Imantodes chocoensis TORRES-CARVAJAL, YÁNEZ-MUÑOZ, QUIROLA, SMITH & ALMENDÁRIZ, 2012
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Imantodes chocoensis
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| Higher Taxa | Colubridae (Dipsadinae), Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | E: Chocoan blunt-headed vine snakes S: Cordoncillos del Choco |
| Synonym | Imantodes chocoensis TORRES-CARVAJAL, YÁNEZ-MUÑOZ, QUIROLA, SMITH & ALMENDÁRIZ 2012 Imantodes chocoensis — WALLACH et al. 2014: 348 |
| Distribution | Ecuador (Esmeraldas), Colombia (incl. Valle de Cauca) Type locality: 4 km N Durango, 1.0283°N; -78.5950°W (DD), 253 m elevation, Provincia Esmeraldas, Ecuador. |
| Reproduction | oviparous (not imputed, fide Zimin et al. 2022) |
| Types | Holotype: QCAZ 7984 (Figs. 1,2), an adult male, collected on 24 April 2007 by E. Carrillo-Ponce, I. G. Tapia, and E. E. Tapia. Paratypes (6). – ECUADOR: Provincia Carchi: DHMECN 6753, Río San Juan, 1.1858°N, -78.5006°W (DD), 243 m, collected on 12 September 2009 by M. Yánez- Muñoz, L. Oyagata, and M. Altamirano; DHMECN 6757, Sendero Awa, 1.1643°N, -78.5071°W (DD), 257 m, collected on 16 September 2009 by M. Yánez-Muñoz, L. Oyagata, and M. Altamirano. Provincia Esmeraldas: UTA R-60205, San Lorenzo- Santa Rita, 1.0321°N, -78.7138°W (DD), 115 m, collected on 21 March 2008 by M. Alcoser, R. Betancourt, P. Loaiza L., L. Oyagata, S. Ramírez J., J. W. Streicher, C. Tobar, and E. N. Smith; QCAZ 7978, same collection data as holotype; QCAZ 10185, 4 km W Alto Tambo, 0.91241°N, -78.5809°W (DD), collected on 18 Decem- ber 2009 by S. Poe, L. Gray, and I. Latella; QCAZ 10710, Playa de Oro, Estero Pote and Estero Angostura, lower part of Cotacachi Cayapas Ecological Reserve, 0.8285°N, -78.7220°W (DD), collected on 27 November 1994 by E. Toral-Contreras, V. Ortiz, and F. Nogales. |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis: Imantodes chocoensis differs from all other known congeners in lacking a loreal scale. It can be further distinguished from its sister species (see Phylogenetic relationships) I. lentiferus by having 17 longitudinal rows of dorsal scales at midbody and at nearly one head length anterior to the cloaca (15 in I. lentiferus), more ventrals (t = 7.27, P < 0.001), more subcaudals (t = -4.31, P < 0.001), more postoculars (2–3, mean = 2.43 ± 0.51; 1–2, mean = 1.81 ± 0.39 in I. lentiferus), more infralabials (12– 15, mean = 13.21 ± 0.80; 9–12, mean = 10.68 ± 0.60 in I. lentiferus), and smaller dark blotches on dorsum (Fig. 3). Among other species of Imantodes known from Ecuador, the new species differs further from I. inornatus (N = 2–3) in having more ventrals (t = 6.74, P < 0.001), more subcaudals (t = -5.05, P = 0.002), more infralabials (9–11, mean 10.00 ± 0.89 in I. inornatus), a longer head (head length/width 1.54–1.71, mean = 1.63 ± 0.07 in I. chocoensis sp. n.; 1.29–1.61, mean = 1.45 ± 0.16 in I. inornatus), and dark blotches on dorsum (dark spots and flecks in I. inornatus; Fig. 3). The new species can also be distinguished from I. cenchoa by having a single anal scale (vrs. two), fewer ventrals (t = 7.73, P < 0.001), fewer subcaudals (t = -4.04, P < 0.001), more infralabials (7–12, mean 9.92 ± 0.85 in I. cenchoa), and dorsal dark blotches that include two or fewer vertebral scales and do not extend laterally onto ventrals (blotches are larger in I. cenchoa and extend onto lateral tips of ventrals; Fig. 3). Scale counts and measurements of species of Imantodes from Ecuador are presented in Table 2 [in TORRES-CARVAJAL et al. 2012]. |
| Comment | Habitat: fully arboreal (Harrington et al. 2018). |
| Etymology | The specific epithet chocoensis is an adjective derived from Chocó, the very humid tropical region comprising the Pacific coast of northern Ecuador, Colombia and Panama (Morrone 2001). This region is part of the 274,597 km2 Tumbes-Chocó-Magdalena hotspot as defined by Conservation International, which includes more than 320 species of reptiles. |
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