Epictia Gray, 1845

Adalsteinsson, Solny A., Branch, William R., Trape, Sébastien, Vitt, Laurie J. & Hedges, S. Blair, 2009, Molecular phylogeny, classification, and biogeography of snakes of the Family Leptotyphlopidae (Reptilia, Squamata), Zootaxa 2244, pp. 1-50 : 16-17

Genus Epictia Gray, 1845

Stenostoma Wagler, 1824: 68 . Type species: Stenostoma albifrons Wagler, 1824 , by monotypy. [Preoccupied by

Stenostoma Latreille, 1810 : Coleoptera and Stenostoma Lamarck, 1817 : Mollusca.] Stenostona Cuvier, 1836: 404. [incorrect subsequent spelling.] Epictia Gray, 1845: 139 . Type species: Typhlops undecimstriatus Schlegel, 1839 , by subsequent designation by

Loveridge, 1957: 246. Sabrina Girard, 1857: 181 . Type species: Typhlops tesselatum Tschudi, 1845 , by monotypy. Stenostomophis Rochebrune, 1884: 141 . [Replacement name for Stenostoma Wagler, 1824 .]

Diagnosis. Species of Epictia have 14 midbody scale rows, 10 (12 rarely) midtail scale rows, 155–396 middorsal scale rows, 10–30 subcaudals, two supralabials, large anterior supralabials, 109–341 mm maximum adult total length, a body shape of 28–90 (total length/width), relative tail length 3.3–11.5%, a tail shape of 2.1–6.1, striped pattern, multiple dorsal colors common (including reds and yellows), and brown ventral color (rarely white) (Table 2). Members also have normal-sized supraoculars (supraocular is lacking in E. nasalis ), and this trait distinguishes Epictia from the other genus in the subtribe, Siagonodon , which lacks a supraocular. Other traits distinguishing the two genera show overlap, but species of Epictia tend to have more midtail scale rows, larger first supralabial (L), and a darker venter (Table 2). The support for this group was 97% BP and 100% PP for the four-gene tree ( Fig. 3) and 100% BP and 100% PP for the nine-gene tree ( Fig. 4).

Content. Twenty-five species ( Table 1; Fig. 6).

Distribution. Epictia is distributed from southern Mexico (Colima, Veracruz) through the lowlands of Middle America, south to Argentina and Uruguay in South America, but excluding the high Andes. It also occurs on San Salvador Island ( Bahamas), Cozumel Island ( Mexico), Islas de Bahia and Swan Islands ( Honduras), San Andres and Providencia Islands ( Colombia), Bonaire, Margarita Islands, and Trinidad ( Fig. 8).

Etymology. The generic name is feminine and derived from the Latin e (without) and pictus (painted), apparently in allusion to absence of colors (only a brown dorsum) in the type species, Epictia undecimstriata . This name is ironic because most species in this genus, unknown at that time ( Gray 1845), are among the most colorful in the family.

Remarks. Species placed here in Epictia include members of both the albifrons and tesselata groups of " Leptotyphlops " ( Orejas-Miranda 1967; Peters 1970). The distinction between the two groups has been based on the contact (former tesselata Group) or not (former albifrons Group) of the first supralabial and the supraocular scale. Given that our molecular phylogenetic analysis did not include any members of the former tesselata Group, we were unable to test the validity of these two groups. If the tesselata Group is valid, it could take the generic name Sabrina Girard. However , considering the great genetic divergence between E. albifrons and other members of Epictia sampled ( Fig. 3), all from the former albifrons Group, we are doubtful that additional sampling will support a simple dichotomy of clades corresponding to the two former species groups. Nonetheless, representatives of Epictia not sampled here (including all of those in the former tesselata Group) all have two supralabials combined with a large anterior supralabial, a condition nearly unique in the family and supporting their placement in this genus. We follow Kretzschmar (2006) in placing “ L.” melanotermus in the synonymy of Epictia albipunctata .

Because the sample of E. goudotii magnamaculata is closer to E. columbi than to other E. goudotii , we elevate that subspecies to species status: Epictia magnamaculata . The remaining populations of E. goudotii sampled are considerably divergent from one another suggesting that multiple species are represented.