 |
| Tropidophis cacuangoae Ortega-Andrade, Bentley, Koch, Yánez-Muñoz & Entiauspe-Neto, 2022 |
ABSTRACT
The amerophidian snake radiation is a Late Cretaceous superfamily that encompasses two families: Aniliidae, pipe snakes, and Tropidophiidae, dwarf boas. We describe a new dwarf boa snake species, from the Tropidophiidae family, from the cloud forest in northeastern Ecuador. Tropidophis cacuangoae sp. nov. can be diagnosed from its congeners based on external and osteological morphology. The new species inhabits eastern tropical piedmont and lower evergreen montane forests, in the Amazon Tropical Rainforest biome, and is likely to be an Ecuadorian endemic. We also discuss the relationships of the new species with South American tropidophiids and provide a key to the identification of mainland South American dwarf boas.
Keywords: taxonomy, osteology, systematics, Serpentes
 |
| Geographic distribution of mainland species of Tropidophis Bibron, 1840 in South America. Note the disjunct distribution pattern, with two allopatric groups: Andes mountain range (Tropidophis cacuangoae sp. nov., T. taczanowskyi (Steindachner, 1880)) and Atlantic Forest range (T. grapiuna Curcio et al., 2012, T. preciosus Curcio et al., 2012, T. paucisquamis (Müller in Schenkel, 1901)). Inset photograph: T. cacuangoae sp. nov. (not to scale). |
 |
| Head views of Tropidophis cacuangoae sp. nov. in life. A-C. ♂, holotype (DHMECN 16725). D-F. ♀, paratype (DHMECN 15893). Photograph credits: A-C = H. Mauricio Ortega-Andrade; D-F= Danilo Medina. |
Tropidophis cacuangoae sp. nov.
Diagnosis: Tropidophis cacuangoae sp. nov. can be distinguished from all its congeners based on the following combination of characters: (1) slightly keeled dorsal scales with no apical pits, 23/22/17 or 22/23/17 rows; (2) postoculars three; (3) loreal absent, possibly fused with nasal plate; (4) temporal formula 3 + 4 + 3 or 2 + 3 + 3; (5) supralabials 8–10, with 4th and 5th in contact with eye orbit; (6) infralabials 10–11, with first two pairs in contact with anterior chinshields; (7) ventrals 162 in single male, 156 in single female; (8) subcaudals single, 33 in single male, 30 in single female, male with cloacal spines; (9) in life, dorsal background coloration light brown, with diffuse dorsolateral black blotches, gray vertebral coloration, dark brown postocular stripe and diffuse dark brown pigmentation on labials; (10) in life, ventral background coloration light orange, with large ocellar black blotches, ranging from 16–20, covering up to four ventrals each; (11) maximum SVL 271 mm in single male, and 255 mm in single female; (12) maximum tail length 49 mm in single male, 40 mm in single female; (13) vertebral scale rows 161–162 on body, 32–35 on tail; (14) nasal contacting rostral, first and second supralabials, preocular, anterior prefrontal, and internasal; (15) two pairs of prefrontals; (16) maxillary teeth 18‒21; (17) prefrontal and maxilla bones in contact; (18) dentary and angular bones in contact; (19) medial contact of exoccipitals loose; (20) small ventral ethmoidal foramen in premaxilla body; (21) cervical vertebrae two or less; (22) vomer further expanded laterally to completely encapsulate vomeronasal organ posteriorly; (23) postorbital, dorsomedial head divided in two heads.
Etymology: The specific epithet ʻcacuangoaeʼ, is a noun in genitive case, a Latinization honoring Dolores Cacuango, an Ecuadorian benchmark of feminism and human rights of the early twentieth century. She claimed the identity and rights of the Ecuadorian indigenous people, leading them to defend themselves from abuse and discrimination. Also, she demanded the teaching of Quechua and founded the first bilingual schools in Ecuador and the Ecuadorian Indigenous Federation.
H. Mauricio Ortega-Andrade, Alexander Bentley, Claudia Koch, Mario H. Yánez-Muñoz and Omar M. Entiauspe-Neto. 2022. A Time Relic: A New Species of Dwarf Boa, Tropidophis Bibron, 1840 (Serpentes: Amerophidia), from the Upper Amazon Basin. European Journal of Taxonomy. 854(1), 1-107. DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2022.854.2021
