Tantilla carolina PALACIOS-AGUILAR, FUCSKO, JIMÉNEZ-ARCOS, WILSON & MATA-SILVA, 2022
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Tantilla carolina
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| Higher Taxa | Colubridae, Colubrinae, Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | E: Carolina’s Little Snake |
| Synonym | Tantilla carolina PALACIOS-AGUILAR, FUCSKO, JIMÉNEZ-ARCOS, WILSON & MATA-SILVA 2022 |
| Distribution | Mexico (Guerrero) Type locality: Tezonapan (= Tecoanapa), north of Ayutla, Guerrero, Mexico |
| Reproduction | |
| Types | Holotype. BMNH 1906.6.1.241, an apparent subadult or juvenile female, collected by Hans Gadow in 1904. |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis: Tantilla carolina is a member of the T. calamarina group (Table 1). This species differs from Tantilla calamarina by the presence of more ventrals in females (156 versus [hereinafter = vs.] 118–140), more total segmental scales (194 vs. 146–179), a normally-sized preocular scale in contact with the postnasal scale (vs. a preocular with a tendency toward a decrease in size to complete the loss of the scale), two postocular scales (vs. one), seven supralabials (vs. usually six), a uniform dorsal head color followed by two pale postparietal spots (vs. a head pattern consisting of a spatulate dark anterior extension of the middorsal dark stripe flanked by prominent pale narrow longitudinal markings confluent with the pale postparietal spots), and a body pattern involving a dark lateral stripe that does not extend to the end of the body (vs. a dark brown lateral stripe on rows 3 and 4 extending the length of the body). The new species differs from Tantilla cascadae by the presence of more ventrals in females (156 vs. 139–144), more total segmental scales (194 vs. 176–192), seven supralabial scales (vs. six), and the dorsum of the head without a pattern but containing a pair of small pale postparietal spots (vs. a spatulate dark anterior extension of the middorsal dark stripe flanked by pale narrow longitudinal markings confluent with pale postparietal spots, or narrowly separated from the pale postparietal spots). The new species differs from Tantilla ceboruca by lacking a pattern and a pair of small pale postparietal scales on the dorsum of the head (vs. a spatulate extension of the middorsal dark stripe flanked by pale longitudinal markings confluent with postparietal spots and extending anteriorly along the sides of the parietal scales and across the supraoculars and prefrontals to join on the internasals), and a lateral portion of the head without a pattern (vs. one having each supralabial with a white border). The new species differs from Tantilla coronadoi by the presence of fewer ventral scales (156 vs. 165– 178), fewer subcaudal scales (38 vs. 40–41), fewer total segmental scales (194 vs. 205–219), the anterior and posterior temporals in contact with one another (vs. those two scales separated from one another by contact of the 7th supralabial and the parietal scale), and the dorsal and lateral portions of the head lacking a pattern (vs. a dorsal head pattern consisting of a spatulate dark anterior extension of the middorsal dark stripe flanked by pale anterior extensions of the dorsolateral ground color, and a lateral head pattern consisting of supralabials with dark upper and pale lower portions). The new species differs from Tantilla deppei by the presence of fewer subcaudal scales (38 vs. 43–50), fewer total segmental scales (194 vs. 196–214), and the dorsal and lateral portions of the head lack a pattern and a pair of small pale postparietal spots (vs. a spatulate dark anterior extension of the middorsal dark stripe flanked by pale anterior extensions of a middorsally-divided pale nuchal band). The new species differs from Tantilla sertula by the presence of fewer ventrals in females (156 vs.161), more subcaudals in females (38 vs. 30), more total segmental scales (194 vs. 191), and the dorsal and lateral portions of the head lack a pattern (vs. a dorsal head pattern consisting of a spatulate dark anterior extension of the middorsal dark stripe flanked by prominent pale, narrow, longitudinal markings confluent with pale postparietal spots). The new species differs from Tantilla vermiformis by the presence of more ventral scales in females (156 vs. 120–129), more subcaudal scales (38 vs. 19–24), more total segmental scales (194 vs. 140–150), as well as by the presence of a small pair of pale postparietal spots confined to single scales (vs. a single pale spot crossing both parietal scales). (Palacios-Aguilar et al. 2022) |
| Comment | Distribution: for a map with localities of the calamarina group see Palacios-Aguilar et al. 2022: 125 (Fig. 3). Abundance: apparently only known from the holotype. |
| Etymology | Named after the Hungarian Freedom Fighter Karolina Laszló (Fig. 4), in recognition of her dedication to the maintenance of human rights for all peoples in the face of totalitarianism, beginning with the Hungarian Revolution in 1956. |
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