155 



LEPTODEIRA 



Key to the subspecies 



Dorsal scales in 21-25 rows, with vertebral 

 and paravertebral rows not noticeably en- 

 larged; body rounded or only slightly com- 

 pressed 2 



Dorsal scales in 21 rows, with vertebral 

 and paravertebral rows noticeably en- 

 larged; body laterally compressed ornata 



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; 38-/0 (average 5*) 

 small dorsal blotches as wide as or wider 



than long; usually three preoculars 



polyst icta 



Ventrals fewer than 186; body rounded; no 

 paired nuchal blotches; nape stripe may or 

 may not touch first body blotch; 5^ or 

 fewer large dorsal blotches, longer than 



interspaces; usually two preoculars 



larcorum 



Clave de subespecies 



1. Dorsales en 21-2$ filas, vertebral y para- 



vertebral no notoriamente agrandadas; 

 cuerpo redondeado o muy poco comprimido 

 lateralmente 2 



Dorsales en 21 filas, vertebral y para- 

 vertebral notoriamente agrandadas; cuerpo 

 comprimido lateralmente ornata 



2. Ventrales 186 o m^s; cuerpo delgado; dos 



manchas latero-nucales que pueden fusio- 

 narse en una con forma de U; banda nucal 

 no contacta con mancha nucal; '^S-^'JO (pro- 

 medio 5*) manchas dorsales tan anchas o 

 mas anchas que largas; normalmente ires 



preoculares polyst icta 



Ventrales menos de 186; cuerpo redondeado; 

 sin par de manchas nucales; banda nucal 

 contacta la primer mancha nucal o no; man- 

 chas grandes, en numero de 5^ o menos 

 mayores que los interespac ios; normal- 

 mente dos preoculares larcorum 



Leptodeira septentrional is larcorum Schmidt and Walker 



1543 Leptodeira larcorum Schmidt and Walker, Zool. Ser. Field Mus. Nat. Hist., 24; 3II. Type- 

 locality: Chiclin, Libertad, Peru. 

 19')8 Leptodeira septen tr i onal i s larcorunt — Duellman, Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., 114: 77* 



Distribution: Northern coastal Peru and upper R'o MaraHon Valley, Peru. 



Leptode i ra septentrional i s ornata (Bocourt) 



1884 Comas tes ornatus Bocourt, Bull. Soc. Philom. Paris, (7) 8: 141. Type-locality: Isthmus 



of Oarien, Panama. 

 1895 Leptodeira affinis Giinther, Biol. Cent. Amer., Rept.: I7O. Type-locality: Central 



America. 

 1913 Leptodeira dunckeri Werner, Mitt. Nat. Hist. Mus. Hamburg, 3^: 28. Type-locality: 



"Mexico or Venezuela". 

 1558 Leptode i ra septentrionali s ornata — Duellman, Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., 114: 75- 



Distribution: Southern Costa Rica to Caribbean Panama, Colombia, and western Venezuela, also 

 Pacific Colombia and Ecuador. 



Leptode ira septentrional i s polyst icta Giinther 



1895 Leptodeira polysticta Giinther, Biol. Cent. Amer., Rept.: 172, pi. 55» Type-locality: 

 Mexico and Central America; restricted by Smith and Taylor, Univ. Kansas Sci. Bull., 

 33> 1950» 316. to Belize, British Honduras. 



1941 Leptode i ra annulata taylor i Smith, Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., '^i: 115- Type-local i ty: 

 Orizaba, Veracruz, Mexico. 



1558 Leptode i ra septen tri onal is polyst icta — Duellman, Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., 114: 72. 



Distribution: Both slopes below 2000 m from Nayarit and southern Veracruz, south to central 

 Costa Rica, in local mesic habitats only on dry Pacific coast from El Salvador to Costa 

 Rica. 



