Tantilla robusta CANSECO-MÁRQUEZ, MENDELSON & GUTIÉRREZ-MAYÉN, 2002
Can you confirm these amateur observations of Tantilla robusta?
Tantilla robusta
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| Higher Taxa | Colubridae, Colubrinae, Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | E: Pueblan Centipede Snake S: Serpiente Centipedívora Robusta |
| Synonym | Tantilla robusta CANSECO-MÁRQUEZ, MENDELSON & GUTIÉRREZ-MAYÉN 2002 Tantilla morgani — CANSECO-MÁRQUEZ et al. 2000 (misidentification) Tantilla robusta — WILSON & MATA-SILVA 2014: 47 Tantilla robusta — WALLACH et al. 2014: 704 |
| Distribution | Mexico (Puebla) Elevation: 930 m (WILSON & MATA-SILVA 2014) Type locality: Octimaxal Norte, 930 m elevation, Municipio de Cuetzalan del Progreso, Sierra Norte de Puebla, Mexico (20° 02.743’ N, 97° 30.103’ W) |
| Reproduction | oviparous |
| Types | Holotype: EBUAP 1031, adult female (Laboratorio de Herpetología, Escuela de Biología, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla) |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis: Tantilla robusta differs from all members of the T. calamarina, T. taeniata, and T. melanocephala species groups by lacking any trace of dorsal or lateral striping. It differs from all members of the T. planiceps and T. coronata groups by having the dorsal head coloration similar to the dorsal coloration of the body. Among the remaining 17 species not allocated to species groups by Wilson (1999), T. robusta resembles only three other species: T. moesta, T. rubra, and T. schistosa. Tantilla robusta differs from T. moesta by having a uniformly pale cream venter (versus uniformly dark brown) and by having a shorter nuchal collar than is typically seen in T. moesta (two dorsal scale rows and tips of parietals versus from 2–7 dorsal scale rows and including variable amount of frontal and/or parietals). Tantilla robusta differs from T. rubra by having a uniformly dark brown dorsal pattern and a cream venter (both areas pink to pinkish red in T. rubra: Dixon et al., 2000) and the head is the same color as the dorsum (darker in T. rubra). Tantilla robusta is superficially similar to the diminutive species T. schistosa, from which it differs by being longer (395 mm SVL versus 293 mm maximum SVL) and distinctly more robust; having more ventral scales (153 versus 147 maximum: Wilson, 1987); by having the head wider than the neck (head not wider than neck in T. schistosa); by having a large, distinct postocular pale cream spot and numerous rostral and labial pale cream spots (head mostly, or entirely dark brown; a postocular cream spot sometimes present in T. schistosa); and by having the nuchal collar and ventrum uniformly pale cream in life (frequently yellowish, reddish, or orange in T. schistosa). Tantilla robusta is also superficially similar to T. bairdi, a species known only from Guatemala, from which it differs by having a cream venter [pink or orange, (in preservative) or bright red (in life) in T. bairdi], fewer ventrals (153 versus 163 in the single known female of T. bairdi), and by having the nuchal collar that crosses the posterior supralabial (passing posterior to this scale in T. bairdi: Wilson, 1985); despite their relatively similar lengths, we note that T. bairdi is much more slender than is T. robusta. (CANSECO-MÁRQUEZ et al. 2002) |
| Comment | |
| Etymology | The name robusta is derived from the Latin word robustus, meaning “stout,” in reference to the robust habitus of this snake. |
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