Abstract
Specimens of snakes from Mexico to northeastern Brazil have been assigned to the taxon Sibon nebulatus. Recent molecular data confirmed the previous suspicions that these specimens in fact belong to distinct species. After examination of the holotype and recently collected specimens, we provide an amended diagnosis and restrict the range of S. nebulatus to northern South America, implying that Central American populations belong to one or several undescribed species. We also describe Sibon nigralbus sp. nov., a new species from the Guiana region. Further investigation is needed to clarify the status of populations in Pará state, Brazil, and in the Magdalena valley in Colombia, where additional species possibly occur.
References
- Albert, J.S., Carnaval, A.C., Flantua, S.G., Lohmann, L.G., Ribas, C.C., Riff, D., Carrilo, J.D., Fan, Y., Figueiredo, J.J.P., Guayasamin, J.M., Hoorn, C., de Mello, G.H., Nascimento, N., Quesada, C.A., Ulloa, C.U., Val, P., Arieira, J., Encalada, A.C. & Nobre, C.A. (2023) Human impacts outpace natural processes in the Amazon. Science, 379, eabo5003. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abo5003
- Andersson, L.G. (1899) Catalogue of Linnean type‐specimens of snakes in the Royal Museum in Stockholm. [type catalogue] Bihang till Konglika Svenska Vetenskaps-Akademiens. Handlingar, Stockholm, 24, 1–34.
- Arteaga, A. & Batista, A. (2023) A consolidated phylogeny of snail‐eating snakes (Serpentes, Dipsadini), with the description of five new species from Colombia, Ecuador, and Panama. ZooKeys, 1143, 1–49. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1143.93601
- Arteaga, A., Salazar-Valenzuela, D., Mebert, K., Peñafiel, N., Aguiar, G., Sánchez-Nivicela, J.C., Pyron, R.A., Colston, T.J., Cisneros-Heredia, D.F., Yánez-Muñoz, M.H., Venegas, P.J., Guayasamin, J.M. & Torres-Carvajal, O. (2018) Systematics of South American snail‐eating snakes (Serpentes, Dipsadini), with the description of five new species from Ecuador and Peru. ZooKeys, 766, 79. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.766.24523
- Bacon, C.D., Silvestro, D., Jaramillo, C., Smith, B.T., Chakrabarty, P. & Antonelli, A. (2015) Biological evidence supports an early and complex emergence of the Isthmus of Panama. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 112 (19), 6110–6115. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1423853112
- Costa, J.C.L., Graboski, R., Grazziotin, F.G., Zaher, H., Rodrigues, M.T. & Prudente, A.L.C. (2022) Reassessing the systematics of Leptodeira (Serpentes, Dipsadidae) with emphasis in the South American species. Zoologica Scripta, 51 (4), 415–433. https://doi.org/10.1111/zsc.12534
- Dewynter, M., Courtois, E.A., Massary, J.C., Uriot, Q., Uriot, S., Premel, V., Villette, B., Rufray, V., Perrier, M., Bouchet, L., Le Pape, T., Foxonet, H., Remérand, E., Baudain, D., Baglan, A., Marty, C. & Bonnefond, A. (2021) La base de données Faune‐Guyane (Amphibiens, Squamates, Tortues & Caïmans): synthèse 2020. Herp me!, 4, 1–87.
- Dowling, H.G. (1951) A proposed standard system of counting ventrals in snakes. British Journal of Herpetology, 1, 97–99.
