Arcanumophis, a new genus and generic allocation for Erythrolamprus problematicus (Myers 1986), Xenodontinae (Colubridae) from the Cordillera de Carabaya, southern Peru

Abstract

The systematics of South American Xenodontinae snakes has experienced large changes and improvements as a result of recent studies employing molecular data. Herein we assess the status of the rare Peruvian snake species, Erythrolamprus problematicus (Dipsadidae, Xenodontinae, Xenodontini), previously known from a single specimen collected in 1950. Based on new morphological and molecular data from a second specimen that we collected, we confirmed the presence of a crease in the rostral scale, mentioned in the original description (a unique trait among the Xenodontini), and recovered E. problematicus as the sister-taxon of all other Xenodontini, instead of nested among the current Erythrolamprus. Therefore, our phylogenetic results justify the erection of a new genus to accommodate the species.