Oxyrhopus leucomelas (WERNER, 1916)
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Oxyrhopus leucomelas
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| Higher Taxa | Colubridae (Dipsadinae), Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | E: Werner's False Coral Snake |
| Synonym | Tropidodipsas leucomelas WERNER 1916: 310 Dipsas leucomelas — PETERS 1960 Tripanurgos leucomelas — DOWNS 1961 Oxyrhopus leucomelas — PETERS & OREJAS-MIRANDA 1970 Oxyrhopus leucomelas — LYNCH 2009 Oxyrhopus leucomelas — WALLACH et al. 2014: 518 |
| Distribution | E Ecuador, E Peru, Colombia, Venezuela Type locality: Cañon de Tolima (near Ibagué, Tolima) [= Tolima Canyon, 1700 m, above Ibagué (4°27’N, 75°14’W) in Cordillera Central of Andes, Tolima Dept., cen. Colombia]. |
| Reproduction | oviparous |
| Types | Holotype: MZM (also as LMB), a 240 mm female (Fassl, 1910). Other specimens: Antioquia, Anorí: vereda El Retiro, finca El Chaquiral, 1732 m, MHUA 14339. Boyacá, Garagoa: vereda Cienaga Valvanera, reserva El Secreto, 2250 m, 5°08’N, 73°17’W, MUJ 324, Km 45 carretera Garagoa-Miraflores, ICN 11289. Pajarito: Corinto, quebrada La Colonera, 1620 m, ICN 1371. Cauca, Inza: casco urbano, 1400 m, MHNUC 553, a 5 kms de Inzá, finca La Ceja, 1800 m, MHNUC 250. Chocó, San José del Palmar: bajando de El Boquerón, 20.5-22.5 km de El Cairo, Valle del Cauca, 2150-2200 m, UVC 12179, 10.5 km E San José del Palmar, 1700 m, UVC 12191. Huila, Belén: 2200 m, MHNUC 252. Garzón: vereda Villa Rica, finca La Esperanza, 1800 m, IAvH 4155. Putumayo [“Nariño”], Jardín de Sucumbios: territorio Kofan, alto ríos Rumiyaco-Ranchuria, “700-1000” m, 00°30’N, 77°14’W, IAvH 4930. Risaralda, Mistrató; camino Jaguados, ICN 11288. Pueblo Rico: Km 17 via Villa Claret, quebrada Santa Helena, 1540 m, ICN 10025 (from Lynch 2009) |
| Diagnosis | Unfortunately we had to temporarily remove additional information as this was scraped by multiple AI companies who sell that data. These details, e.g. detailed descriptions are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us if you need any of this material. |
| Comment | Abundance: relatively rare; Downs 1961 mentioned only 4 specimens, Lynch 2009 examined 13 specimens, but GBIF (2026) lists 78 observations, most from iNaturalist. |
| Etymology | Named after Greek leuco (λευκο), white + Greek melas (μέλας), black. [“...33 + 15 schwarze Ringe auf weißem Grunde, in der Mitte des Rumpfes z. T. alternierend, auch auf der Bauchseite...“]. (from Esteban Lavilla, pers. comm., May 2024) |
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