibians and Reptiles of Michoacán, MéxicoDuellman, William Edward
Science
The Amphibians and Reptiles of Michoacán, México
Duellman, William Edward
Amphibians -- Mexico -- Michoacán de Ocampo; Reptiles -- Mexico -- Michoacán de Ocampo
This snake is abundant in the lowlands of the state; the few specimens
listed above are indicative not of the rarity, but rather of the speed
and agility, of this diurnal snake. It most frequently is found near
water, where there is a dense growth of vegetation. One individual was
observed in a large pool inhabited by several small _Rana pipiens_, and
another was seen along the bank of a hyacinth-choked river channel. A
third individual was captured while it was in pursuit of a
_Cnemidophorus_.
This species has been collected on the coastal lowlands and seaward
foothills of the Sierra de Coalcomán and in the Tepalcatepec Valley to
elevations of 1150 meters.
~Elaphe triaspis intermedia~ (Boettger)
_Pityophis intermedius_ Boettger, Ber. Offen. Vereins.
Naturk., 22:148, 1883.--México. Type locality restricted to
Hacienda El Sabino, Michoacán, México, by Dowling (1960:74).
_Elaphe triaspis intermedia_, Mertens and Dowling,
Senckenbergiana, 33:201, November 15, 1952.
Twenty-four km. E of Apatzingán; Chupio; El Sabino (4); 11
km. E of Emiliano Zapata.
Dowling (1960) has shown that specimens from the Balsas-Tepalcatepec
Basin have fewer ventrals and caudals than those from the Sierra del Sur
or the coast. All specimens from Michoacán were collected in open
forest, either scrub or oak forest. They were found in drier situations
than those described for the species in southern Tamaulipas by Martin
(1958:69). In Michoacán _Elaphe triaspis intermedia_ is known from the
Tepalcatepec Valley, the lower slopes of the Cordillera Volcánica, and
the western edge of the Mexican Plateau at an elevation of 1350 meters.
It probably occurs in the lower parts of the Sierra de Coalcomán and
along the Pacific coast, for it is known from the coastal lowlands of
Guerrero and Colima. In August, 1951, I saw a snake that probably was
this species in Barranca de Bejuco.
~Enulius unicolor~ (Fischer)
_Geophis unicolor_ Fischer, Abh. Nat. Ver. Bremen, 7:227,
1882.--México. Type locality restricted to Chilpancingo,
Guerrero, México, by Smith and Taylor (1950a:331).
_Enulius unicolor_, Taylor and Smith, Univ. Kansas Sci.
Bull., 25:247, July 10, 1939.
Between Ario de Rosales and La Playa; Coalcomán; Jungapeo
(4); between Zitácuaro and Tuxpan.
This small snake has been collected from beneath rocks in brushy areas
and broad-leafed forest between 900 and 1800 meters; it has not been
found in coniferous forest. The limited ecological data suggest that the
species inhabits the transition zone between the tropical scrub forest
and the temperate hardwood forest.
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