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Issue: Vol. 5543 No. 1: 2 Dec. 2024
Type: Article
Published: 2024-12-02
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5543.1.5
Page range: 97-110
Abstract views: 208
PDF downloaded: 9

A new species of the genus Liotyphlops Peters, 1881 (Serpentes: Anomalepididae) from the Caribbean coast of Honduras

Instituto de Biociências; Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul; Cidade Universitária; 79070-900; Campo Grande; Mato Grosso do Sul; Brazil; Colección Privada y Centro de Rescate de Fauna Silvestre El Ocotal; Carretera CA-5 hacia el sur de Honduras; km 42.3; Sabanagrande; Francisco Morazán; Honduras; Centro Zamorano de Biodiversidad; Escuela Agrícola Panamericana Zamorano; Valle de Yeguare; Francisco Morazán; Honduras.
Escuela de Biología; Facultad de Ciencias; Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras; Tegucigalpa; Francisco Morazán; Honduras; Grupo de Investigación de Reptiles y Anfibios de Honduras (GIRAH)
Departamento de Ecologia; Instituto de Biociências; Universidade de São Paulo; Rua do Matão; 05508-090; São Paulo; São Paulo; Brazil; Semillero de Investigación en Ecofisiología y Biogeografía de Vertebrados; Grupo de investigación en Biodiversidad y Desarrollo Amazónico (BYDA); Centro de investigaciones Amazónicas Macagual—Cesar Augusto Estrada Gonzales; Universidad de la Amazonia; Florencia; Caquetá; Colombia
Centro Zamorano de Biodiversidad; Escuela Agrícola Panamericana Zamorano; Valle de Yeguare; Departamental de Francisco Morazán; Honduras; 1350 Pelican Court; Homestead; Florida 33035; USA
Reptilia Distribution external morphology fossorial snakes Pico Bonito National Park species diversity

Abstract

We describe a new species of the genus Liotyphlops from the Caribbean coast of Honduras in Nuclear Mesoamerica, a genus previously known only from Isthmian Mesoamerica and northern, central, and eastern South America. Our description is based on a single specimen found by chance. The new species differs from other congeners by unique combination of external morphological characteristics, specifically by the presence of three scales on the first vertical row of the dorsals, three supralabial scales, 425 dorsal scales, and dorsals in 22 series of uniformly pigmented scales across the body. The type locality represents the northernmost record for the genus and is located 920 km (airline) northwest of the previous record for Liotyphlops albirostris in Costa Rica. We developed an identification key for the genus and discussed natural history and biogeographical aspects of Liotyphlops, including the species described here.

 

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