Amphisbaena amethysta RIBEIRO, SANTOS JR, MARTINS, OLIVEIRA, GRABOSKI, DA SILVEIRA, BENÍCIO, VAZ-SILVA, 2024
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Amphisbaena amethysta
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| Higher Taxa | Amphisbaenidae, Amphisbaenia, Lacertoidea, Sauria, Squamata (lizards) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | |
| Synonym | Amphisbaena amethysta RIBEIRO, SANTOS JR, MARTINS, OLIVEIRA, GRABOSKI, DA SILVEIRA, BENÍCIO, VAZ-SILVA 2024: 3 |
| Distribution | Brazil (Bahia: municipality of Caetité) Type locality: municipality of Caetité, state of Bahia, Brazil; [14°21'31"S, 42°32'19"W; 1012 m above sea level (a.s.l.)]; |
| Reproduction | |
| Types | Holotype: CEPB 2311, male; collected on 1 November 2022 by Faunal Rescue Team Tecsam (F. Santos, P. Belufi, and G. Nascimento). Paratypes: All from Caetité, Bahia, Brazil; collected by Faunal Rescue Team Tecsam (R. Assunção, A. Hirota, T. Silveira, F. Santos, P. Belufi, and G. Nascimento) • Female; CEPB 2301; (14°21'53"S, 42°32'20"W; 1013 m a.s.l.); 8 June 2022 • Male; CEPB 2302; (14°01'16"S, 42°31'06"W; 1082 m a.s.l.); 13 October 2021 • Female; CEPB 2303; (14°21'50"S, 42°32'20"W; 1013 m a.s.l.); 26 May 2022 • Female; CEPB 2308; (14°19'49"S, 42°32'44"W; 1011 m a.s.l.); 8 September 2022 • Female; CEPB 2327; (14°19'52"S, 42°32'42"W; 1011 m a.s.l.); 1 October 2022 • Female; CEPB 2331; (14°19'45"S, 42°32'45"W; 1011 m a.s.l.); 30 August 2022 • Male; CEPB 2346; (14°22'08"S, 42°32'17"W; 923 m a.s.l.); 6 October 2022 • Male; CEPB 2379; (14°21'27"S, 42°32'20"W; 1033 m a.s.l.); 26 January 2023 • Female; CEPB 2381; (14°21'27"S, 42°32'20"W; 1033 m a.s.l.); 26 January 2023. Referred specimens. All from Caetité, Bahia, Brazil; collected by Faunal Rescue Team Tecsam (R. Assunção, A. Hirota, T. Silveira, F. Santos, P. Belufi, and G. Nascimento) • Female; CEPB 2298; (14°21'53"S, 42°32'20"W; 1013 m a.s.l.); 8 June 2022 • Female; CEPB 2299; (14°21'53"S, 42°32'20"W; 1013 m a.s.l.); 8 June 2022 • Male; CEPB 2300; (14°21'51"S, 42°32'21"W; 1011 m a.s.l.); 25 May 2022 • Female; CEPB 2304; (14°21'53"S, 42°32'20"W; 1013 m a.s.l.); 8 June 2022 • Female; CEPB 2305; (14°21'53"S, 42°32'20"W; 1013 m a.s.l.); 8 June 2022 • Female; CEPB 2306; (14°21'53"S, 42°32'20"W; 1013 m a.s.l.); 13 August 2022 • Male; CEPB 2307; (14°21'23"S, 43°32'07"W; 972 m a.s.l.); 23 November 2022 • Undetermined sex; CEPB 2309; (14 °19'46"S, 42°43'20"W; 1011 m a.s.l.); 1 September 2022 • Female; CEPB 2310; (14°19'55"S, 42°32'44"W; 1011 m a.s.l.); 8 October 2022 • Male; CEPB 2312; (14°19'56"S, 42°32'43"W; 1011 m a.s.l.); 12 October 2022 • Female; CEPB 2313; (14°22'08"S, 42°32'17"W; 9215 m a.s.l.); 6 October 2022 • Female; CEPB 2314; (14°22'08"S, 42°32'17"W; 925 m a.s.l.); 6 October 2022 • Female; CEPB 2315; (14°22'08"S, 42°32'17"W; 925 m a.s.l.); 6 October 2022 • Female; CEPB 2316; (14°19'47"S, 42°32'43"W; 1011 m a.s.l.); 1 September 2022 • Female; CEPB 2317; (14°19'55"S, 43°32'44"W; 1011 m a.s.l.); 1 October 2022 • Female; CEPB 2318; (14°19'46"S, 42°32'43"W; 1011 m a.s.l.); 1 September 2022 • Female; CEPB 2319; (14°20'37"S, 42°32'13"W; 1076 m