Tropidophis preciosus CURCIO, SALES-NUNES, SUZART ARGOLO, SKUK & RODRIGUES, 2012
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Tropidophis preciosus
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| Higher Taxa | Tropidophiidae, Henophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | |
| Synonym | Tropidophis preciosus CURCIO, SALES NUNES, SUZART ARGOLO, SKUK & RODRIGUES 2012 Tropidophis preciosus — WALLACH et al. 2014: 755 Tropidophis preciosus — NOGUEIRA et al. 2019 Tropidophis preciosus — ORTEGA-ANDRADE et al. 2022 |
| Distribution | Brazil (Minas Gerais: southern versant of the Serra do Espinhaço) Type locality: Conselheiro Mata, small village at approximately 40 km east from the municipality of Diamantina, state of Minas Gerais, Brazil |
| Reproduction | viviparous (not imputed, fide Zimin et al. 2022) |
| Types | Holotype: MZUSP 17957, not labeled in field, adult female, September 1989, collected by G. Skuk. Paratype: LZVUFOP 913 S, adult female, collected at Parque Estadual do Itacolomi, between the municipalities of Mariana and Ouro Preto, state of Minas Gerais, by B.Y.P. Imai and V.S. Monteiro. |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis: Tropidophis preciosus is distinguishable from other mainland congeners by the following combination of characters: (1) high number of ventrals (196–203 vs. 154–155 in T. grapiuna, 164–183 in T. paucisquamis, and up to 160 in T. taczanowskyi); (2) dorsals at midbody 23 (vs. dorsals at midbody 21 or 23, rarely 25 in T. paucisquamis); (3) vertebral scale row distinctively enlarged at least on posterior one-third of trunk (vs. vertebral row similar in size to other dorsal rows in T. battersbyi, T. grapiuna, and T. taczanowskyi); (4) most dorsals smooth, except for some feebly keeled rows on anteriormost region of body (vs. dorsals strongly keeled in T. grapiuna and T. taczanowskyi); (5) interparietals lacking (vs. well developed interparietals present in T. battersbyi and T. grapiuna, usually present in T. taczanowskyi); (6) parietals in broad contact along middorsal line of head (vs. parietals fully separated by interparietals in T. battersbyi and T. grapiuna); (7) maxillary teeth 19 (vs. 12 in T. battersbyi); (8) body spotted, dorsal spots irregular and small, with a diameter of approximately two dorsal scales (vs. dorsal spots large, rounded or elliptical, up to four scales in diameter in T. battersbyi); (9) eight spot rows around body, six on dorsum and two on venter (vs. six spot rows around body, four on dorsum and two on venter in T. battersbyi); and (10) . 50 spots on paravertebral spot rows (vs. , 39 T. battersbyi, T. grapiuna and T. paucisquamis; not applicable to T. taczanowskyi). |
| Comment | Habitat: T. preciosus is the only species from the Atlantic Forest occurring in open landscapes of rocky meadows, whereas T. grapiuna and T. paucisquamis are clearly associated with forest formations. Semi-arboreal (Harrington et al. 2018). Distribution: see map in Ortega-Andrade et al. 2022: 5 (Fig. 1). |
| Etymology | The specific epithet is a Latin adjective in the nominative singular as a reference to the particular gem richness in the region of the type locality, especially in the municipalities of Diamantina, Ouro Preto and Mariana. |
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