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| Chironius whipala Quinteros-Muñoz, Gómez-Murillo, Camacho-Badani, Aguayo, Carpio-Real, Pérez, Marca, Gonzales & Torres-Carvajal, 2024 |
Abstract
A new snake of the genus Chironius is described based on external morphological characters and phylogenetic evidence. The new species occurs in Bolivia, both in the humid montane forests of the Yungas of Cochabamba and in Santa Cruz. It differs from all congeners in having 10 dorsal scale rows at midbody, an entire cloacal plate, keeled paravertebral rows, lightly colored lower portions of the supralabials, a yellow snout, a short hemipenis, and lacking postocular stripes, proximal enlarged spines on the hemipenis, and apical pits. Adults and juveniles have an emerald green background color. The new species is recovered as the sister taxon of C. leucometapus, which is known from the Amazonian slopes of the Andes between central Peru and northern Ecuador. We also provide an identification key to the species of Chironius with 10 dorsal rows at midbody.
Keywords. Carrasco National Park, hemipenes, phylogeny, reptiles, Squamata, systematics
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| General view of Chironius whipala sp. nov. in life. (A) juvenile male, paratype MHNC-R 3100; (B) adult male, paratype MHNC-R 3133; (C) juvenile female, paratype MHNC-R 3135; (D) adult female, paratype MNKR 4834. Photographs by Oliver Quinteros-Muñoz (A, B, C) and Lucindo Gonzales (D). |
Chironius whipala sp. nov.
Etymology. The specific name “whipala” comes from the original Aymara language, which means “emblem,” i.e., the emblem of the original people of the Andes of Bolivia and an emblem that honors and symbolizes respect for our Pachamama (Mother Earth). According to an anonymous Aymara phrase, “where there is a wiphala, love and respect for Mother Earth (Pachamama) and the universe will be represented.”
Oliver Quinteros-Muñoz, Pedro Gómez-Murillo, Teresa Camacho-Badani, Rodrigo Aguayo, Rene Carpio-Real, Edson Pérez, Bladimir Marca, Lucindo Gonzales, Omar Torres-Carvajal. 2024. A New Species of Sipo Snake, Chironius (Serpentes: Colubridae), from the Yungas of Bolivia. Amphibian & Reptile Conservation. 18(1&2): 58–67 (e333).
