Pseudoboa martinsi Zaher, Oliveira & Franco, 2008, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Zaher, Hussam
name: Oliveira, Maria Ermelinda
name: Franco, Francisco Luís
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2008
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Reptilia
Squamata
Colubridae
Pseudoboa
Pseudoboa martinsi

description: Pseudoboa martinsi sp. nov.   
Figs. 1–4  
 Holotype. Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo (MZUSP) 8549, a large male from Fazenda Porto Alegre, a forest fragment belonging to the PDBFF (Projeto Dinâmica Biológica de Fragmentos Florestais), Manaus, State of Amazonas, Brazil (2o 25’ 00” S, 59o 43’ 00” W), collected by Barbara Zimmerman in November 1984.   
 Paratypes (N=10). MZUSP 15326, a small male from Itapuã d'Oeste, State of Rondônia, collected by Matheus G. Pires in 2004; INPA 1036, a small male from Guajará-Mirim, State of Rondônia; MZUSP 15592, a female from km 4, BR 174, State of Amazonas, collected by M. Santos in May 1995; MPEG 15, a large male from Uaupés river near Iauareté, State of Amazonas; IBSP 75520, a large male from km 42, BR-174, State of Amazonas, collected by Giuseppe Puorto in June 1997; IBSP 31981, a large male from Iauareté, near the border with Colombia, State of Amazonas, collected by A. R. Hoge in January 1971; MZUSP 15707, a large female from a forested area along BR 174 near the southern border between the states of Roraima and Amazonas, State of Roraima, collected by Marcelo Gordo in May 1996; IBSP 75712, a large female from Parque Nacional do Jaú, Novo Ayrão, State of Amazonas, collected by Marcelo Gordo in July 1992; INPA 18231, a large female from km 25, AM010, Igarapé Acará, Reserva Florestal Adolfo Ducke, State of Amazonas, collected by Rafael de Fraga in November 2006; MPEG 20257, a large male from Platô Almeida, Porto Trombetas, Oriximiná, State of Pará.   
 Etymology. The specific name, a noun in the genitive case, honors Dr. Marcio Martins for his invaluable contribution to knowledge of the natural history of Brazilian snakes. Dr. Martins studied the biology of Amazonian snakes during his years as a Research Associate of the Universidade Federal do Amazonas, Manaus (UFAM).   
 Diagnosis. A Pseudoboa that differs from all other species of the genus by the retention of a large pale collar in large individuals, and by the absence of apical pits on dorsal scales. Further differs from Pseudoboa haasi, P. n i g r a, and P. neuwiedii in having 17 instead of 19 dorsal scale rows, and from P. nigra and P. n e u w i e - dii in the presence of seven instead of eight supralabial scales.   
 Description of the holotype. The specimen is a large male with 1020 mm TTL, 262 mm tail length (25 % of TTL); head length 23.5 mm (2.3% of TTL); head width 15.1 mm at broadest point; snout length 6.1 mm (25.9% of TTL). Head slightly distinct from neck; body robust, slightly wider than high. Dorsal scales smooth, in 17-17-17 rows, without apical pits. There are 198 ventrals, an undivided anal scale, and 91 unpaired subcaudals. Maxillary teeth 14, the last one deeply grooved and separated from the others by a large diastema.   
Rostral 1.46 times wider than high, and visible from above. Paired internasals 1.2 times wider than long. Paired prefrontals 1.3 times wider than long, in contact with each other and with internasal, posterior nasal, loreal, preocular, supraocular, and frontal. Frontal pentagonal, 1.07 times longer than wide. Supraocular 1.4 times longer than wide. Parietals 1.65 times longer than wide.  
Nasal 1.64 times longer than high, in contact with supralabials 1–2 and divided above and below the naris. Loreal 1.6 times longer than high. Preocular 1.4 times higher than long. Two small postoculars, the upper 1.3 times higher than the lower. Two anterior and two posterior temporals. Lower anterior temporal in contact with lower postocular. Lower anterior temporal 2.3 times higher than upper anterior temporal. Upper posterior temporal 1.2 times higher than lower posterior temporal. Seven supralabials, 2–3 contact loreal, 3–4 border the orbit. Mental 1.5 times wider than long, separated from genials by first pair of infralabials. Eight infralabials, 1–4 in contact with anterior genials, Two anterior and two posterior genials of equal size. All four genials 1.9 times longer than wide.  
 Hemipenis of holotype. The fully everted and maximally expanded hemipenis (Fig. 3) is deeply bilobed, bicalyculate, and bicapitate, with long lobes (twice longer than wide) bearing capitula delimited by overhanging edges and formed by spinulate calyces. Each capitulum is directed externally and covers mostly the sulcate and lateral surfaces of the lobes, leaving the non-capitulate part of the lobes restricted to the internal and asulcate surfaces. The sulcus spermaticus divides on the proximal region of the hemipenial body, with each branch occupying a centrifugal position and ending on the lateral tip of the lobes. The non-capitulate surface of the lobes is nude except for the presence of a strongly inflated lobular crest that extends from the upper distal region of the internal side of the lobes to the distal region of the asulcate side of the hemipenial body, reducing gradually in size proximally to the level of the body’s wall. The distal tip of the inflated lobular crest terminates as a short papillate flounce that connects with the overhanging edge of the capitulum at the upper one third of the internal surface of the lobes. The distal tip of the inflated lobular crest is covered by papillae similar to those that ornament the short flounce. The lobular crest is also ornamented by a line of enlarged spines that join the series of lateral enlarged spines on the lateral surface of the hemipenial body. These enlarged spines form a group of three vertically oriented rows that run mostly over the lateral surface of the hemipenial body from the level of the proximal edge of the capitula to the level of the sulcus bifurcation, where they reduce drastically to small spines and spinules at the base of the organ. Five and six enlarged intrasulcar spines are present on the left and right sides of the intrasulcar surface, respectively. The basal crotch is large and ornamented by a pair of enlarged naked pockets with dorsal edges that delineate a strongly excavated, V-shaped crotch. The asulcate side of the hemipenial organ between the lateral enlarged spines is covered by spinules.   