- Felsenstein, J. (1985) Phylogenies and the comparative method. The American Naturalist, 125 (1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1086/284325
- Fouquet, A., Martinez, Q., Zeidler, L., Courtois, E.A., Gaucher, P., Blanc, M., Lima, J.D., Souza, S.M., Rodrigues, M.T. & Kok, P.J. (2016) Cryptic diversity in the Hypsiboas semilineatus species group (Amphibia, Anura) with the description of a new species from the eastern Guiana Shield. Zootaxa, 4084 (1), 79–104. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4084.1.3
- Freitas, T.M.B., Abreu, J.M.S., Sampaio, I., Piorski, N.M. & Weber, L.N. (2022) Molecular data reveal multiple lineages of Scinax nebulosus (Spix, 1824) (Anura: Hylidae) with Plio‐Pleistocene diversification in different Brazilian regions. Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências, 94 (2), e20200733. https://doi.org/10.1590/0001-3765202220200733
- Gomes, V.H., Vieira, I.C., Salomão, R.P. & ter Steege, H. (2019) Amazonian tree species threatened by deforestation and climate change. Nature Climate Change, 9 (7), 547–553. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-019-0500-2
- Guedes, T.B., Sawaya, R.J., Zizka, A., Laffan, S., Faurby, S., Pyron, R.A., Bérnils, R.S., Jansen, M., Passos, P., Prudente, A.L.C., Cisneros-Heredia, D.F., Braz, H.B., Nogueira, C.C. & Antonelli, A. (2018) Patterns, biases and prospects in the distribution and diversity of Neotropical snakes. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 27 (1), 14–21. https://doi.org/10.1111/geb.12679
- Harvey, M.B. & Embert, D. (2008) Review of Bolivian Dipsas (serpentes: Colubridae), with comments on other South American species. Herpetological Monographs, 22 (1), 54–105. https://doi.org/10.1655/07-023.1
- Jadin, R.C., Blair, C., Orlofske, S.A., Jowers, M.J., Rivas, G.A., Vitt, L.J., Ray, J.M., Smith, E.N. & Murphy, J.C. (2020) Not withering on the evolutionary vine: systematic revision of the Brown Vine Snake (Reptilia: Squamata: Oxybelis) from its northern distribution. Organisms Diversity & Evolution, 20, 723–746. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13127-020-00461-0
- Jenkins, C.N., Pimm, S.L. & Joppa, L.N. (2013) Global patterns of terrestrial vertebrate diversity and conservation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 110 (28), E2602–E2610. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1302251110
- Katoh, K., Rozewicki, J. & Yamada, K.D. (2019) MAFFT online service: multiple sequence alignment, interactive sequence choice and visualization. Briefings in bioinformatics, 20 (4), 1160–1166. https://doi.org/10.1093/bib/bbx108
- Linnaeus, C. (1758) Systema naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Tomus I. Editio decima, reformata. L. Salvii, Stockholm, 824 pp. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.542
- Lopes, L.V. & Passos, P. (2023) Taxonomic status of the enigmatic Natrix sexcarinata Wagler, 1824 (Serpentes: Colubridae: Colubrinae). Zootaxa, 5244 (2), 123–144. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5244.2.2
- Miller, M.A., Pfeiffer, W. & Schwartz, T. (2010) Creating the CIPRES Science Gateway for inference of large phylogenetic trees. Gateway Computing Environments Workshop (GCE), 2010, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1109/GCE.2010.5676129
- Miralles, A. & Carranza, S. (2010) Systematics and biogeography of the Neotropical genus Mabuya, with special emphasis on the Amazonian skink Mabuya nigropunctata (Reptilia, Scincidae). Molecular Phylogenetics & Evolution, 54 (3), 857–869. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2009.10.016
- de Mello, A.V. 1., Recoder, R.S., Fouquet, A., Rodrigues, M.T. & Nunes, P.M. (2024) Integrative taxonomy of the Iphisa elegans species complex (Squamata: Gymnophthalmidae) leads to the description of five new species. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 200 (2), 477–504. https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlad073