a.s.l.); 3 August 2022 • Female; CEPB 2320; (14°20'38"S, 42°32'12"W; 1013 m a.s.l.); 2 June 2022 • Female; CEPB 2321; (14°19'53"S, 42°32'43"W; 1011 m a.s.l.); 29 September 2022 • Female; CEPB 2322; (14°14'28"S, 42°32'47"W; 842 m a.s.l.); 17 September 2022 • Female; CEPB 2323; (14°19'49"S, 42°32'17"W; 1062 m a.s.l.); 13 August 2022 • Male; CEPB 2324; (14°19'48"S, 42°32'43"W; 1011 m a.s.l.); 6 September 2022 • Female; CEPB 2325; (14°19'55"S, 42°32'44"W; 1011 m a.s.l.); 1 October 2022 • Male; CEPB 2326; (14°20'52"S, 43°32'16"W; 1053 m a.s.l.); 13 August 2022 • Female; CEPB 2328; (14°21'53"S, 42°32'22"W; 1011 m a.s.l.); 28 September 2022 • Male; CEPB 2329; (14°19'47"S, 42°32'43"W; 1011 m a.s.l.); 1 September 2022 • Male; CEPB 2330; (14°19'55"S, 43°32'44"W; 1011 m a.s.l.); 1 October 2022 • Male; CEPB 2332; (14°20'50"S, 42°32'16"W; 1057 m a.s.l.); 13 August 2022 • Female; CEPB 2333; (14°14'28"S, 42°32'47"W; 842 m a.s.l.); 17 September 2022 • Female; CEPB 2334; (14°19'46"S, 42°32'43"W; 1011 m a.s.l.); 1 September 2022 • Female; CEPB 2336; (14°15'11"S, 45°32'16"W; 987 m a.s.l.); 3 August 2022 • Female; CEPB 2337; (14°20'38"S, 45°32'12"W; 1076 m a.s.l.); 3 August 2022 • Female; CEPB 2338; (14°21'31"S, 45°32'16"W; 1010 m a.s.l.); 13 August 2022 • Female; CEPB 2339; (14°14'28"S, 42°32'47"W; 842 m a.s.l.); 17 September 2022 • Male; CEPB 2356; (14°21'27"S, 42°32'21"W; 1033 m a.s.l.); 1 November 2022 • Male; CEPB 2379; (14°21'27"S, 42°32'20"W; 1033 m a.s.l.); 26 January 2023 • Female; CEPB 2380; (14°21'27"S, 42°32'20"W; 1033 m a.s.l.); 26 January 2023 • Female; CEPB 2381; (14°21'27"S, 42°32'20"W; 1033 m a.s.l.); 26 January 2023. |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis and comparisons with other south American amphisbaenians. Amphisbaena amethysta sp. nov. is a medium-sized amphisbaenid (258 mm maximum snout-vent length), and can be distinguished from its congeners by the following combination of characters (see details in Table 1): (1) snout convex in profile view, slightly compressed not keeled; (2) pectoral scales arranged in regular annuli; (3) four precloacal pores; (4) distinct cephalic shields; (5) 185– 199 dorsal half-annuli; (6) 13–16 caudal annuli; (7) conspicuous autotomic site between 4th–6th caudal annuli; (8) 16–21 dorsal and ventral segments at midbody; (9) 3/3 supralabials; (10) 3/3 infralabials; and (11) smooth and rounded tail tip. Amphisbaena amethysta sp. nov. differs from Amphisbaena acrobeles (Ribeiro, Castro-Mello & Nogueira, 2009), A. bilabialata (Stimson, 1972), A. kingi (Bell, 1833), A. anomala, Mesobaena huebneri Mertens, 1925; M. rhachicephala Hoogmoed, Pinto, Rocha & Pereira, 2009; and all Leposternon species, mainly in having the snout convex in profile view, slightly compressed not keeled (vs snout hardly compressed forming a sharp and prominent keel or snout depressed shovel-like). Differs still from A. anomala and all Leposternon species by having pectoral scales arranged in regular annuli (vs pectoral scales with an irregular form, and dermal annuli not regularly arranged). Amphisbaena amethysta sp. nov. presents four precloacal pores, differing from