142 



LEIMADOPHIS 



15. Vertebral region black, well marked on middle 



of body 16 



Not colored as above 17 



16. Venter light, without spots melanotus 



Venter with transverse black spotting 



pseudocobella 



17. More than 155 ventrals 18 



Fewer than 155 ventrals 15 



18. Venter uniformly light 22 



Venter black spotted f raser i 



15. Fewer than 65 subcaudals 20 



More than 7O subcaudals zwe if el i 



20. No black stripe along tail and posterior part 

 of body 21 



Distinct black stripe along tail and posterior 

 part of body b imaculatus 



21. Dorsum reticulate, without transverse spots; 



tail more than I/4 total length req i nae 



Dorsum without reticulation; with large trans- 

 verse spots; tail less than l/4 total length — 

 ep i nephelus 



22. Ventrals more than 185 ep i nephelus 



Ventrals fewer than 185 alb i ventr i s 



15. Region dorso vertebral negra, bien manifiesta 



en el centro del cuerpo 16 



No como el anterior 17 



l6.Vientre claro, sin manchas melanotus 



Vientre con fajas negras transversas 



pseudocobella 



17. Mas de 155 ventrales 18 



Menos de 155 ventrales 15 



18. Vientre un if ormemente claro 22 



Vientre manchado de negro f raser i 



15. Menos de 65 subcaudales 20 



Mas de 7'^ subcaudales zwe if el i 



20. Sin iTnea negra longitudinal en la cola y parte 



posterior del cuerpo 21 



Con I'nea negra longitudinal en la cola y parte 

 posterior del cuerpo b imaculatus 



21.Diseiio reticulado sin manchas transversas; cola 

 no mas de cuatro veces en la longitud total 



req i nae 



Diserio sin retfculo, con manchas transversas 

 grandes; cola mas de cuatro veces y media en 

 la longitud total ep i nephelus 



22. Mas de I85 ventrales ep inephelus 



Menos de 185 ventrales alb i ventr is 



LEIMADOPHIS ALBIVENTRIS (jan) 



I863 [ l ioph is reoi nae j var. alb iventr is Jan, Arch. Zdol. Anat. Fis., 2: 2')i. Type-locality: Western 



Andes of Ecuador and "fra Lacutunga e Guayaquil", Ecuador. 

 1868 Opheomorphus alt icolus Cope, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sc i . Phila., 1868: 102. Valley of Quito, Ecuador. 

 19** [ Le imadoph is j albi ventr is — Dunn, Caldasia, 2: 481. 



Distribution: Found in lowlands on both sides of Andes in Ecuador. Its range elsewhere in South 

 America is obscured at present by erroneous use of name in literature. 



LEIMADOPHIS ALMADENSIS (Wagler) 



1824 Natrix Almada Wagler. in Spix, Sp. Nov. Serp. Bras.: 3". Type-locality: Proximity of Bahia, 

 Braz i 1. 



1824 Natrix Almadensis Wagler, in Spix, Sp. Nov. Serp. Bras.: pi. 10. Type-locality: Proximity of 

 Bahia, Brazil. 



I858 L ipph is con irostr is GCTnther, Cat. Sn. Brit. Mus.: 46. Type-locality: Bahia, Brazil. 

 ?1863 L.[_ iophis J verecundus Jan, Arch. Zool. Anat. Fis., 2: 3OO. Type-locality: Unknown. 



1882 Liophis ( lygophis ) y-qraecum Peters. Sitz. Ges. Naturforsch. Freunde, Berlin, 1882: I25. Type- 

 local ity: 



1906 Tr iqonocephalus scolecomorphus Bacque, Rev. Mus. La Plata, 12: II6. Type-locality: Asuncion, 

 Paraguay. 



1926 [ Leimadoph is J almadens is — Amaral, Rev. Mus. Paulista, I5: 78. 



Distribution: Central, western and southern Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina and Uruguay. 



Comment: Wagler used two names in the original description of this species, almada and almadensis . 

 Vanzolini, Pap. Avul. Depto. Zool. SSo Paulo, 8, I947, 255, argues that almada must be used, but very 

 few authors have done so. Since the use of almadens is has been widely accepted, and the rule of the 

 first revisor would seem to be applicable, we see no reason to change a name long established in the 

 1 i tera ture. 



