identifier	taxonID	type	CVterm	format	language	title	description	additionalInformationURL	UsageTerms	rights	Owner	contributor	creator	bibliographicCitation
03A587ADBF31FF9DFEB114D0FB13FF04.text	03A587ADBF31FF9DFEB114D0FB13FF04.taxon	http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text	http://rs.tdwg.org/ontology/voc/SPMInfoItems#GeneralDescription	text/html	en	Echinanthera COPE	<div><p>ECHINANTHERA COPE</p> <p>This is a well­defined genus, at least in the strict sense when considering the closest relatives of the type species. In this context, six species seem assignable: Echinanthera amoena, E. cephalomaculata, E. cephalostriata, E. cyanopleura (type species), E. melanostigma, and E. undulata. Two of these were recently described by Marcos Di­Bernardo, the principal authority on the genus: he named the outlying E. cephalomaculata based on two specimens from Estado Alagoas in northeastern Brazil (Di­Bernardo, 1994), and he teased out the new E. cephalostriata from E. cyanopleura, with which it had been confused (Di­Bernardo, 1996).</p> <p>These are medium­sized terrestrial snakes, all probably exceeding 600 mm total length. 8 Based on relatively few measurements (Myers, unpubl.; Di­Bernardo, 1996: 123), maximum total lengths reach or exceed 700 mm in amoena, cephalostriata, and undulata and exceed 800 mm in cyanopleura and melanostigma. A female melanostigma (UMMZ 63030) was measured at 882 mm total length, and meter­long Echinanthera seem likely.</p> <p>There are 17 dorsal scale rows without reduction. Apical scale ‘‘pits’’ are present on some specimens of at least five species. 9 These scale organs are either paired or single (if single, the pit is an apparent remnant of a pair, being offset from the median). There normally are 8 supralabials (rarely 7 or 9), usually with 2nd–3rd or 2nd only touching the loreal and 3rd–5th (less commonly 4th– 5th) in the orbit. This differs significantly from the Taeniophallus affinis group (7 supralabials, 3rd–4th in orbit).</p> <p>The color pattern includes a strongly undulating middorsal stripe in cephalomaculata and undulata and in at least some specimens of cyanopleura (e.g., the syntypes), but this stripe seems to have been degraded to somisolated spots in cephalostriata (Di­Bernardo, 1996: fig. 1) and melanostigma, and it is essentially lost in amoena. A line of whitish dashes or small spots along rows 3 and/or 4. Normally dark dots on the ends of the ventrals. Specimens of all species except amoena and cephalomaculata have conspicuous gray or blackish crossbanding over much of the belly; variation in the ventral crossbands includes their ontogenetic development, at least in undulata; a few traces of crossbanding are retained in some specimens of amoena.</p> <p>7 There is variation in numbers of prediastemal teeth in most snakes, with the difference between extreme counts usually seeming to be in the range of perhaps 2– 5 teeth for many South American colubrids (e.g., Myers, 1974: 29, table 1). The large variation in Taeniophallus affinis is therefore noteworthy.</p> <p>8 The female holotype of Echinanthera cephalomaculata measured 561 mm total length, but only two specimens of this species are known (Di­Bernardo, 1994).</p> <p>Myers (1974: 29, 199) noted that two affinis specimens with the maxillary formula 10 1 2 had all the teeth short and thick, compared with relatively longer, more slender teeth in four snakes with the formulae 14 1 2– 18 1 2. Since then, however, an additional specimen with the formula 10 1 2 was coded with seemingly normal teeth. This variation is not explained, although Di­ Bernardo and Lema (1988: 232) showed that geographic variation is involved in total counts. Assuming that sibling species are not being confused, one might expect the existence of geographic shifts in availability of major prey types.</p> <p>9 Apical pits were not mentioned in Di­Bernardo’s (1994) description of Echinanthera cephalomaculata. Myers has coded presence of these scale organs in specimens of E. amoena, E. cyanopleura, E. melanostigma, and E. undulata, and Di­Bernardo (1996: 123) reported small paired (rarely single) apical pits in E. cephalostriata. Some specimens seem to lack these structures completely. They are constant and easily seen in some genera, but a difficult character in such groups as Echinanthera. See Myers (1974: 40–41) for discussion.</p> <p>There normally are more than 25 prediastemal maxillary teeth, with variation as follows 10:</p> <p>E. amoena 25–28 (N 5 4)</p> <p>E. cephalomaculata 27–28 (N 5 2) E. cephalostriata 24–32 (x 5 27.8, N 5 35) E. cyanopleura 27–29 (N 5 2)</p> <p>E. melanostigma 27–32 (N 5 6)</p> <p>E. undulata 29–32 (N 5 12)</p> <p>The strongly calyculate hemipenis has an interspinal asulcate gap that becomes pronounced upon eversion. This gap is not necessarily nude as sometimes stated, but usually contains a median line of tiny spines or spinelike papillae along part of its length (fig. 10). The calyces are papillate, with the papillae becoming either slightly or markedly larger, even spinulate on the asulcate side above the upper end of the interspinal gap— but they do not form a differentiated cluster. There is no small asulcate cluster of abruptly enlarged, strongly differentiated papillae such as in the affinis group of Taeniophallus (compare fig. 10 with fig. 9A–C). 