Plesiodipsas perijanensis (ALEMÁN, 1953)
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Higher Taxa | Colubridae (Dipsadinae), Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes) |
Subspecies | |
Common Names | E: Aleman's Snail-eater |
Synonym | Tropidodipsas perijanensis ALEMÁN 1953 Dipsas perijanensis — PETERS 1970 Dipsas perijanensis — KORNACKER 1999: 80 Plesiodipsas perijanensis — HARVEY et al. 2008 Plesiodipsas perijanensis — WALLACH et al. 2014: 570 |
Distribution | Venezuela (Zulia), Colombia (Santander) Type locality: Jamayau (also as Jamayaujaina), Sierra de Perijia, Edo. Zulia, Venezuela, 1700 m elevation, (10°00’01’’N, 72°55’ 01’’ W), corrected to 10° 01' 29"N, 72° 48’ 10’’ W; ± 1700 m elevation by Rojas-Runjaic & Infante-Rivero 2018. |
Reproduction | oviparous |
Types | Holotype: MHNLS 665, female (MHNLS 655 listed by Harvey et al. 2008 is wrong. Corrected to MHNLS 665 by Rojas-Runjaic & Infante-Rivero 2018). |
Diagnosis | Diagnosis and definition (genus): Robust banded snakes probably not exceeding a meter in length and differing from other Dipsadinae by the following combination of characters: (1) eyes large, not visible from below, with elliptical pupils; (2) head distinct from neck, with subacuminate snout; (3) chinshields subrectangular and mental groove absent; (4) penultimate supralabial not greatly enlarged; (5) no infralabials greatly enlarged; (6) loreal excluded from orbit by lower preocular; (7) dorsals smooth, without keels or apical pits, usually in 17 rows at midbody reducing to 15; (8) chin tubercles present in males, supracloacal tubercles absent; (9) Harderian gland large and rhomboidal, medial to mm. levator anguli oris and adductor mandibulae externus, pars superficialis; (10) m. levator anguli oris inserting far anteriorly on dentary; (11) maxillary teeth directed inward, lacking grooves, and decreasing in size posteriorly; (12) posterior blade-like process of maxilla absent; (13) teeth extending posterior to notch in dorsolateral maxillary lamina; diastema and enlarged fangs absent; (14) pterygoid teeth numerous, reaching posterior point of divergence of pterygoids; (15) tracheal lung absent; (16) heart-liver gap large; (17) capitulum of hemipenis covered in papillate calyces; (18) sulcus spermaticus bifurcating within capitulum; (19) base of hemipenis encircled by rows of large spines separated from pair of basal hooks by asulcate patch; (20) nude basal pocket present on lateral side of hemipenis. |
Comment | Type species: Tropidodipsas perijanensis Alemán 1953 is the type species of the genus Plesiodipsas HARVEY et al. 2008. |
Etymology | Named after its type locality. The genus name is a feminine noun formed by adding the prefix plesio (derived from the Greek word plesios meaning near) to the generic name Dipsas (derived from the Greek word for thirst). |
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