Systematics of the Neotropical SnakeDendrophidion paucicarinatum(COPE), with a Description of its Hemipenis (Serpentes: Colubridae)

Abstract

Abstract We present the first modern comprehensive systematic treatment of the Central American snake Dendrophidion paucicarinatum (Cope). We redescribe the species on the basis of a large sample from throughout its range, redescribe and illustrate the holotype, and provide a detailed treatment of its hemipenial morphology. Dendrophidion paucicarinatum is distinguished from other species of the genus by a combination of having more ventrals (>175), fewer subcaudals (<140), very weak keels on the dorsal scales, and distinct transverse dark lines across each ventral in adults. It is an upland species found almost exclusively above 1,000 m in mountainous regions of Costa Rica and western Panama, primarily in premontane and montane humid to wet forests and cloud forests. It is a large species attaining a total length of 1.5 m and is diurnal and anurophagous like other species of Dendrophidion. Known clutch sizes are 3–12. Evidence from the Monteverde region in Costa Rica suggests that populations of D. paucic...