New records of Leptophis ahaetulla ahaetulla (Serpentes, Colubridae) for Venezuela, Colombia and the placement of L. a. copei into the synonymy of L. a. ahaetulla

Abstract

The taxonomic validity of Leptophis ahaetulla copei is assessed. This subspecies is distinct from the nominal subspecies on the basis of differences in the number of ventral scales, maxillary teeth and dorsal coloration. However, comparison of its type specimens with specimens of L. a. ahaetulla revealed that L. a. copei is a junior synonym of the latter. In addition, the distribution of L. a. ahaetulla is expanded from Brazil to southwestern Venezuela and southern Colombia.

Redescription of Leptophis Cupreus (Cope) (Serpentes, Colubridae), a rare south American Colubrine Snake

“…Further, L. cupreus differs from the occasionally sympatric L. ahaetulla ahaetulla, L. a. nigromarginatus, L. a. urostictus, and L. riveti (see Oliver, 1948;Albuquerque, 2008Albuquerque, , 2009 by the absence of black spots in the center of each parietal scale (vs. present in L. a. nigromarginatus); scales on dorsal surface of head not edged with black (vs. edged in L. a. nigromarginatus and L. a. urostictus); dorsum unstriped in adults (vs. two dorsolateral stripes separated from each other by a pale vertebral stripe in L. a. ahaetulla), adult color pattern without dark oblique bands (vs. with dark bands in L. riveti); and keels absent on the first dorsal scale rows (vs. keels present on all dorsal scales of trunk in L. riveti).…”

“…Ancillary to a revision of Leptophis (Albuquerque, 2008(Albuquerque, , 2009 we examined 18 specimens of L. cupreus, including the holotype. Examination of these specimens allows us to counter Harding's (1995) suggestion that L. cupreus is a nomen dubium and makes possible a more detailed characterization of L. cupreus including within-species variation, distribution, and hemipenial morphology.…”