[Herpetology • 2023] Tropidophis leonae • A Remarkable New Snake of the Genus Tropidophis (Serpentes: Tropidophiidae) from southern Hispaniola

Tropidophis leonae 

 Landestoy. 2023

DOI: 10.33800/nc.vi21.323  

 Researchgate.net/publication/367046525

Abstract

A new species of Tropidophis is described from the dry forest of the Barahona Peninsula, southwestern Dominican Republic, on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola. There, the new species is parapatric with T. haetianus, the only previously known Tropidophis on Hispaniola, but exhibits striking differences in scalation (much higher number of ventral scales), in other structural morphological traits (head and body proportions), and in dorsal and ventral coloration and pattern (e.g., fewer spot rows, and a patternless head and venter, etc.). The locality of this new species lies within an area where other vertebrate species have been recently discovered, underscoring the growing appreciation of the Barahona Peninsula as a diversity hotspot. Yet, this region also remains poorly studied and it is also highly imperiled due to ongoing anthropogenic change, justifying more conservation efforts.

Keywords: Caribbean Islands; dwarf boas; Barahona Entrapment.

Lateral view of the head of A) Tropidophis leonae sp. nov. (MNHNSD 23.3951) showing the nearly uniformly colored head, and B) that of T. haetianus (MNHNSD 23.3967) with a distinctive dark cap, and a dark mask or facial horizontal stripe across the eye.

 Ventral views of A) Tropidophis leonae sp. nov. (MNHNSD 23.3951), and B) T. haetianus (MNHNSD 23.3967). Note the lack of pattern in A, whereas large discrete dark spots are present in B.

 Dorsal and lateral partial views of Tropidophis leonae sp. nov. (A, B, respectively) and T. haetianus (C, D) in life, showing coloration and pattern. Numbers in B and D point out the number of spot rows on one side only.

Tropidophis leonae sp. nov.

Jaragua Golden Trope

Diagnosis. A medium-sized (SVL 362–389 mm) species of Tropidophis of slender habitus (body somewhat laterally compressed), a distinctive neck and long snout, small eyes, high ventral scale count, a pale dorsal coloration of yellow-tan to light tan-brown with a dorsal pattern of only four brown spot rows, the middorsal blotches at times in contact or fused, and the lateral spot row much smaller and fainter; a pale yellow venter, and lacking a ventral and head pattern. 

...

Etymology. The epithet honors Dominican biologist and friend Yolanda (a.k.a “Yoli”) M. León, a tireless advocate of conservation efforts in the Dominican Republic and whose support also contributed to this work. 

  Dorsal view of the full body of Tropidophis leonae sp. nov.
 A) Holotype; B) typical substrate at the habitat floor in the type locality. The matching pattern provides good camouflage.

Tropidophis leonae sp. nov. (holotype) submerged in a water hole in the limestone floor. Note the arrows pointing at some toad (Peltophryne armata) metamorphs and tadpoles. The snake was observed feeding on the tadpoles and also striking at the toadlets.

Habitat at the type locality of Tropidophis leonae sp. nov. The blue arrow in the photo at the right points out the water hole where the holotype was found (in Fig. 2).

 

Miguel A. Landestoy T. 2023. A Remarkable New Snake of the Genus Tropidophis (Squamata: Tropidophiidae) from southern Hispaniola [Una notable nueva serpiente del género Tropidophis (Squamata: Tropidophiidae) del sur de la Hispaniola]. Novitates Caribaea. (21), 1–17. DOI: 10.33800/nc.vi21.323 

  Researchgate.net/publication/367046525_A_NEW_SNAKE_GENUS_TROPIDOPHIS_FROM_SOUTHERN_HISPANIOLA

[Herpetology • 2022] Tropidophis cacuangoae • A Time Relic: A New Species of Dwarf Boa, Tropidophis (Serpentes: Amerophidia: Tropidophiidae), from the Upper Amazon Basin

Tropidophis cacuangoae 

Ortega-Andrade, Bentley, Koch, Yánez-Muñoz & Entiauspe-Neto, 2022

DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2022.854.2021  

ResearchGate.net/publication/366670011

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

  ResearchGate.net/publication/366670011_A_new_species_of_Tropidophis_from_the_Upper_Amazon_Basin

[Herpetology • 2020] Tropidophis steinleini • A New Species of Tropidophis (Squamata: Tropidophiidae) and Molecular Phylogeny of the Cuban Radiation of the Genus

Tropidophis steinleini  

 Díaz & Cádiz, 2020

DOI: 10.33800/nc.vi16.222  

Photos: L. M. Díaz. 

ABSTRACT

Cuba has the highest diversity of snakes in the genus Tropidophis, representing 53 % of all the known species. Tropidophis steinleini sp. nov. is described from the eastern region of Cuba, raising the number of species to 17 in this archipelago. The new species is most closely related to T. wrighti, T. spiritus and T. morenoi. We discuss the phylogenetic relationships of this new species and other species of the genus in Cuba, based on molecular data, and classified them within three species groups according to the obtained tree topology.