- Moraes, L.J., Werneck, F.P., Réjaud, A., Rodrigues, M.T., Prates, I., Glaw, F., Kok, P.J.R., Ron, S.R., Chaparro, J.C., Osorno-Muñoz, M., Dal Vechio, F., Recoder, R.S., Marques-Souza, S., Rojas, R.R., Demay, L. & Fouquet, A. (2022) Diversification of tiny toads (Bufonidae: Amazophrynella) sheds light on ancient landscape dynamism in Amazonia. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 136 (1), 75–91. https://doi.org/10.1093/biolinnean/blac006
- Nascimento, J., Lima, J.D., Suárez, P., Baldo, D., Andrade, G.V., Pierson, T.W., Fitzpatrick, B.M., Haddad, C.F.B., Recco-Pimentel, S.M. & Lourenço, L.B. (2019) Extensive cryptic diversity within the Physalaemus cuvieri–Physalaemus ephippifer species complex (Amphibia, Anura) revealed by cytogenetic, mitochondrial, and genomic markers. Frontiers in Genetics, 10, 719. https://doi.org/10.3389/fgene.2019.00719
- Nogueira, C.C., Argôlo, A.J., Arzamendia, V., Azevedo, J.A., Barbo, F.E., Bérnils, R.S., Bolochio, B.E., Borges-Martins, M., Brasil-Godinho, M., Braz, H. & Buononato, M.A. (2019) Atlas of Brazilian snakes: verified point-locality maps to mitigate the Wallacean shortfall in a megadiverse snake fauna. South American Journal of Herpetology, 14, 1–274. https://doi.org/10.2994/SAJH-D-19-00120.1
- Passos, P., Ramos, L.O., Fouquet, A. & Prudente, A.L. (2017) Taxonomy, Morphology, and Distribution of Atractus flammigerus (Serpentes: Dipsadidae). Herpetologica, 73 (4), 349–363. https://doi.org/10.1655/Herpetologica-D-16-00086
- Peters, J.A. (1960) The snakes of the subfamily Dipsadinae. Miscellaneous Publications, Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan, 114, 1–224. https://doi.org/10.3998/mpub.12946898
- Ribeiro-Júnior, M.A. & Amaral, S. (2017) Catalogue of distribution of lizards (Reptilia: Squamata) from the Brazilian Amazonia. IV. Alopoglossidae, Gymnophthalmidae. Zootaxa, 4269 (2), 151–196. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3983.1.1
- Sheehy, C.M. (2012) Phylogenetic relationships and feeding behavior of Neotropical snail‐eating snakes (Dipsadinae, Dipsadini). PhD thesis, Texas University, Austin, Texas. [unknown pagination]
- Smith, H.M. & Taylor, E.H. (1950) Type localities of Mexican reptiles and amphibians. The University of Kansas science bulletin, 33, 313–380.
- Stamatakis, A. (2014) RAxML version 8: a tool for phylogenetic analysis and post-analysis of large phylogenies. Bioinformatics, 30 (9), 1312–1313. https://doi.org/10.1093/bioinformatics/btu033
- Torres-Carvajal, O. & Hinojosa, K.C. (2020) Hidden diversity in two widespread snake species (Serpentes: Xenodontini: Erythrolamprus) from South America. Molecular Phylogenetics & Evolution, 146, 106772. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2020.106772
- Vacher, J.P., Kok, P.J., Rodrigues, M.T., Lima, J.D., Lorenzini, A., Martinez, Q., Fallet, M., Courtois, E.A., Blanc, M., Gaucher, P., Dewynter, M., Jairam, R., Ouboter, P. & Fouquet, A. (2017) Cryptic diversity in Amazonian frogs: Integrative taxonomy of the genus Anomaloglossus (Amphibia: Anura: Aromobatidae) reveals a unique case of diversification within the Guiana Shield. Molecular Phylogenetics & Evolution, 112, 158–173. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2017.04.017
- Vacher, J.P., Chave, J., Ficetola, G.f., Sommeria-Klein, G., Tao, S., Thébaud, C., Blanc, Mi., Camacho, A., Cassimiro, J., Colston, T., Dewynter, M., Ernst, R., Gaucher, P., Gomes, J., Jairam, R., Kok, P., Lima, J., Martinez, Q., Marty, C. & Fouquet, A. (2020) Large‐scale DNA‐based survey of frogs in Amazonia suggests a vast underestimation of species richness and endemism. Journal of Biogeography, 47 (8), 1781–1791. https://doi.org/10.1111/jbi.13847
- Zaher, H. (1999) Hemipenial morphology of the South American Xenodontine snakes, with a proposal for a monophyletic Xenodontinae and a reappraisal of Colubroid hemipenis. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, 240, 1–240.
- Zina, J., Silva, G.R., Loebmann, D. & Orrico, V.G. (2014) The recognition of Dendropsophus minusculus (Rivero, 1971) (Hylidae, Dendropsophini) as a highly polymorphic, multi-domain distributed species. Brazilian Journal of Biology, 74, S146–S153. https://doi.org/10.1590/1519-6984.22912