Atractus paucidens (DESPAX, 1910)
Can you confirm these amateur observations of Atractus paucidens?
Atractus paucidens
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| Higher Taxa | Colubridae (Dipsadinae), Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | E: Despax's Ground Snake |
| Synonym | Atractopsis paucidens DESPAX 1910: 372 Atractus paucidens — SAVAGE 1955 Atractus paucidens — PASSOS & ARREDONDO 2009 Atractus paucidens — WALLACH et al. 2014: 79 |
| Distribution | NW Ecuador Type locality: Santo Domingo de los Colorados, Prov. Pichincha, Ecuador (00º15’S, 79º09’W, ca. 600 m elevation) |
| Reproduction | oviparous |
| Types | Holotype: MNHN-RA 1906.0245, adult female from Santo Domingo de Los Colorados, province of Pichincha, Ecuador |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis: Atractus paucidens is distinguished from all congeners by the following combination of characters: (1) 17/17/17 smooth dorsals; (2) two postoculars; (3) loreal long; (4) temporals generally 1+2; (5) generally seven supralabials, third and fourth contacting orbit; (6) seven infralabials, first four contacting chinshields; (7) five or six maxillary teeth; (8) generally four gular scale rows; (9) four preventrals; (10) 169– 190 ventrals in females, 169–175 in males; (11) 31–38 subcaudals in females, 43–45 in males; (12) dorsal ground colour black with narrow cream bands on the flanks; (13) venter beige, heavily scattered with black dots to uniformly black; (14) moderate body size in females 419 mm SVL and small in males 263 mm SVL; (15) tail long in females (15.1–16.0% SVL) and males (18.6–21.3% SVL); (16) hemipenis moderately bilobed [from PASSOS et al. 2009]. |
| Comment | Synonymy: The taxonomic validity of A. paucidens was not recognized by Arteaga et al. (2013), owing to its close morphological resemblance to A. modestus (Boulenger, 1894). |
| Etymology | Named after Latin paucus, little, small in quantity/extent; few and Latin dens, dens, tooth; tooth-like thing, spike. [“...La seule différence entre cet individu et un Atractus proprement dit réside dans le nombre réduit des dents maxillaires et leur grande taille relative...". (from Esteban Lavilla, pers. comm., May 2024) |
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