Chironius whipala QUINTEROS-MUÑOZ, GÓMEZ-MURILLO, CAMACHO-BADANI, AGUAYO, CARPIO-REAL, PÉREZ, MARCA, GONZALES & TORRES-CARVAJAL, 2024
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Chironius whipala
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| Higher Taxa | Colubridae, Colubrinae, Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | E: Whipala Sipos, Whipala snakes S: Sipos Whipala, serpientes Whipala |
| Synonym | Chironius whipala QUINTEROS-MUÑOZ, GÓMEZ-MURILLO, CAMACHO-BADANI, AGUAYO, CARPIO-REAL, PÉREZ, MARCA, GONZALES & TORRES-CARVAJAL 2024 |
| Distribution | Bolivia Type locality: Chaquisacha, Carrasco National Park, Cochabamba, Department, Bolivia (17°24'24.42"S, 65°15'34.88"W, 1,337 m) |
| Reproduction | |
| Types | Holotype. MHNC-R 3099 (Fig. 1), an adult male collected on 21 February 2021 by Rene Carpio-Real at 2345 h in humid montane forests (Yungas). Paratypes (12). Cochabamba Department: Same collection data as holotype: MHNC-R 3100, juvenile male collected by Oliver Quinteros-Muñoz on 15 March 2021 at 2330 h; MHNC-R 3101, adult female collected by Rene Carpio-Real on 17 December 2020 at 2300 h; MHNC-R 3102, adult male (specimen in poor condition, found dead), collected by José Balderrama on 27 September 2020; MHNC-R 3133, adult male collected by Oliver Quinteros-Muñoz on 17 April 2021 at 1930 h; MHNC-R 3134, juvenile female collected by Rene Carpio-Real on 20 April 2021 at 2349 h; MHNC-R 3135 juvenile female collected by Rene Carpio-Real on 17 May 2021 at 2152 h; MHNC-R 3227, an adult male found dead in poor condition, collected by Jorge Espinoza on 17 December 2022 at 1500 h near La Pajcha close to type locality, 2,000 m; MHNC-R 3229, an adult male found dead, collected by Bladimir Marca on 25 May 2023 at 1146 h near Arepucho close to type locality, 1,270 m. Santa Cruz Department: MNKR 3073, adult male collected by Walter Romero on 28 October 2001 in Pampagrande, Florida Province, 18°6'0.02"S, 64°6'0.00"W, 1,300 m; MNKR 3589, adult male collected by Pedro Maida on 18 December 2003 in La Hoyada, Florida Province, 17°55'12.02"S, 64°7'12.01"W, 1,730 m; MNKR 4833 adult male and MNKR 4834 adult female, collected by Lucindo Gonzales, Rutty Rodriguez, and Oswaldo Helmig on 15 November 2009 in Laja Tocos, Vallegrande Province, 18°29'41.37"S, 63°43'55.34"W, 1,300 m. |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis. Chironius whipala can be distinguished from other species of Chironius by the following combination of characters: (1) dorsal scale formula 10-10-8 in males, 10-10-10 in females; (2) apical pits absent; (3) paravertebral keels present, inconspicuous in females; (4) ventrals 149-151 in males, 151-155 in females; (5) subcaudals 117-122 in males, 119-120 in females; (6) cloacal plate single; (7) loreal slightly longer than high; (8) maxillary teeth 32; (9) juveniles emerald green or olive green, without markings; (10) adults emerald green, unmarked; (11) black postocular stripe absent; (12) snout yellow; (13) ventrals and subcaudals yellowish or greenish, immaculate; (14) hemipenis short (i.e., ~2X as long as wide), cylindrical, unilobed, with undivided sulcus spermaticus and base covered with tiny spines. Chironius whipala differs from all known species of Chironius except C. fuscus and C. leucometapus in having 10 dorsal scale rows at midbody, an entire cloacal plate, lightly colored lower portion of supralabials, and keeled paravertebral rows. From C. fuscus (character states in parentheses), C. whipala can be distinguished by having a yellow snout and forehead (head uniformly colored) and lacking both a postocular stripe (present) and enlarged spines on the proximal aspect of the hemipenial body (large spines present) (Dixon et al. 1993; Torres-Carvajal et al. 2019a). From C. leucometapus (character states in parentheses), C. whipala can be distinguished by having a yellow snout patch covering rostral, first supralabials, and anterior portion of nasals and internasals (rusty brown or coppery orange snout patch covering rostral, first pair of supralabials, internasals, prefrontals, nasals, frontal, and anterior half of supraoculars). Finally, C. whipala differs from both C. fuscus and C. leucometapus in having a much shorter hemipenis (~2X versus > 5X as long as wide) and in lacking apical pits on the dorsal scales. (Quinteros Muñoz et al. 2024) |
| Comment | |
| Etymology | The specific name "whipala" comes from the original Aymara language, which means "emblem," i.e., the emblem of the original people of the Andes of Bolivia and an emblem that honors and symbolizes respect for our Pachamama (Mother Earth). According to an anonymous Aymara phrase, "where there is a wiphala, love and respect for Mother Earth (Pachamama) and the universe will be represented." |
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