Abstract
A new colubrid species of the genus Tantilla from the dry forest of the northern Peruvian Andes is described on the basis of two specimens, which exhibit a conspicuous sexual dimorphism. Tantilla tjiasmantoi sp. nov. represents the third species of the genus in Peru. The new species is easily distinguished from its congeners by the combination of scalation characteristics and the unusual transversely-banded color pattern on the dorsum. A detailed description of the skull morphology of the new species is given based on micro-computed tomography images. The habitat of this new species is gravely threatened due to human interventions. Conservation efforts are urgently needed in the inter-Andean valley of the Maranon River.
Highlights
Dry tropical forests (SDTF) are characterised by a distinct seasonality with several months of arid-like conditions in which many plants lose their leaves (Murphy & Lugo, 1986)
The electronic version of this article in Portable Document Format (PDF) will represent a published work according to the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN), and the new names contained in the electronic version are effectively published under that Code from the electronic edition alone
The skull of the new species is composed of similar bones and bone structures as other species of the genus Tantilla
Summary
Dry tropical forests (SDTF) are characterised by a distinct seasonality with several months of arid-like conditions in which many plants lose their leaves (Murphy & Lugo, 1986). In South America, SDTFs are discontinuously distributed and can occupy large areas such as the Caatinga in northeastern Brazil or small fragments as being found in inter-Andean valleys of Peru or Ecuador (Werneck et al, 2011). The different areas of South American SDTFs are very divers and the species compositions differ substantially (Linares-Palomino, 2006; Miles et al, 2006; DRYFLOR, 2016). One stripe continues along the coast west of the Andes, whereas the other penetrates the valley of the Marañón River and its tributaries. This North-to-South oriented valley is located in the Central Andes and bordered to the West and East by the Cordillera Occidental and the Cordillera Central, respectively. The inter-Andean dry forest expands from the Huancabamba Depression in
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