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| Atractus marthae
Meneses-Pelayo & Passos, 2019
DOI: 10.1643/CH-18-163
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Abstract
We describe herein a new polychromatic species of the snake genus Atractus from the cloud forests of the northeastern Andes of Colombia. The new species is distinguished from all congeners by having an exclusive combination of phenotypic characters, such as: dorsal scale rows 17, loreal long, seven to ten maxillary teeth, ventrals 156–174 in females and 153–169 in males, subcaudals 20–30 in females and 23–30 in males, dorsum with variable coloration, changing from dark green to orange or red with a black nuchal band (three to four scales long) connected to a black vertebral line and two black dorsolateral continuous stripes from the occipital region to tip of the tail, venter with irregular black blotches, relatively small body size, small tail length in females and moderately long in males, hemipenis moderately bilobed, semicapitate and semicalyculate. We compared the new species with all congeners occurring along the Cordillera Oriental in Colombia, Sierra de Perijá in the Colombia/Venezuela frontier and Cordillera de Mérida in Venezuela. We discussed aspects related to polychromatism and its implication toward a robust taxonomy for the genus Atractus.
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| General view in life of the four distinctive color patterns of Atractus marthae observed in the type-locality. |
Atractus marthae, new species
Martha’s Groundsnake, Culebras Tierreras de Martha
Etymology.— The new species is named herein in honor of Martha Patricia Ramírez-Pinilla for her invaluable contribution to the knowledge of the biology of Colombian amphibians and reptiles. Furthermore, we would like to acknowledge her dedicated vocation as a professor at the Universidad Industrial de Santander, during which she has contributed to the formation of many generations of herpetologists.
Distribution.— Atractus marthae is known from three localities in the western slope of Cordillera Oriental, department of Santander, Colombia.
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Elson Meneses-Pelayo and Paulo Passos. 2019. New Polychromatic Species of Atractus (Serpentes: Dipsadidae) from the Eastern Portion of the Colombian Andes. Copeia. 107(2); 250-261. DOI: 10.1643/CH-18-163
Describimos una nueva especie de serpiente policromática del género Atractus para los bosques nublados del noreste de los Andes de Colombia. La nueva especie se distingue de todos los congéneres por tener una combinación exclusiva de caracteres fenotípicos, como: escamas dorsales en 17 hileras, loreales largas, siete a diez dientes maxilares, ventrales 156–174 en hembras y 153–169 en machos, subcaudales 20–30 en hembras y 23–30 en machos, dorso con coloración variable, cambiando de verde oscuro a naranja o rojo con una banda nucal negra (largo de tres o cuatro escamas) conectada a una línea vertebral negra y dos franjas continuas dorsolaterales negras desde la región occipital hasta la punta de la cola, superficie ventral del cuerpo con manchas irregulares negras, tamaño corporal relativamente pequeño, longitud de la cola pequeña en las hembras y moderadamente larga en los machos, hemipene moderadamente bilobado, semicapitado y semicaliculado. Comparamos las nuevas especies con todos los congéneres que ocurren a lo largo de la Cordillera Oriental en Colombia, Sierra de Perijá en la frontera de Colombia/Venezuela y la Cordillera de Mérida en Venezuela. Discutimos aspectos relacionados con el policromatismo y su implicación hacia una taxonomía sólida para el género Atractus.
