A new species of Phalotris (Serpentes, Colubridae, Elapomorphini) from Paraguay

By

Smith, Paul
Brouard, Jean-Paul
Cacciali, Pier

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2022-03-07

Original Publication

Zoosystematics and evolution

Volume

98

Series / Issue

Issue: 1

Pages

77--85

Subjects

endemic , Endémico , hemipene , Hemipenis , Phalotris nasutus , Phalotris shawnella sp. nov.

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia Pensoft

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/zse.98.61064

 

Abstract

A new species of Phalotris from the nasutus group, Phalotris shawnella sp. nov., is described. It can be distinguished from the other members of the group by having the following combination of characters: 1) fifth supralabial in contact with parietal, 2) vertebral stripe present, 3) yellowish nuchal collar (2 or 3 dorsal scales long), 4) dull reddish color of head, 5) broad, solidly or near solidly dark, lateral bands, 6) red-orange ventral scales lightly and irregularly spotted with black mainly on the posterior half of the body and 7) a bilobed, extremely asymmetrical hemipenis, with enlarged, curved, lateral spines. The species is only known from a recent specimen collected in the Cerrado zone of northeastern Paraguay at Rancho Laguna Blanca, San Pedro department, and two photographic records of live specimens from this and an additional locality. Limited ecological data based on observations of a captive individual, and a wild record, are provided, and a conservation assessment is performed for this extremely limited range Paraguayan endemic snake.