Geophis dunni, SCHMIDT, 1932

Savage, Jay M. & Watling, James I., 2008, Not so rare snakes: a revision of the Geophis sieboldi group (Colubridae: Dipsadinae) in lower Central America and Colombia, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 153 (3), pp. 561-599 : 587

GEOPHIS DUNNI SCHMIDT, 1932 ( FIG. 4B )

Geophis dunni Schmidt, 1932: 8 (Type locality: Nicaragua: Matagalpa: Matagalpa, 705 m; Holotype MCZ 31870, an adult female); Downs, 1967: 153, fig. 19.

Diagnostics: The single known female specimen of this species is distinguished from other members of the Geophis sieboldi species group by the following combination of characters (see Fig. 1B ): (1) six supralabials; (2) two supralabials posterior to orbit; (3) no anterior temporal or postlabials; (4) last supralabial separated from contact with the parietal by the elongate posterior temporal; (5) two jubal scales posterior to the posterior temporal and last supralabial and upper jubal separated from contact with the parietal by the elongate posterior temporal; (6) dorsal scales in 17–17–17 rows; (7) dorsal and caudal scales strongly keeled except on anterior part of body; (8) anterior tip of maxilla pointed, toothless; posterior end of maxilla depressed, curving ventrad; (9) 140 ventrals; 36 subcaudals; ventrals plus subcaudals 176; (10) ground colour of upper surface pale yellowish with most scales edged with brown; 23 and one half dorsal band positions consisting of 13 transverse bands, ten bands offset on the two sides but broadly continuous across the back, two offset but narrowly connected, and one completely offset, plus one blotch; none of the dorsal dark markings extends to the ventrals; seven irregular transverse dark bands

Figures

Figure 1. Lateral head scalation in Geophis: A, pattern typical of G. zeledoni; B, pattern typical of G. brachycephalus complex; C, variant pattern; D, pattern typical of G. hoffmanni. PT, posterior temporal; U, upper postsupralabial; L, lower postsupralabial; PI, postinfralabial; number of supralabials and infralabials indicated by Arabic numerals; number of jubals indicated by Roman numerals.

Figure 4. Dorsal patterns in Geophis: A, dorsal pattern of G. betaniensis; B, dark transverse bands typical of Geophis dunni.