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Atractus paucidens (DESPAX, 1910)

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Higher TaxaColubridae (Dipsadinae), Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Despax's Ground Snake 
SynonymAtractopsis paucidens DESPAX 1910: 372
Atractus paucidens — SAVAGE 1955
Atractus paucidens — PASSOS & ARREDONDO 2009
Atractus paucidens — WALLACH et al. 2014: 79 
DistributionNW Ecuador

Type locality: Santo Domingo de los Colorados, Prov. Pichincha, Ecuador (00º15’S, 79º09’W, ca. 600 m elevation)  
Reproductionoviparous 
TypesHolotype: MNHN-RA 1906.0245, adult female from Santo Domingo de Los Colorados, province of Pichincha, Ecuador 
DiagnosisDiagnosis: 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]. 
CommentSynonymy: 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). 
EtymologyNamed 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) 
References
  • Arteaga AF, Bustamante-Enríquez LM and Guayasamin JM 2013. The Amphibians and Reptiles of Mindo. http://www.tropicalherping.com - get paper here
  • Despax, R. 1910. Mission géodésique de l’Équateur. Collections recueillies par M. le Dr Rivet. Liste des ophidiens et descriptions des espèces nouvelles. (Note préliminaire.). Bull. Mus. natl. Hist. nat. Paris 16: 368-376 - get paper here
  • Passos, P. & Arredondo, J.C. 2009. Rediscovery and redescription of the Andean earth-snake Atractus wagleri (Reptilia: Serpentes: Colubridae). Zootaxa 1969: 59–68 - get paper here
  • Passos, P.; Mueses-Cisneros, J.J.; Lynch, J.D. & Fernandes, R. 2009. Pacific lowland snakes of the genus Atractus (Serpentes: Dipsadidae), with description of three new species. Zootaxa 2293: 1–34 - get paper here
  • Savage, Jay M. 1955. Descriptions of new colubrid snakes, genus Atractus, from Ecuador. Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington 68: 11-20 - get paper here
  • Savage,J.M. 1960. A revision of the Ecuadorian snakes of the colubrid genus Atractus. Misc. Publ. Zool. Univ. Michigan 112: 1-86 - get paper here
  • Torres-Carvajal O, Pazmiño-Otamendi G, Salazar-Valenzuela D. 2019. Reptiles of Ecuador: a resource-rich portal, with a dynamic checklist and photographic guides. Amphibian & Reptile Conservation 13 (1): [General Section]: 209–229 (e178) - get paper here
  • Wallach, Van; Kenneth L. Williams , Jeff Boundy 2014. Snakes of the World: A Catalogue of Living and Extinct Species. [type catalogue] Taylor and Francis, CRC Press, 1237 pp.
 
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