all Amphisbaena species except A. acangaoba Ribeiro, Gomides & Costa, 2020, A. alba, A. albocingulata Boettger, 1885, A. angustifrons Cope, 1861, A. arda, A. arenaria, A. arenicola Perez & Borges-Martins, 2019, A. bahiana, A. bakeri Stejneger, 1904, A. barbouri Gans & Alexander, 1962, A. bedai (Vanzolini, 1991), A. bolivica Mertens, 1929, A. borellii Peracca, 1897, A. brasiliana (Gray, 1865), A. caeca Cuvier, 1829, A. camura Cope, 1862, A. carlgansi Thomas & Hedges, 1998, A. carioca Rocha, Barros-Filho & Sluys, 2023, A. carvalhoi, A. caudalis Cochron, 1928, A. cayemite Thomas & Hedges, 2006, A. cegei Montero, Sáfadez, Álvarez, 1997, A. cubana Gundlach & Peters, 1879, A. cuiabana (Strüssmann & Carvalho, 2001), A. cunhai Hoogmoed & Ávila-Pires, 1991, A. darwini, A. elbakyanae Torres-Ramírez, Angarita-Sierra & Vargas-Ramírez, 2021, A. fenestrata (Cope, 1861), A. frontalis, A. gonavensis Gans & Alexander, 1962, A. gracilis Strauch, 1881, A. hastata, A. heathi, A. hogei Vanzolini, 1950, A. hoogmoedi Oliveira, Vaz-Silva, Santos-Jr, Graboski, Teixeira Jr, Dal Vechio & Ribeiro, 2018, A. hyporissor Thomas, 1965, A. innocens Weinland, 1862, A. kingi, A. kraoh (Vanzolini, 1971), A. leali Thomas & Hedges, 2006, A. lumbricalis, A. manni Barbour, 1914, A. medemi Gans & Mathers, 1977, A. metallurga, A. mongoyo, A. munoai Klappenbach, 1960, A. myersi Hoogmoed, 1989, A. nana Perez & Borges-Martins, 2019, A. nigricauda Gans, 1966, A. occidentalis Cope, 1875, A. pericensis Noble, 1921, A. plumbea Gray, 1872, A. polygrammica Werner, 1901, A. prunicolor (Cope, 1885), A. ridleyi Boulenger, 1890, A. rozei Lancini, 1963, A. sanctaeritae Vanzolini, 1994, A. saxosa (Castro-Mello, 2003), A. schmidti Gans, 1964, A. slateri Boulenger, 1907, A. slevini Schmidt, 1936, A. spurrelli Boulenger, 1915, A. steindachneri Strauch, 1881, A. supernumeraria Mott, Rodrigues & Dos Santos, 2009, A. talisiae Vanzolini, 1995, A. tyaraju, Perez & Borges-Martins, 2019, A. townsendi Stejneger, 1911, A. tragorrhectes Vanzolini, 1971, A. uroxena, A. vanzolinii Gans, 1963, A. vermicularis, and A. xera Thomas, 1966. Amphisbaena amethysta sp. nov. differs from Amphisbaena species with four precloacal pores mainly by following combination of meristic characters (Table 1): cephalic shield distinct (vs frontals and parietals shields not distinct in A. supernumeraria, ocular and second supralabial not distinct in A. cubana); snout slightly compressed (vs hard compressed in A. kingi and rounded in all other species, except A. kraoh, A. brasiliana, A. bahiana, A. bedai, and A. saxosa); 185–199 dorsal half-annuli (vs < 170 annuli in A. cayemite and > 200 annuli in A. acangaoba, A. arda, A. arenaria, A. bahiana, A. bakeri, A. barbouri, A. bedai, A. borellii, A. brasiliana, A. caeca, A. carlgansi, A. carvalhoi, A. cayemite, A. cuiabana, A. cunhai, A. elbakyanae, A. fenestrata, A. frontalis, A. gonavensis, A. gracilis, A. hastata, A. hoogmoedi, A. kingi, A. kraoh, A. lumbricalis, A. manni, A. medemi, A. mongoyo, A. munoai, A. myersi, A. nigricauda, A. occidentalis, A. plumbea, A. polygrammica, A. rozei, A. sanctaeritae, A. saxosa, A. slevini, A. spurrelli, A. steindachneri, A. supernumeraria, A. talisiae, A. tyaraju, A. townsendi, A. uroxena, A. vanzolinii, A. vermicularis, and