Mastigodryas reticulatus (PETERS, 1863)
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Mastigodryas reticulatus
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| Higher Taxa | Colubridae, Colubrinae, Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | |
| Synonym | Herpetodryas reticulata PETERS 1863: 285 Dryadophis boddaerti boddaerti — STUART 1941: 66 (part.0 Mastigodryas boddaerti boddaerti — PÉREZ-SANTOS & MORENO 1991: 245 (part.) Mastigodryas melanolomus — TORRES-CARVAJAL 2004: 85 Mastigodryas reticulatus — MONTINGELLI et al. 2011 Mastigodryas reticulatus — MONTINGELLI et al. 2018 |
| Distribution | Ecuador, Peru Type locality: Gulf of Guayaquil, Ecuador (02°10’ S, 79°50’W) |
| Reproduction | oviparous (not imputed, fide Zimin et al. 2022) |
| Types | Holotype: ZMB 4504 |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis – Mastigodryas reticulatus differs from all the other members of the genus by the following combination of characters: (1) presence of a striped dorsal pattern, with the upper, light lateral stripe formed by scale Rows 4 and 5; (2) dorsal scales with dark apical edges; (3) light, immaculate throat and venter; (4) higher number of ventral scales; (5) elongate basal and nude region of the hemipenis; (6) presence of some enlarged and thinner spines lateral to the sulcus spermaticus, on the distal region of the body of the hemipenis [MONTINGELLI et al. 2012]. |
| Comment | Synonymization of Herpetodryas reticulata with Dryadophis boddaerti by STUART 1941 is questionable according to PETERS & OREJAS-MIRANDA 1970. M. reticulata was revalidated by MONTINGELLI et al. 2011. Otherwise synonymy and subspecies after PETERS & OREJAS-MIRANDA 1970. Listed as synonym of Mastigodryas boddaerti by WALLACH et al. 2014: 428. According to Peters (1863), the species differs from Herpetodryas boddaerti and H. rappi by the presence of smaller and rhomboidal cephalic scales and by the absence of dark blotches on the head and throat. However, boulenger (1894) considered H. re‐ ticulata to be a junior synonym of drymobius boddaerti. stuart (1941) accepted boulenger’s decision, but explicitly mentioned that the ecuadorian specimens are distinct from the other populations of Drymobius boddaerti. Habitat: partly arboreal (Harrington et al. 2018). Type species: Herpetodryas reticulata Peters, 1863 is the type species of the genus Erpetodryas (= Herpetodryas), designated by Montingelli et al. (2011). |
| Etymology | Named after Latin reticulatus, made like a net, net-like, reticulated. [“...einfarbig olivenbraun, alle Schuppen mit schwarzer Spitze und dunkel gerandet...”]. (from Esteban Lavilla, pers. comm., May 2024) |
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