Guane Blunt-headed Tree Snake

description

Description of the holotype (Figs. 2 – 3, 5 A). Adult male; SVL 748 mm; CL 348 mm (46.5 % SVL); head sharply distinct from the neck, head length 15.3 mm (2 % SVL) and width 9.8 mm (64 % head length); distance between the nostrils 3.3 mm (34 % head width); snout short and truncated, 4.5 mm length (29.5 % head length); eyes large, rounded, and protuberant; eyes diameter 4.2 mm (27 % head length); canthus rostralis conspicuous; rostral scale trapezoidal, 2.1 mm wide, 3.1 mm high; internasal and prefrontal scales slightly wider than long; frontal pentagonal, anterior region 1.3 times wider than posterior; supraocular and parietal scales wider than long; nine supralabial scales with fourth to sixth contacting eye; six anterior supralabial shorter than seventh and eighth; ninth supralabial wider and similar in height to first six supralabials; nasal entire, contacting rostral, internasal, prefrontal, loreal, and first two supralabials; loreal 0.7 mm wide, 1.4 mm high, contacting nasal, prefrontal, preocular, second and third supralabials; preocular single; postoculars three on both sides; upper postocular taller than the two lower postoculars; ventral apex of lower postocular inserted be

A new species of Imantodes Duméril, 1853 (Serpentes, Dipsadidae) from the Eastern Cordillera of Colombia

diagnosis

Diagnosis. Imantodes guane is distinguish from all congeners by the combination of the following characters: smooth dorsal scale rows 17 / 17 / 15; apical pits absent; infralabials 12 – 13; ventrals 227 – 236; subcaudals 147 – 148; loreal scale present; cloacal plate divided; dark brown temporal stripe between the lower edge of temporal scales and upper region of supralabials; dorsum of body light brown with dark brown transversal streaks, weakly evident in lateral view; hemipenis in situ extending to the level of 11 th subcaudal and reaches the 10 th subcaudal when everted; hemipenis with sulcus spermaticus laterally expanded inside capitulum. Comparisons. Imantodes guane differs from I. lentiferus by having 17 dorsal scale rows anteriorly and at the midbody (vs. 15); from I. cenchoa, I. gemmistratus, and I. tenuissimus by having color pattern light brown with dark brown transversal streaks, weakly evident in lateral view (vs. well defined body blotches with shape of wide saddles); differs from I. cenchoa, I. gemmistratus, and I. inornatus by having 12 – 13 infralabials (vs. 8 – 11, 9 – 10 and 8 – 11, respectively); differs from I. inornatus by having 227 – 236 ventrals and 147 –

A new species of Imantodes Duméril, 1853 (Serpentes, Dipsadidae) from the Eastern Cordillera of Colombia

etymology

Etymology. The specific epithet “ guane ” alludes to the name given to indigenous people that lived in the northeast region of the Colombia, where the new specimens were collected. This native Indians occupied the margin of the Fonce and Suárez Rivers, to the left margin Sogamoso river, in Cañon of Chicamocha (Gómez 2005; Corona & Moreno 2010). The men of the tribe would have their skulls deformed from the birth to the first year of life by using splints in the frontal and posterior surface of the skull (Correal & Flórez 1992; Corona & Moreno 2010). The resulting cranial shape denominated “ tabular oblique deformation ” (sensu Correal & Flórez 1992) reminded us the elongated head typical of the genus Imantodes. Geographic distribution (Fig. 7). Imantodes guane is known from the municipalities of Charalá and Zapatoca in the eastern Cordillera of Colombia.

A new species of Imantodes Duméril, 1853 (Serpentes, Dipsadidae) from the Eastern Cordillera of Colombia

materials_examined

Holotype. Adult male, ICN 5730, collected by R. Hernández in 1981 at headwater of the Luisito River, Virolín (6 º 18 ’ 18 ” N, 73 º 10 ’ 25 ” W; 1750 m asl), municipality of Charalá, department of Santander, Colombia. Paratype. Juvenile female, UIS-R 1705, Cerro de La Paz (6 º 58 ’ 20 ” N, 73 º 26 ’ 18 ” W; 2324 m asl) collected by E. Brisceño at municipality of Zapatoca, department of Santander, Colombia (Figs. 4, 5 B).

A new species of Imantodes Duméril, 1853 (Serpentes, Dipsadidae) from the Eastern Cordillera of Colombia