11</p> <p>The monophyly of Echinanthera s.s. is supported by the derived condition of a large number of prediastemal maxillary teeth (25– 32)—an unusually high number among most dipsadine and xenodontine colubrids. An undulating middorsal stripe and ventral crossbanding also may be synapomorphic for Echinanthera, with apomorphic degradation in a few species. Other characters that distinguish Echinanthera s.s from the Taeniophallus affinis group include scale pits and generally larger size of the former, and the apomorphic supralabial pattern in the latter.</p> </div>	http://treatment.plazi.org/id/03A587ADBF31FF9DFEB114D0FB13FF04	Public Domain	No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.		Plazi	SCHARGEL, WALTER E.;RIVAS FUENMAYOR, GILSON;MYERS, CHARLES W.	SCHARGEL, WALTER E., RIVAS FUENMAYOR, GILSON, MYERS, CHARLES W. (2005): An Enigmatic New Snake from Cloud Forest of the Península de Paria, Venezuela (Colubridae: Genus Taeniophallus?). American Museum Novitates 3484: 1-23, DOI: 10.1206/0003-0082(2005)484[0001:AENSFC]2.0.CO;2, URL: http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1206/0003-0082%282005%29484%5B0001%3AAENSFC%5D2.0.CO%3B2
03A587ADBF33FF83FCF51285FDF7FB7D.text	03A587ADBF33FF83FCF51285FDF7FB7D.taxon	http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text	http://rs.tdwg.org/ontology/voc/SPMInfoItems#GeneralDescription	text/html	en	Taeniophallus COPE	<div><p>TAENIOPHALLUS COPE</p> <p>This genus may not be monophyletic, but data are insufficient for firm conclusions. Three species groups can be recognized for discussion.</p> <p>1. TAENIOPHALLUS BREVIROSTRIS AND TAENIOPHALLUS NICAGUS: Cope’s description of the then monotypic Taeniophallus (type species Lygophis nicagus, type locality unknown) was based partly on material of ‘‘ Rhadinaea ’’ brevirostris (fide Myers, 1974: 208); these two snakes were long confused until the rediscovery of T. nicagus as a South American snake (Myers and Cadle, 1994: 4). Sufficient material has been accumulated for more detailed comparisons and elucidation of geographic ranges of T. brevirostris and T. nicagus (Myers and Cadle, in prep.).</p> <p>They are small snakes, less than 500 mm in total length, usually with a broad middorsal stripe having undulating or serrated edges. Dorsal scale formula 17­17­15; apical pits often present. There are consistently 8 supralabials (variation is rare), with the 2nd touching the loreal and the 3rd–5th touching the eye. There are about 12–16 prediastemal maxillary teeth. Striking similarity in color pattern and morphology is suggestive of close relationship. Hemipenial differences, although remarkable, do not necessarily contradict such a relationship.</p> <p>Taeniophallus nicagus is characterized by an undivided sulcus spermaticus (fig. 8B). Taeniophallus brevirostris has a bifurcated sulcus, but one branch is shorter than the other (fig. 8A). These conditions are rare or unique among Neotropical dipsadine and xenodontine colubrids. Shortening and eventual loss of one branch seems the likely explanation for the simple sulcus in T. nicagus. Neither brevirostris nor nicagus has an interspinal nude area on the asulcate side of the hemipenis.</p> <p>2. TAENIOPHALLUS OCCIPITALIS: This is a distinctive species that is set off by a low number of scale rows (15­15­15 or 15­15­13, apical pits not detected) and an unusual anteriorly blotched to posteriorly spotted color pattern (Myers, 1974: 209, figs. 46E, 48). It is a small snake, with total length approaching (and probably exceeding) 500 mm. There are consistently 8 supralabials, with the 2nd touching the loreal and the 3rd–5th touching the eye. There are 13–15 prediastemal maxillary teeth (N 5 12 specimens).</p> <p>There is a distal interspinal nude area on the asulcate side of the single or slightly bilobed hemipenis, but it is quite short, being set off proximally by a very large spine at midorgan (fig. 9D) and ending distally deep under the overhanging edge of the capitulum. The papillae on the calyces gradually become thick and spinulate over the asulcate side of the capitulum, becoming largest near the edge of the capitulum, where a horizontal row of large soft spinules overhangs the distal end of the short interspinal nude gap.