A. xera); 13–16 caudal annuli (vs > 16 annuli in A. albocingulata, A. arda, A. arenaria, A. arenicola, A. bedai, A. bolivica, A. borellii, A. carvalhoi, A. caudalis, A. cegei, A. cuiabana, A. cunhai, A. darwini, A. elbakyanae, A. frontalis, A. gracilis, A. hastata, A. hoogmoedi, A. leali, A. lumbricalis, A. manni, A. medemi, A. metallurga, A. mongoyo, A. munoai, A. myersi, A. nana, A. nigricauda, A. occidentalis, A. polygrammica, A. prunicolor, A. rozei, A. sanctaeritae, A. saxosa, A. schmidti, A. slateri, A. slevini, A. spurrelli, A. steindachneri, A. supernumeraria, A. talisiae, A. tyaraju, A. townsendi, A. tragorrhectes, and A. vermicularis); conspicuous autotomic site between 4th–6th caudal annuli (vs absent in A. acangaoba, A. alba, A. angustifrons, A. bakeri, A. barbouri, A. brasiliana, A. carioca, A. carlgansi, A. cayemite, A. cunhai, A. fenestrata, A. gonavensis, A. hastata, A. hoogmoedi, A. innocens, A. lumbricalis, A. occidentalis, A. ridleyi, A. saxosa, and A. uroxena; or from the 7th caudal annuli in A. albocingulata, A. arda, A. arenicola, A. carvalhoi, A. cegei, A. cuiabana, A. darwini, A. heathi, A. kingi, A. metallurga, A. mongoyo, A. myersi, A. nana, A. prunicolor, A. schmidti, A. slateri, A. steindachneri, A. supernumeraria, A. talisiae, A. tyaraju, A. townsendi, A. tragorrhectes, and A. vanzolinii), smooth and rounded tail tip [vs bluntly ridged tail tip in A. bahiana; slightly dorsally compressed in A. acangaoba; with tubercles sit is depressed (compressed dorsoventrally) in A. uroxena; with modified conic pointed tubercles in A. caetitensis; and vertically keeled in A. borellii and A. steindachneri]; 16–21 dorsal segments at midbody (vs < 16 in A. albocingulata, A. arenaria, A. arenicola, A. barbouri, A. carlgansi, A. carvalhoi, A. cayemite, A. cuiabana, A. elbakyanae, A. fenestrata, A. heathi, A. hogei, A. elbakyanae, A. metallurga, A. munoai, A. nana, A. nigricauda, A. sanctaeritae, A. schmidti, A. slateri, A. slevini, A. supernumeraria, A. talisiae, A. tyaraju, A. tragorrhectes, A. uroxena, and A. vanzolinii); and > 21 segments in A. alba, A. arda, A. bolivica, A. camura, A. hoogmoedi, and A. kraoh); 16–21 ventral segments at midbody (vs < 16 in A. rozei, A. sanctaeritae, and A. tragorrhectes; and > 21 segments in A. alba, A. arda, A. bolivica, A. camura, A. cegei, A. gonavensis, A. hyporissor, A. kraoh, A. occidentalis, and A. townsendi); 3/3 supralabials (vs 2/2 in A. slevini and A. vanzolinii; and 4/4 in A. acangaoba, A. alba, A. angustifrons, A. arda, A. arenaria, A. bedai, A. camura, A. cayemite, A. occidentalis, A. plumbea, A. ridleyi, A. saxosa, A. townsendi, A. tragorrhectes, and A. vermicularis); and 3/3 infralabials (vs 2/2 in A. slevini and A. vanzolinii; and or 4/4 in A. occidentalis, A. plumbea, A. ridleyi, A. saxosa, A. townsendi, and A. tragorrhectes). (Ribeiro et al. 2024) Additional details (51 characters) are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. |
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