We revised and identified preserved specimens of Sibon annulatus (Günther, 1872)to present an update of its geographical distribution in Colombia. We include three new records of this species, which expand its distribution within Colombia to the departments of Chocó and Santander.
Camila’s Coral Snake, Micrurus camilae Renjifo & Lundberg, 2003, is known only by 3 collected specimens. In this work, we report for the first time the presence of M. camilae in the middle Magdalena Valley, and we add data about color variation in the species. The new record extends the distributional range of M. camilae by nearly 200 km in a straight line from Vereda El Rayo, Tarazá, Antioquia, which is the nearest point previously reported.
Species of the genus Mabuya are barely recognizable because of their highly conservative external morphology, resulting in unstable systematic and taxonomic status. Considering that hemipenial morphology has been extensively used as a source of systematic information for several groups of Squamata, we described the hemipenial morphology of nine species of Mabuya, searching for diagnostic features useful to taxonomic and systematic studies. To have comparative parameters within the family, we also presented the description of the hemipenes of two other Scincidae species (i.e., Trachylepis atlantica and Tiliqua rugosa). This information, together with the available literature, was analyzed in a comparative framework, allowing us to define some variation for the genus and family. The hemipenial morphology of the species of Mabuya studied is very conservative; features that show subtle variation were the shape of the protuberances present on the asulcate face of the hemipenial body and the presence and type of a lateral fold, on the body. Also, within the family, some variation was found in the shape and length of lobes, length of branches of the sulcus spermaticus, and in the kind of folds and protuberances in both faces of the lobes and hemipenial body. Although these features were not tested in a systematic context, this information suggested variations in hemipenial morphology that could contribute to taxonomic diagnostics and phylogenetic characters. The importance of obtaining proper preparations for gathering accurate information is emphasized, and the use of fresh-killed specimens that shows fewer difficulties for the procedures of preparation is highly recommended.
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