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Photographs of some species of Sibon and Dipsas in life a Sibon canopy sp. nov. from El Valle de Antón, Coclé province, Panama b S. irmelindicaprioae sp. nov. holotype from Puerto Indio, Darién province, Panama c S. marleyae sp. nov. from Verdecanandé, Esmeraldas Province, Ecuador d S. vieirai sp. nov. from Mashpi Amagusa Reserve, Pichincha province, Ecuador e Dipsas sp. from Cerro Gaital, Coclé province, Panama f Dipsas welborni sp. nov. from Vía a Nuevo Paraíso, Zamora Chinchipe province, Ecuador. Arteaga & Batista, 2023 |
Abstract
A molecular phylogeny of the Neotropical snail-eating snakes (tribe Dipsadini Bonaparte, 1838) is presented that includes 60 of the 133 species currently recognized. There is morphological and phylogenetic support for four new species of Sibon Fitzinger, 1826 and one of Dipsas Laurenti, 1768, which are described here based on their unique combination of molecular, meristic, and color pattern characteristics. Plesiodipsas Harvey et al., 2008 is designated as a junior synonym of Dipsas and additional evidence is presented to support the transfer of the genus Geophis Wagler, 1830 to the tribe Dipsadini. Two of the subspecies of S. nebulatus (Linnaeus, 1758) are elevated to full species status. Insight into additional undescribed cryptic diversity within the S. nebulatus species complex is provided. Evidence that supports the existence of an undescribed species previously confused with D. temporalis is provided, as well as the first country record of S. ayerbeorum Vera-Pérez, 2019 in Ecuador with a comment on the ontogenetic variation of the latter. Finally, photographs of Colombian, Ecuadorian, and Panamanian snail-eating snakes are provided.
Keywords: Caenophidia, Colubroidea, Dipsas, Plesiodipsas, Sibon, Squamata, systematics, taxonomy
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| Photographs of some species of Sibon in life a S. irmelindicaprioae sp. nov. MHCH 3269 from Chucantí Reserve, Darién province, Panama b S. irmelindicaprioae sp. nov. from Morromico Reserve, Chocó department, Colombia c Sibon canopy sp. nov. from Cerro Gaital, Coclé province, Panama d, e S. annulatus from Centro Manu, Limón province, Costa Rica f S. ayerbeorum ZSFQ 5066 from Canandé Biological Reserve, Esmeraldas Province, Ecuador g S. marleyae sp. nov. holotype ZSFQ 5065 h S. marleyae sp. nov. ZSFQ 5068 i S. marleyae sp. nov. neonate from Verdecanandé, Esmeraldas Province, Ecuador. |
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Photographs of some species of Sibon and Dipsas in life a Sibon canopy sp. nov. from El Valle de Antón, Coclé province, Panama b S. irmelindicaprioae sp. nov. holotype MHCH 3143 from Puerto Indio, Darién province, Panama c S. marleyae sp. nov. from Verdecanandé, Esmeraldas Province, Ecuador d S. vieirai sp. nov. from Mashpi Amagusa Reserve, Pichincha province, Ecuador e Dipsas sp. from Cerro Gaital, Coclé province, Panama f Dipsas welborni sp. nov. ZSFQ 5060 from Vía a Nuevo Paraíso, Zamora Chinchipe province, Ecuador. |
Alejandro Arteaga and Abel Batista. 2023. A Consolidated Phylogeny of Snail-eating Snakes (Serpentes, Dipsadini), with the Description of Five New Species from Colombia, Ecuador, and Panama. ZooKeys. 1143: 1-49. DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1143.93601
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