Bothriechis klebbai, Arteaga & Pyron & Batista & Vieira & Meneses Pelayo & Smith & Barrio Amorós & Koch & Agne & Valencia & Bustamante & Harris, 2024

Arteaga, Alejandro, Pyron, R. Alexander, Batista, Abel, Vieira, Jose, Meneses Pelayo, Elson, Smith, Eric N., Barrio Amoros, Cesar L., Koch, Claudia, Agne, Stefanie, Valencia, Jorge H., Bustamante, Lucas & Harris, Kyle J., 2024, Systematic revision of the Eyelash Palm-Pitviper Bothriechis schlegelii (Serpentes, Viperidae), with the description of five new species and revalidation of three, Evolutionary Systematics 8 (1), pp. 15-64 : 15

Bothriechis klebbai sp. nov.

Figs 19 , 20 , 21

Type material.

Holotype: ICN 2786 (Fig. 19 ), adult male collected by Pedro M. Ruiz-Carranza on September 21, 1979 at Vereda Virolín, municipio de Charalá, Santander department, Colombia (6.10720, -73.19781; 1819 m).

Paratypes: All labeled Bothriechis klebbai sp. nov. in Suppl. material 1.

Proposed standard English name.

Klebba’s Eyelash--Pitviper.

Proposed standard Spanish name.

Víbora de pestañas de Klebba.

Diagnosis.

Bothriechis klebbai sp. nov. is diagnosed based on the following combination of characters: (1) supraciliary scales low and granular or two raised, but not sharp; (2) anterior dorsal head scales smooth; (3) gular scales similar in size to chinshields; (4) 7-11 interoculolabials; (5) 2-4 canthals which may be flat or slightly raised forming a ridge along the canthus; (6) loreal in contact with preocular in ~1/3 of specimens; (7) yellow morph absent; (8) dorsal bands black; (9) opposing kidney shaped dorsal marks absent; (10) black speckles on dorsal scales present; (11) black speckling on ventral surfaces present, prominent; (12) ventral surfaces never entirely white; (13) iris rich dark reddish brown; (14) 21-23 dorsal scale rows at mid-body; (15) 144-151 ventrals in males, 141-151 in females; (16) maximum total length in males 671 mm, in females 874 mm.

Comparisons.

Bothriechis klebbai sp. nov. is compared to other species of the genus previously subsumed under B. schlegelii sensu lato (differences summarized in Table 2 ). It differs from most of them by having supraciliaries low and granular or two raised but not sharp, a low number of canthals (2-4), gular scales similar in size to chinshields, and dorsal and ventral surfaces heavily speckled with black pigment. Bothriechis klebbai sp. nov. resembles B. rasikusumorum sp. nov., but this other species occurs on the southern portion of Colombia’s Cordillera Oriental and is characterized by having more than 151 ventrals in females, loreal not in contact with preocular, and by lacking paired oblong blotches on each side of the dorsum (a characteristic variably present in B. klebbai sp. nov.). Furthermore, Bothriechis klebbai sp. nov. lacks enlarged basal hooks on the hemipenial body (present in B. rasikusumorum sp. nov.). Bothriechis klebbai sp. nov. also resembles B. schlegelii , but this other species does not occur on the Cordillera Oriental and is characterized by having two triangular and moderately raised supraciliary scales, a different iris color (pale orange, light green, or golden yellow usually without speckles vs rich dark reddish brown), and by lacking black speckles on the dorsal and ventral scales in most populations (Figs 19 , 20 ). Bothriechis klebbai sp. nov. occurs in sympatry with B. khwargi sp. nov. along the upper slopes of the Serranía De Los Yariguíes, but it differs from this other species by being larger in body size, having a dark green belly, smooth anterior dorsal head scales, gulars similar in size to or large than chinshields, and by having prominent black speckling on dorsal and ventral surfaces.

Hemipenial morphology.

(n = 3; Fig. 21 ) Everted and inflated, the organ is deeply bilobed, calyculate and noncapitate; hemipenial lobes cylindrical or spindle shaped; in sulcate and asulcate views, lobe crotch ornamented with densely packed small spines that become larger distally; sulcus spermaticus centrolineal, bifurcate and with walls weakly defined (strongly in ICN 2786), bifurcation occurs below bilobation point and proximal to the base of the hemipenial body; sulcus spermaticus branch runs to lobe tips; distal half of each hemipenal lobe densely ornamented with small calyces with strongly defined spinulate edges. In sulcate view, hemipenial body surface spinulate medially; calcified spines at the base of the hemipenial body only slightly larger than adjacent rows of smaller obliquely arranged mesial spines that become gradually smaller towards each lobe’s capitulum (=no obvious basal hooks); each hemipenial lobe ornamented with mesial and lateral spines homogenous in size; the spines in each lobe are replaced distally by calyces with strongly spinulate edges. In lateral view, hemipenial body and lobes with rows of spines, but otherwise non-spiculate; distal half strongly calyculate. In asulcate view, the center of hemipenial body is nude to barely spiculate; hemipenial lobes ornamented with 4 rows of spines that decrease in size towards the lobe crotch.

