Tantilla impensa CAMPBELL, 1998
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Tantilla impensa
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| Higher Taxa | Colubridae, Colubrinae, Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | E: Greater Centipede Snake S: Culebra Centipedívora de Campbell |
| Synonym | Tantilla impensa CAMPBELL 1998 Tantilla impensa — FLORES-VILLELA & CANSECO-MÁRQUEZ 2004 Tantilla impensa — WILSON & MATA-SILVA 2014: 38 Tantilla impensa — WALLACH et al. 2014: 701 Tantilla impensa — ANTÚNEZ-FONSECA et al. 2020 |
| Distribution | Guatemala (Alta Verapaz, Izabal, Huehuetenango), Honduras (elevation 635-ca. 1600 m), Mexico (E Chiapas). Elevation: 0-1600 m (WILSON & MATA-SILVA 2014) Type locality: Aldea San Miguelito, Sierra de Caral, Municipio de Morales, Izabal, Guatemala, 460 m elevation (15°22’ N, 88° 43’ W). |
| Reproduction | oviparous |
| Types | Holotype: UTA R-38196, adult female Paratypes. All from Guatemala: Alta Verapaz: N base of Sierra de las Minas, Finca Pueblo Viejo, grounds of casa grande, 10 m (UTA R-26344); Izabal: Municipio Los Amates, Sierra del Espíritu Santo, S side Cerro del Nylon, 1200 m (UTA R-28530); Municipio Los Amates, Sierra del Espíritu Santo, Aldea San Franciso, 550 m (UTAR-28531); Municipio Los Amates, Sierra del Espíritu Santo, ca. 1 km NE Aldea San Antonio, ca. 660 m (UTA R-28532); Municipio de Morales, Sierra de Caral, San Miguelito, 450 m (UTA R-37227); near Livingston, Punta Cocoli, 2 m (UTA R-39550); Aldea Vista Hermosa, 650 m (KU 191103); 10.4 km W Puerto Santo Tomás, 585 m (KU 187350); Huehuetenango: near Barillas, Finca Chiblac Buena Vista, ca. 930 m, 15° 53' N, 91° 15' W (UTAR-42840-41). |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis: A large species of the Tantilla taeniata group reaching a maximum known TL of ca. 725 mm that may be distinguished from all other members of the genus by having (1) conspicuous rust-colored or tan middorsal stripe extending length of body and well onto tail, occupying about the medial two-thirds of the vertebral scale row, and distinctly bordered laterally by a series of dark brown dashes on lateral portions of vertebral scales (Fig. 3); (2) pale lateral stripes, white anteriorly and grading to yellow and then buff posteriorly, occupying adjacent halves of scale rows 3 and 4, distinctly bordered above by continuous, narrow, dark brown stripe, and extending to distal portion of tail; (3) dark coloration of ventrolateral stripe darker than dorsolateral pigmentation; (4) lower portion of paraventral scale row unpigmented and colored similarly to ventrals; (5) lateral edges of ventrals immaculate; (6) venter white in life; (7) nuchal collar complete or interrupted dorsally, usually located posterior to parietals and about a scale and a half length long dorsally; (8) males with 163-165 ventrals and 68-72 subcaudals, females with 164-172 ventrals and 69-72 subcaudals; and (9) tail comprising 21-24% of the total length in males and 22-25% in females. This species is compared with other Guatemalan members of the T. taeniata group in Table 1. (Campbell 1998) Unfortunately we had to temporarily remove additional information as this was scraped by multiple AI companies who sell that data to their customers. These details, e.g. detailed descriptions or comparisons (about 4051 characters) are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. |
| Comment | |
| Etymology | The name impensa is derived from the Latin word impensus, meaning “ample, great, large, or strong” in reference to the large size of this snake. |
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