Pseudalsophis elegans (TSCHUDI, 1845)
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Pseudalsophis elegans
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| Higher Taxa | Colubridae (Dipsadinae), Alsophiini, Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes) |
| Subspecies | Pseudalsophis elegans elegans (TSCHUDI 1845) Pseudalsophis elegans rufodorsatus (GÜNTHER 1858) |
| Common Names | |
| Synonym | Lygophis elegans TSCHUDI 1845: 164 Dryophylax freminvillei DUMÉRIL, BIBRON & DUMÉRIL 1854: 1115 Coronella elegans — GÜNTHER 1858: 38 Philodryas freminvillei — JAN 1863 Dryophylax elegans — COPE 1878: 34 Philodryas elegans — BOULENGER 1896: 133 Tachymenis elongata DESPAX 1910: 373 Philodryas elegans elegans — SCHMIDT & WALKER 1943: 315 Tachymenis elongata — WALKER 1945 Philodryas elegans — PETERS et al. 1970: 242 Tachymenis elongata — PETERS & OREJAS-MIRANDA 1970: 290 Pseudalsophis elegans — ZAHER et al. 2009 Alsophis elegans — PYRON & BURBRINK 2013 Pseudalsophis elegans — WALLACH et al. 2014: 595 Tachymenis elongata — WALLACH et al. 2014: 695 Pseudalsophis elegans rufodorsatus (GÜNTHER 1858) Dromicus rufodorsatus GÜNTHER 1858: 130 Tachymenis canilatus COPE 1868: 104 Lygophis poecilostomus COPE 1876: 180 Dryophylax vitellinus COPE 1877: 33 Tachymenis surinamensis DUNN 1922: 220 (fide MYERS & HOOGMOED 1974) Philodryas elegans rufidorsatus [sic] — SCHMIDT & WALKER 1943: 315 Chlorosoma elegans — COCHRAN 1961: 216 Tachymenis surinamensis — PETERS & OREJAS-MIRANDA 1970: 291 Tachymenis surinamensis — CLAESSEN 2005 Alsophis elegans rufodorsatus — VENEGAS 2005 |
| Distribution | Ecuador, Peru, Chile Type locality: Peru (Montañas de Uruamba and vicinity of Lima); restricted to Lima, Peru by SCHMIDT & WALKER 1943. Tachymenis elongata: Peru; Type locality: Tablazo de Payta, Peru, elevation 30 m. |
| Reproduction | oviparous |
| Types | Lectotype: MNHN-RA 7630 (designated by THOMAS & INEICH 1999) Holotype: MCZ 5133, juvenile male (cited as no. "5123" in the original description); paratype: FMNH 65343, juvenile female [surinamensis] Holotype: USNM 12351 [Tachymenis canilatus] Syntypes: BMNH, Gardiner & Haslar collection (4 specimens) [rufodorsatus] Holotype: MNHN-RA 1906.0254, a 450 mm specimen (Dr Rivet, 1902-1906) [Tachymenis elongata] |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis (Tachymenis elongata): “total length 450 mm, tail length 106 mm, smooth scales with apical pits in 19 series, ventrals 194, divided subcaudals 85, cloacal scale divided, temporals 1+2, preocular one, postoculars two and supralabials 8; light dorsal coloration, almost beige, with a few scales stained with black, forming two series of blotches on each side of the body; head gray with a dark line from the eye until the corner of the mandible, white superior labials below this line with one or two black dots” (Despax, 1910, cited in Trevine et al. 2022, Appendix 3). Additional details (926 characters) are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. |
| Comment | Synonymy: partly after Schmidt & Walker 1943: 315, Cochran 1961: 216, Wallach et al. 2014: 595. Myers & Hoogmoeed 1974 suggested that Tachymenis elongata DESPAX 1910 is a synonym of Philodryas elegans (= Pseudalsophis elegans), which we follow here. However, there are only 3 specimens known, hence this remains somewhat uncertain. Type species: Lygophis elegans TSCHUDI 1845 is the type species of the genus Pseudalsophis ZAHER et al. 2009. Distribution: Tachymenis surinamensis was described from Surinam (Type locality: Surinam). It is unclear whether these specimens were from Surinam. Myers & hoogmoed consider the locality as erroneous. |
| Etymology | The name elegans (Latin) means tasteful, choice, fine, select or elegant and appears to refer to the color pattern. The genus name Pseudalsophis comes from the Greek words pseudo (=false) and Alsophis (a genus of Caribbean snakes), referring to the similarity between snakes of the two genera. |
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