Keywords: Caribbean Islands, snakes, dwarf boas, DNA, classification, species groups

Figure 1. Tropidophis steinleini sp. nov., two different views of the female holotype MNHNCu 5079 in life. Photos: L. M. Díaz.

Maximum likelihood phylogeny of sampled snakes of the genus Tropidophis based in two mitochondrial and one nuclear gene, showing the three major Cuban clades and the position of Tropidophis steinleini sp. nov. The nominal, representative species of each group: T. pardalis, T. melanurus and T.  maculatus, are respectively illustrated. Voucher’s catalog numbers are listed in Appendix 1. Tree is rooted with T. haetianus (from Hispaniola). Black circles: bootstrap = 100; yellow circle: bootstrap 81–99; no circle: bootstrap ≤ 80. Photos by L. M. Díaz. 

Tropidophis steinleini sp. nov.

Diagnosis. Species in the Tropidophis pardalis species group as defined in the herein-presented molecular phylogeny (see  Fig. 3, also Fig. 6  for  species comparisons, and  the  Discussion). Body  slender  and  laterally compressed;  head  distinctive  from  neck;  6  rows  of  dark  blotches around body; some of the paravertebral and lateral blotches are longitudinally fused; 23 scale rows around midbody; 188 ventral scales; an evident groove above the supralabial scales; first supralabial slightly higher than second. Regarding morphology and the phylogenetic relationships, the new species is most similar to T. spiritus, T. morenoi and T. wrighti (Table I; Fig. 6 F, G, H, respectively). In the three species the first supralabial scale is much lower than second one; the head is gradually tapered in profile compared with the flat head top and a higher snout of the new species; a groove over the supralabial scales is absent (Fig. 2). T. wrighti has four rows of large blotches around body instead of 6, contrasting on a homogenous gray to white-colored background (Fig. 6H); some of the blotches are fused at the mid-dorsum but not in a distinctive longitudinal way; ventral scale counts (192–222) are higher than in Tropidophis steinleini sp. nov. T. morenoi and T.  spiritus have 183–200 ventral  scales, widely overlapping with Tropidophis steinleni sp. nov., and similar coloration considering that the three species have 6 rows of blotches around the midbody and pale lower flanks; however, the head shape is different (Fig. 2) as mentioned above. The snout is slightly shorter in available T. spiritus and T. morenoi (30–33 % of head length, x = 31 %, n = 7) compared with Tropidophis steinleini sp. nov. (34 %); paravertebral blotches are not longitudinally enlarged in T. spiritus and T. morenoi (Fig. 6 F, G), but instead some transversal fusion may exist, giving them a banded appearance (a condition not present in the new species); head is darker in T. spiritus and T. morenoi, with more evident and contrasting pattern of blotches and stripes which is somewhat diffuse or barely evident in Tropidophis steinleini sp. nov.

Etymology. The species is named with gratitude, after our German colleague Claus Steinlein, for his support of the authors’ herpetological research in Cuba.

 Figure 6. Cuban snakes of the Tropidophis pardalis species group. 
A,  T. pardalis, female, from Boyeros, La Habana Province; B, T.  pardalis, female, from Soroa, Candelaria, Artemisa Province; C, T. xanthogaster, male, from La Bajada, Guanahacabibes, Pinar  del  Río  Province;  D, T.  hardyi,  male,  from  Río  Jutía,  Guajimico,  Cienfuegos  Province; 
E, T. fuscus,  female, from Altiplanicie de El Toldo, Humboldt National Park, Holguín province; F, T. spiritus, female, from Alturas de Banao, Sancti Spiritus Province; G, T. cf. morenoi, male, from Jobo Rosado, Villa Clara Province; H, T. wrighti, from Altiplanicie de El Toldo, Humboldt National Park, Holguín Province. Photos: L. M. Díaz. 

 Luis M. Díaz and Antonio Cádiz. 2020. A New Species of Tropidophis (Squamata: Tropidophiidae) and Molecular Phylogeny of the Cuban Radiation of the Genus [Una nueva especie de Tropidophis (Squamata: Tropidophiidae) y filogenia molecular de la radiación cubana del género] Novitates Caribaea. 16; 1-19. DOI: 10.33800/nc.vi16.222 

Researchgate.net/publication/343175581_A_new_species_of_Tropidophis_and_Cuban_radiation

Resumen: Cuba tiene la mayor diversidad de serpientes del género Tropidophis, lo cual representa 53 % de todas las especies conocidas. Tropidophis steinleini sp. nov. es descrita de la región oriental de Cuba, lo cual eleva a 17 el número de especies en este archipiélago. La nueva especie está más cercanamente emparentada con T. wrighti, T. spiritus y T. morenoi. Se discuten las relaciones filogenéticas de la nueva especie y otras del género en Cuba, sobre la base de datos moleculares, y se clasifican en tres grupos de acuerdo con la topología del árbol obtenido.

      

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