</p> <p>Taeniophallus occipitalis resembles T. poecilopogon (see below) in having a conspicuous pale canthal line, but its closest relationships may well be with T. brevirostris and T. nicagus. The everted hemipenes of T. brevirostris and T. occipitalis are more different than had been suspected from study of retracted organs, but similar ‘‘thick, knoblike spinules’’ were noted on the asulcate side of the capitulum of some retracted organs of both species (Myers, 1974: 205, 211), and the ‘‘gigantic calyx’’ or pocket in the lower edge of the capitulum of T. brevirostris may well be a homolog of the very deep but proximally open capitulate overhang in T. occipitalis. Aspects of the dorsal color pattern in some specimens of T. occipitalis suggest the possibility of derivation from a brevirostris ­ nicagus ­like ancestor (Myers and Cadle, unpubl.).</p> <p>3. TAENIOPHALLUS AFFINIS GROUP: This comprises the four southernmost species of the old Rhadinaea brevirostris group, namely Taeniophallus affinis, T. bilineatus, T. persimilis, and T. poecilopogon. Myers (1974) had available fewer than 20 specimens of these (1– 8 specimens per species), but, in a series of papers, Di­Bernardo and Lema (1986 – 1991) subsequently presented data on some 200 specimens (9–110 per species), extending the known variation and geographic ranges, and confirming Myers’ placement of two older names (Liophis insignissimus, Rhadinaea beui) in the synonymy of ‘‘ Rhadinaea ’’ persimilis.</p> <p>These are rather small snakes, seldom exceeding 500 mm in total length, except for the medium­sized Taeniophallus affinis, in which males exceed 600 mm and females 700 mm in total length. There are 17 dorsal scale rows without reduction; apical pits appear to be absent in the affinis group. 5</p> <p>There are 7 supralabials, with the 2nd in contact with the loreal and with the 3rd–4th consistently touching the eye. Deviation from this pattern is rare (one specimen of T. bilineatus, MZUSP 4500, has 8 supralabials on one side only, with the 2nd–3rd touching the loreal but with the 3rd–4th in the orbit as normal).</p> <p>A vertebral dark line or a wider nonundulatory middorsal stripe present or absent; a tendency for a thin pale line or row of pale spots along row 4, above a narrow dark stripe or dark sides; a tendency for a line of dark dots on each side of the venter (or ventrals dark­edged in poecilopogon), with venters otherwise immaculate or nearly so.</p> <p>There are usually fewer than 20 prediastemal maxillary teeth except in bilineatus, which has a maximum of 23, with species differences as follows 6:</p> <p>5 Myers (1974: 40) failed to find apical pits in these four species, and Di­Bernardo and Lema (1987: 212) specifically mentioned their absence in T. poecilopogon.</p> <p>6 The ranges in numbers of prediastemal teeth are derived from Myers (1974: 197, and subsequent unpubl. data), combined with the larger samples in Di­Bernardo and Lema (1986: 117–118; 1987: 213; 1988: 232, 234; ‘‘1990’’ [1991]: 372, 390).</p> <p>T. affinis 8–18 (N 5 54) 7</p> <p>T. bilineatus 18–23 (N 5 28)</p> <p>T. persimilis 15–18 (N 5 18)</p> <p>T. poecilopogon 13–18 (N 5 17)</p> <p>The hemipenis is single, with an asulcate interspinal gap that becomes conspicuous on eversion. This gap is not nude, but bears a medial line of at least several spinules or papillae. The interspinal gap, open proximally, extends distally nearly to the calyculate tip of the hemipenis, where it terminates at an asulcate cluster of several enlarged papillae that are further differentiated in being flaplike or spinelike. Figure 9 shows these differentiated asulcate papillae on everted hemipenes of three of the four species in the group— T. affinis (fig. 9A), T. bilineatus (fig. 9B), and T. persimilis (fig. 9C). A retracted organ of the fourth species, T. poecilopogon, was said to have ‘‘relatively large’’ papillae on the asulcate side of the tip, and to be similar to that of T. affinis (Myers, 1974: 217).</p> <p>The differentiated asulcate papillae appear to be a hemipenial synapomorphy supporting the monophyly of the Taeniophallus affinis group. Also synapomorphic is the supralabial pattern (7 labials, 2nd in loreal, 3rd–4th in orbit), which is practically invariant. These snakes otherwise are generalized small terrestrial colubrids that are ‘‘ Rhadinaea ­like’’ in most external features.</p> <p>The hemipenial interspinal asulcate gap is similar to that in Echinanthera s.s., the species of which differ in most other features.</p> </div>	http://treatment.plazi.org/id/03A587ADBF33FF83FCF51285FDF7FB7D	Public Domain	No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.		Plazi	SCHARGEL, WALTER E.;RIVAS FUENMAYOR, GILSON;MYERS, CHARLES W.	SCHARGEL, WALTER E., RIVAS FUENMAYOR, GILSON, MYERS, CHARLES W. (2005): An Enigmatic New Snake from Cloud Forest of the Península de Paria, Venezuela (Colubridae: Genus Taeniophallus?). American Museum Novitates 3484: 1-23, DOI: 10.1206/0003-0082(2005)484[0001:AENSFC]2.0.CO;2, URL: http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1206/0003-0082%282005%29484%5B0001%3AAENSFC%5D2.0.CO%3B2
