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Ninia atrata (HALLOWELL, 1845)

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Higher TaxaColubridae (Dipsadinae), Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: South American Coffeesnake, South American Coffee Snake, Hallowell's Coffee Snake 
SynonymColuber atratus HALLOWELL 1845: 245
Streptophorus Lansbergi DUMÉRIL, BIBRON & DUMÉRIL 1854: 518
Streptophorus Drozii DUMÉRIL, BIBRON & DUMÉRIL 1854: 518
Ninia atrata — COPE 1860: 340
Streptophorus Sebae var. Drozii — JAN 1865
Streptophorus Lansbergii — JAN 1865
Streptophorus atratus — BOULENGER 1893: 293
Ninia lansbergii — BURGER & WERLER 1954
Ninia atrata — PETERS & OREJAS-MIRANDA 1970: 221
Ninia atrata — VILLA et al. 1988
Ninia atrata — GORZULA & SEÑARIS 1999
Ninia atrata — KORNACKER & NATERA-MUMAW 2008
Ninia atrata — WALLACH et al. 2014: 486 
DistributionE Panama, Colombia (incl. Valle del Cauca), Venezuela (Táchira, Barinas [HR 35: 192]), Trinidad

Type locality: “within 200 miles of Caracas” (fide KORNACKER 1999)  
Reproductionoviparous 
TypesHolotype: ANSP 3410-12
Holotype: MNHN-RA 3446 [Lansbergi]
Holotype: MNHN-RA 3444 [drozii]
Holotype: lost, was ZMH [schmidti]
Holotype: unlocated at ZMB fide Arteaga & Harris 2023 [spilogaster] 
DiagnosisDiagnosis: Ninia atrata differs from N. celata most obviously in having reduced parietals and more ventrals and subcaudals (ventrals plus subcaudals 177 to 223 versus 158 to 171 in N. celata). 
CommentSynonymy mainly after BURGER & WERLER 1954 and PETERS & OREJAS-MIRANDA 1970. The International Commission of Zoological Nomenclature (1963) has established the priority of the name Ninia atrata over N. lansbergii. Streptophorus sebae schmidti JAN 1862: 27 has been removed from the synonymy of N. atrata and revalidated by Arteaga & Harris 2023.

Distribution: Not listed for Honduras by WILSON & MCCRANIE (2002). Honduran and Costa Rican populations of this species are now referred to Ninia celata (see SVAGAE 2002 for details). Reports from Ecuador have been assigned to N. guytudori.

Phylogenetics: in a preprint by Serrano et al. 2023, Ninia atrata nests within Sibon. However, the authors do not discuss this any further. 
EtymologyNamed after Latin atrata, darkened, blackened, dingy; clothed in black [“...upper part of body and tail slate colour...”]. (from Esteban Lavilla, pers. comm., May 2024) 
References
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  • Angarita-Sierra, T. and Lopez-Hurtado, C. A. 2020. Exploring the reproductive ecology of the tropical semifossorial snake Ninia atrata. Zoological Research
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