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REPTILlA: SERPENTES : COLUBRIDAE 



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LEPTODEIRA 



LEPTODEIRA Fitzinger 



18*3 Leptodeira Fitzinger, Syst. Rept.: 2]. Type-species: Coluber annulatus Linnaeus. 



1861 Meqalops Hallowell, Proc. Acad, Nat. Sc i . Phila., 1860: 488, Type-species: Meqalops maculatus 

 Hallowell. 



1853 Anoplophallus Cope, Amer. Natur,, 2/: 480. Substitute name for Meqalops Hallowell, pre- 

 occupied. Type-species; Meqalops maculatus Hallowell. 



19^8 Pseudoleptodeira Taylor, Univ. Kansas Sc i . Bull., 2$: 3^3' Type-species: Hypsiqlena lati - 

 fasc iata Giinther. 



Distribution: Southern Sonora, Mexico, and Rfo Grande in southern Texas to northern Argentina 

 and Paraguay, except in the high Andes and the coastal deserts of Peru and Chile. 



Content: Nine species arranged in four species groups, according to the most recent revision of 

 the genus by Duellman, Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., 114, 1958, of which four ( lat ifasc iata 

 Gunther, maculata Hallowell, punctata Peters, and splendida Gijnther) are extral im i tal. 



Key to the species 



1. Maxillary teeth 14 or fewer, including those 



posterior to diastema- 2 



Maxillary teeth 16 or more, including those 

 posterior to diastema 3 



2. More than 20 dark blotches on dorsum f renata 



Less than 20 dark dorsal blotches- niqrofasciata 



3. With 19 or fewer body scale rows at midbody 4 



With more than 19 body scale rows at midbody — 5 



4. Large dorsal spots which extend to margins of 



ventrals baker i 



Dorsal spots extend to level of third or 

 fourth scale row an nu lat a 



5. With median stripe on i.uchal region 6 



Without median nuchal stripe, or if present, 



bordered on either side by a longitudinal 



bar annulata 



6. Ventrals less than 186j body rounded; no paired 



nuchal blotches; nape stripe may or may not 



touch nuchal blotch 7 



Ventrals 186 or more; body slender; two lateral 

 nuchal blotches that may be fused to form 

 U-shaped blotch; nape stripe not touching 

 nuchal blotch septentr i onalis 



7. Nape stripe laterally expanded anteriorly to 



form butterfly-shaped mark on postpar ietals 

 and posttemporals; 3*"^9 (average 42) dorsal 



blotches septentrional i s 



Nape stripe not expanded to form butterfly 



pattern; 23-56 (average Jd) dorsal blotches 



annulata 



Clave de especies 



1. Dientes maxilares 14 menos incluyendo los 



posteriores al diastema- 2 



Dientes maxilares I6 mas, incluyendo los 

 posteriores al diastema 3 



2. Mas de 20 manchas oscuras dorsales f renata 



Menos de 20 manchas oscuras n i qrof asc iata 



3. Con 17 a 19 filas de escamas al medio del 



cuerpo 4 



Con mas de 19 filas de escamas al medio del 

 cuerpo 5 



4. Manchas dorsales grandes extendidas hasta las 



proximidades de las ventrales baker i 



Manchas dorsales no muy grandes extendidas solo 

 hasta la tercera cuarta fila de escamas 

 dorsales annulata 



5. Con una cinta nucal mediana 6 



Sin cinta nucal mediana, si la hay, bordeada 



por una barra longitudinal a cada lado 



annulata 



6. Ventrales menos de 186; cuerpo redondeado; no 



hay manchas nucales apareadas; cinta nucal 



contacta con la primer mancha no 7 



Ventrales 186 mas, cuerpo delgado; dos 

 bloques nucales laterales que pueden 

 fusionarse const i tuyendo una mancha en U; 

 cinta nucal no contacta con la mancha 

 nucal septentrional is 



7. Cinta nucal lateralmente expandida anterior- 



mente forma un contorno en mariposa en las 

 posparietales y postemporales; 3*"*9 (*2 pro- 



medio) manchas dorsales s eptentrional i s 



Cinta nucal no expandida lateralmente para 

 formar contorno en mariposa; 2'}-'j6 (36 pro- 

 medio) manchas dorsales annulata 



LEPTODEIRA ANNULATA (Linnaeus) 

 annulata group 



1758 Coluber annulatus Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., ed. 10: 224. Type-locality: Amazon Basin; restricted by 



Duellman, Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., 114, 1958, 48, to lower Rio Amazon, Para, Brazil. 

 1843 Leptodeira annulata — Fitzinger, Syst. Rept.: 27. 



Distribution: Mexico to Argentina. 



Content: Six subspecies, two ( cuss il i r i s Duellman and maculata Hallowell) ex tral im i tal. 



