249 



REPTILIA: SERPENTES: COLUBRIDAE "^ '^ PLIOCERCUS 



PL lOCERCUS Cope 



1860 PI iocercus Cope, Proc, Acad. Nat. Sc i . Phila., 1860: 253- Type-species: PI iocercus elapoi des 

 Cope. 



1860 Elapochrus Peters, Monats. Akad. Wiss. Berlin, 1850: 253* Type-species: Elapochrus Deppe i 



Peters. 



1861 Pie i ocercus Salvin (emendation of PI iocercus Cope), Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1851: 227. 



1862 Pleiokerkos Cope (emendation of PI iocercus Cope), Proc. Acad. Nat. Sc i . Phila., 1852: ]2. 



1863 Cosm i osoph i s Jan, Arch. Zool. Anat. Phys., 2: 285. Type-species: Not designated. 



Distribution: Tropical Mexico through Central America to Amazonian South America. 

 Content: Seven species, two of which ( andrews i Smith and b icolor Smith) are ex tral imi tal. 



Key to the species Clave de especies 



1. Scale rows at midbody 1/ 2 1. Con I7 filas de escamas al medio del cuerpo 2 



Scale rows at midbody I5 arubr i cus Con I9 filas de escamas al medio del cuerop 



arubr icus 



2. One or two preoculars 3 2. Con dos o menos preoculares 3 



Three preoculars dim i d ia tus Con tres preoculares dim i d iatus 



3. Body rings alternating red and black, not dis- 3- Anillos del cuerpo con alternancia de rojo y 



posed in triads 4 negro, no hay disposicion en triadas 4 



Body rings alternating red, black, and yellow, Anillos del cuerpo con alternancia de rojo, 

 with black rings frequently arranged in negro y amarillo, los anillos negros frecuen- 



triads elapo i des temente dispuestos en triadas elapo i des 



4. More than 40 black rings euryzonus 4. Mas de 40 anillos negros dorsales euryzonus 



Fewer than 40 black rings annellatus Menos de 40 anillos negros dorsales-- annellatus 



PL IOCERCUS ANNELLATUS Taylor 



1951 PI iocercus annellatus Taylor, Univ. Kansas Sc i . Bull., 3*= IO7, pi. 10; fig. 4. Type-locality: 

 Morehouse Finca, 5 "> ' southwest of Turrialba, Costa Rica. 



Distribution: Known only from type locality. 



PLIOCERCUS ARUBRICUS Taylor 



1954 PI iocercus arubr icus Taylor, Univ. Kansas Sc i . Bull., Jd: 73^> 'f '9- !*• Type-locality: Isla 

 Bonita, southeastern slope of Volcan Poas, Costa Rica, about 55^"^ 'ft- 



Distribution: Atlantic slope of Costa Rica; known from type locality and Boca de R'o Colorado. 



PLIOCERCUS DIMIDIATUS Cope 



186s Pliocercus dimidiatus Cope. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sc i . Phila., I865: I9O. Type-locality: Arriba, 



Costa Rica. 

 1951 Pliocercus dimidiatus — Taylor, Univ. Kansas Sc i . Bull., 3*' 106. 



Distribution: Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama. 



PLIOCERCUS ELAPO I DES Cope 



1860 Pliocercus elapoides Cope. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sc i . Phila., 1860: 253. Type-locality: Near Jalapa, 

 Veracruz. 



Distribution: Tropical Mexico to Guatemala and Honduras. 



Content: Nine subspecies, of which five ( cela tus Smith, elapo i des Cope, hobartsm i th i Liner, 

 ecc idental i s Smith and Landy and schm idt i SmithV are extral im i tal, 



S6S-492 0—70 17 



