Geophis nephodrymus TOWNSEND & WILSON, 2006
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Geophis nephodrymus
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| Higher Taxa | Colubridae (Dipsadinae), Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | |
| Synonym | Geophis nephodrymus TOWNSEND & WILSON 2006 Geophis nephodrymus — WILSON & TOWNSEND 2007: 14 Geophis nephodrymus — WALLACH et al. 2014: 304 |
| Distribution | NW Honduras (Sierra de Omoa, Cortés) Type locality: Sendero Las Minas (15°29.525’N, 88°12.705’W), 1580 m elevation, Parque Nacional El Cusuco, Cortés, Honduras |
| Reproduction | oviparous |
| Types | Holotype: UF 142577, a female, Florida State Museum of Natural History collected 11 July 2004 by S. M. Hughes and J. H. Townsend. |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis: Geophis nephodrymus has 17 dorsal scale rows throughout the body, distinguishing it from all members of the championi group (G. championi, G. downsi, G. godmani, and G. ruthveni) and semidoliatus group (G. cancellatus, G. juliai, G. laticinctus, and G. semidoliatus), and some members of the chalybeus (G. dugesii, G. nigrocinctus, and G. tarascae), omiltemanus (G. incomptus and G. maculiferus), and sieboldi (G. bellus, G. betaniensis, G. brachycephalus, G. damiani, G. hoffmanni, G. laticollaris, G. nigroalbus, G. petersii, G. russatus, G. ruthveni, G. sallaei, G. talamancae, and G. zeledoni) groups that have only 15 dorsal scale rows throughout the body. Of the remaining members of the chalybeus group, G. bicolor differs from G. nephodrymus in having 2 postocular scales (only 1 postocular in G. nephodrymus), and G. chalybeus has more ventrals (154–155) and subcaudals (38–41) than does G. nephodrymus (120–138 and 22–32, respectively). Geophis nephodrymus is separated from the members of the sieboldi group that possess 17 dorsal scale rows (G. dunni, G. nasalis, G. pyburni, and G. sieboldi), and from some members of the dubius group (G. carinosus, G. juarezi, and G. rostralis) by having smooth dorsal scales throughout the length of the body (dorsal scales keeled on at least the posterior part of the body in those species). Geophis nephodrymus differs from most of the members of the latifrontalis group (G. latifrontalis and G. mutitorques) and the members of the omiltemanus group that have 17 dorsal scale rows (G. isthmicus and G. omiltemanus) by lacking an anterior temporal (anterior temporal present in latifrontalis group [except G. blanchardi] and omiltemanus group). Geophis blanchardi differs from G. nephodrymus by having more ventrals (150–166 versus 120–138 in G. nephodrymus) and usually 7 infralabials (usually 6 infralabials in G. nephodrymus). Of the remaining species in the dubius group, G. nephodrymus can be differentiated from G. dubius by having internasals that are distinct from the prefrontals (internasals usually fused to prefrontals in G. dubius), from G. anocularis, G. duellmani, and G. rhodogaster by having one supraocular and one postocular (supraocular and postocular absent in G. anocularis and G. duellmani; supraocular absent in G. rhodogaster), from G. immaculatus by having a dark coloration on chin and lateral edges of ventrals (chin and ventral scales immaculate in G. immaculatus), and from G. fulvoguttatus by usually having fewer ventrals (120–138) and a lower segmental count (149–160)(G. fulvoguttatus with 135–157 ventrals, segmental count 171–181) [from TOWNSEND 2006]. |
| Comment | Distribution: see map in CANSECO-MÁRQUEZ et al. 2016: 133 (Fig. 1). |
| Etymology | Named after “nephodrymus”, derived from the Greek words nephos, meaning cloud, and drymos, meaning forest, in reference to the cloud forest habitat where this species is found. |
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