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Dendrophidion prolixum CADLE, 2012

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Higher TaxaColubridae, Colubrinae, Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes)
Subspecies 
Common Names 
SynonymDendrophidion prolixum CADLE 2012: 282
Drymobius dendrophis — BOULENGER 1913: 1034
Dendrophidion percarinatum — DUNN 1944: 477 (part)
Dendrophidion prolixum — WALLACH et al. 2014: 226 
DistributionColombia (Valle del Cauca, Chocó, Nariño), Ecuador

Type locality: Quebrada Guanguí, 0.5 km above Río Patia (upper Saija drainage), 100–200 m elevation, Cauca department, Colombia [about 02°50’N, 77°25’W]  
Reproductionoviparous (not imputed, fide Zimin et al. 2022) 
TypesHolotype: AMNH 109721; Figs. 10–11 in Myers, 1991: 8]. Collected 9 February 1973 by Charles W. Myers and John W. Daly (field number C. W. Myers 11618). 
DiagnosisDiagnosis: Dendrophidion prolixum is characterized by (1) dorsocaudal reduction from 8 to 6 occurring anterior to subcaudal 27 (range, 8–26); (2) divided anal plate; (3) subcaudal counts >130 in males and females and adult tail length >60% of SVL; (4) subadults with narrow pale crossbands or transverse rows of ocelli separated by >3 dorsal rows on the neck (adults retain bands or become predominantly brown or green without distinct pale bands); total number of pale bands on the body fewer than 60 (range, 49–57) when they are distinct; (5) ventrals immaculate or (in some adults) with narrow transverse dark lines across the anterior border of each ventral plate; (6) in life, head reddish brown and dorsum mainly green (brownish green in juveniles); and (7) everted hemipenis of ‘‘gracile’’ morphology, with an exceptionally long, slender hemipenial body proximal to an expanded tip bearing spines, calyces, and other apical ornamentation (retracted hemipenis nearly always to subcaudal 10 or greater); total number of enlarged spines on the hemipenis >60 (65–89 in four organs studied). (Cadle 2012)


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CommentDistribution: see map in CADLE 2012 (Figure 18).

Sympatry: Sympatry between Dendrophidion pro- lixum and D. percarinatum is documented at three localities in western Colombia: two in the Río San Juan drainage (Playa de Oro and Quebrada Pangala) and another at the Río Raposo just south of Buenaventura (Fig. 9 in Cadle 2012). At these localities the two species maintain their distinguishing characteristics as given in the above diagnoses and in Table 4. Documentation for these localities is provided by the following specimens: Playa de Oro (AMNH R-108468, percarinatum; AMNH R-108469, prolixum), Quebrada Pangala (AMNH R-123745 and R-123748, percarinatum; AMNH R- 123746–47, prolixum), and the Rı ́o Raposo just south of Buenaventura (USNM 151658, percarinatum; USNM 151659, prolixum). Two examples are presented in Figure 19. At Playa de Oro the documenting specimens are both males with everted hemipenes (Fig. 19A), which are described and illustrated later (see Figs. 39, 42) [from CADLE 2012].

Habitat: partly arboreal (Harrington et al. 2018). 
EtymologyThe species name is the neuter form of the Latin adjective prolixus meaning ‘‘stretched far out’’ or ‘‘long,’’ used especially in reference to parts of the body. The reference is to the unusually long hemipenis of this species compared with most other Dendrophidion. 
References
  • Cadle, John E. 2012. Systematics of the Neotropical Snake Dendrophidion percarinatum (Serpentes: Colubridae), With Descriptions of Two New Species from Western Colombia and Ecuador and Supplementary Data on D. brunneum. Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool. Harvard 160 (6): 259-344. - get paper here
  • Harrington, Sean M; Jordyn M de Haan, Lindsey Shapiro, Sara Ruane 2018. Habits and characteristics of arboreal snakes worldwide: arboreality constrains body size but does not affect lineage diversification. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 125 (1): 61–71 - get paper here
  • Morato, Sérgio Augusto Abrahão; Guilherme Nunes Ferreira; Michela Rossane Cavilha Scupino (eds.) 2018. Herpetofauna da Amazônia Central: Estudos na FLONA de Saracá-Taquera. Curitiba, Pr: STCP Engenharia de Projetos Ltda.; Porto Trombetas, Pa: MRN – Mineração Rio do Norte S.A., 2018.<br>210p. - 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
  • Valencia-Zuleta A, Jaramillo-Martínez AF, Echeverry-Bocanegra A, Viáfara-Vega R, Hernández-Córdoba O, Cardona-Botero VE, Gutiérrez-Zúñiga J, Castro-Herrera F. 2014. Conservation status of the herpetofauna, protected areas, and current problems in Valle del Cauca, Colombia. Amphibian & Reptile Conservation 8 (2): 1–18 (e87) - 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.
  • Zimin, A., Zimin, S. V., Shine, R., Avila, L., Bauer, A., Böhm, M., Brown, R., Barki, G., de Oliveira Caetano, G. H., Castro Herrera, F., Chapple, D. G., Chirio, L., Colli, G. R., Doan, T. M., Glaw, F., Grismer, L. L., Itescu, Y., Kraus, F., LeBreton 2022. A global analysis of viviparity in squamates highlights its prevalence in cold climates. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 00, 1–16 - get paper here
 
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