Description of holotype.

An adult male, SVL 349 mm, tail length 75 mm (21.5% SVL); head length 27.8 mm (8.0% SVL) from tip of snout to angle of jaw; head width 20.1 mm (72% head length) taken at broadest point; rostral broader than high (2.7 × 1.8 mm); nasal divided and not fused with first supralabial; loreal about 1/2 size of pit, contacting postnasal, 2 canthals, lacunolabial, supralacunal, and preocular; prefoveals 4/4; subfoveals 3/4; postfoveals 0; prelacunal fused with second supralabial; sublacunals 2/2 (one of which is small and granular); supralacunal elongated and in contact with orbit; preoculars 1/1 (2/2 if supralacunal is considered a preocular); suboculars 1/1; postoculars 1/1; loreal pit large, directed anteriorly, located slightly below line drawn from center of eye to naris; supralabials 8/8 (including lacunolabial); infralabials 11/11, first meet posteriorly; mental broader than long (3.3 × 3.0 mm); 1 pair of chinshields; 5 pairs of gulars between chinshields and preventrals; preventral 1; anterior internasals 2; canthals 3/3; supraciliary scales low and granular with the exception of one raised and triangular scale; supraoculars oblong, 1.8 × longer than wide; intersupraoculars 6; anterior dorsal head scales smooth; posterior head scales barely keeled; interrictals 27; dorsal scale rows 21/21/18; ventrals 148; cloacal plate entire; 56 undivided subcaudals; tail prehensile.

Natural history.

Bothriechis klebbai sp. nov. is an arboreal snake that inhabits montane cloud forests. Vipers of this species have been seen at night or during the day, either at ground level or on low understory vegetation. In captivity, this species is known to hybridize with B. khwargi sp. nov. INSV-SR-1015 is believed to be a hybrid between the two species. We (JV and EMP) have seen this species preying upon Anolis heterodermus .

Venom.

We know of no snakebites caused by this species in Colombia nor any studies on the venom that could be assigned to this species.

Distribution.

Bothriechis klebbai sp. nov. is known from at least 23 localities (listed in Suppl. material 3) along the western slopes of Colombia’s Cordillera Orien-tal. The species occurs over an estimated 20,061 km2 and has been recorded at elevations 1,418-2,380 m above sea level (Fig. 3 ). Approximately 21% of the predicted area of distribution of B. klebbai sp. nov. overlaps with that of B. khwargi sp. nov.

Etymology.

Named after Casey Klebba, whose dedication to the preservation of tropical biodiversity is exemplary. As a co-founder of Minifund.org, alongside Carly Jones, he has been one of the most invaluable supporters of AA’s field expeditions to remote areas of Ecuador and Colombia, resulting in the discovery of many new species to science.

Conservation status.

We consider Bothriechis klebbai sp. nov. to be included in the Near Threatened category following IUCN Red List criteria ( IUCN 2012) primarily because the species’ extent of occurrence is estimated to be greater than the 20,000 km2 needed to meet B1 criteria for the Vulnerable category. However, although the species occurs in at least two national parks ( Serranía de los Yariguíes and Guanentá-alto Río Fonce), the majority of the species’ montane forest habitat has been destroyed. Based on the distribution model presented in Fig. 3 in combination with maps of vegetation cover of Colombia ( IDEAM 2014), we estimate that only ~14% of the species’ forest habitat is still standing.

Figures

Figure 3. Distribution of species of Bothriechis previously subsumed under B. schlegelii sensu lato. Each colored area is a geographic representation of the suitable environmental conditions for one of the clades recovered in the phylogeny of Fig. 2. Lime green shade in southeastern Panama represents overlap between between B. nigroadspersus and B. torvus.

Figure 19. Adult male holotype of Bothriechis klebbai sp. nov. ICN 2786 in a. Dorsal and b. Ventral view. Photos by Duvan Zambrano.

Figure 20. Photographs of some specimens of Bothriechis klebbai sp. nov. in life from Finca la Arrinconada, vereda Esparta, minicipio de Santa Barbara, Santander department, Colombia. a. UIS-R 4139 adult male; b. INSV-SR- 00098 adult of undetermined sex; and c. UIS-R- 4296 juvenile male. Photos by Elson Meneses Pelayo and Jose Vieira.

Figure 21. Hemipenial architecture of Bothriechis klebbai sp. nov. in sulcate, lateral, and asulcate views. a. ICN 2786 and b. ICN 2855 from Virolin, municipio de Charala, Santander department, Colombia; c. UIS-R 4803 from vereda Naranjal, municipio de Coromoro, Santander department, Colombia. Photos by Duvan Zambrano and Elson Meneses Pelayo.