 Coloration of holotype. The preserved holotype has a black head cap from the tip of the snout to the posterior border of the supraoculars and frontal dorsally, and fourth supralabials laterally. The black cap also invades the anterior edge of the parietals. The fourth supralabials are only partially black with the posterior half being pale cream. A large brownish cream collar follows the black head cap and covers the parietal, temporal and nuchal regions, from the postoculars and anterior parietals to the fourth vertebral scale. A large black vertebral stripe begins at the level of the fourth vertebral scale and ends at the tip of the tail and covers paravertebral scale rows 9–11 and 1–3 on the body and tail, respectively. The number of paravertebral scale rows covered by the black stripe decreases towards the tail and may cover only the upper half of the dorsal scale rows at each sides of the stripe. The flanks are pale cream. Infralabials 1 to 4 are mostly black, whereas infralabials 5 to 8 as well as the genials are pale cream. The belly is uniform pale cream throughout the body and tail. In life, the animal had a black head cap and dorsal stripe, a white collar, bright red flanks, and a pale cream belly.   
 Variation. (10 specimens analyzed, IBSP 75712 excluded from the analysis). Proportions and scutellation: largest specimen a female (INPA 18231) 1090 mm TTL, 240 mm TAL; largest male (the holotype) 1020 mm TTL, 270 mm TAL. Tail longer in males (21.8–26.1% of TTL; N=5) than in females (22.01–22.6%; N=2). Ventral counts more numerous in females (202–208; = 205.7; SD = 3.21; N = 3) than in males (192– 201; = 197.67; SD = 1.28; N = 6). Subcaudal counts on a single row (undivided) throughout the tail, higher in males (79–91; = 86.6; SD = 4.98; N = 5) than in females (74–84; = 79.25; SD 4.27; N = 4). Dorsal scales in 17-17-17 rows (two individuals with 17-17-16 and 17-17-15) without apical pits and undifferentiated vertebral row. Loreal always present. One preocular; two postoculars; 2+2 temporals (one individual with 1+2 temporals); seven supralabials, 3–4 in contact with orbit; eight infralabials, 1–5 in contact with anterior genials (one individual with 7 infralabials, 1–4 in contact with anterior genials). All specimens are similar in color pattern to the holotype. The cream collar is present in all specimens, including in the larger ones, being pale cream in small (young) individuals and brown cream in larger (adult) specimens. All specimens have a black vertebral stripe that runs from the fourth or fifth dorsal scale row to the tip of the tail. The stripe is variable in width, reducing in size posteriorly from 11 dorsal scale rows on the anterior portion of the body to one on the tail (11–9 along the body and 5–1 along the tail). Only one specimen (MZUSP 15707) has a black stripe that covers only seven dorsal scales on the body. The same specimen also shows an almost uniform brownish cream head cap and collar.   
 Coloration in life. We had the opportunity to observe the coloration of live small and large individuals through direct observation and photographs (Fig. 4). All specimens, regardless of age, retain a black head cap, a large black vertebral stripe, bright red flanks, and a uniformly white belly throughout the body and tail. The collar is also retained throughout ontogeny, although changing from a bright white color in small individuals (Martins and Oliveira 1998: plate 79) to a reddish brown in large individuals (Fig. 4).   
 Natural history. Three live females were observed in the area of the Reserva Florestal Adolpho Ducke, during 2006. They were found foraging actively at night among the leaf litter of a primary forest, near streams. One female (c.a. 1000 mm TTL) was foraging between a fallen log and the leaf litter, at 22:40 on March 2006 (C. Abrahão, pers. comm.). The second female (c.a. 1050 mm TTL) was found immobile at 01:00 on July 2006, close to the edge of a stream and with its body in a straight position. The snake quickly disappeared between the roots of a nearby tree (F. E. Dubyna, pers. comm.). The third female represents the largest individual of our sample (1090 mm TTL) and was collected at 20:30 on November 2006. It was found immobile, with the posterior part of its body submerged in the water of a stream (R. de Fraga, pers. comm.). This specimen had well developed vitellogenic folicles and folded oviducts. One large female from the river Jaú, had the remains of dorsal and ventral scales of a snake in the gut. Mites were found on two individuals. When handled, Pseudoboa martinsi does not attempt to constrict, bite, or expel cloacal discharge.   
 Distribution. The new species is known to occur within the Brazilian Amazon basin in the states of Pará, Amazonas, Roraima, and Rondônia, from western Pará to western Amazonas, south to the border of Rondônia with Bolivia (Fig. 5). However, the species is uncommonly encountered on the surface in the field, and representatives might well be found in forested areas of the remaining Brazilian states within the Amazon basin, as well as in adjacent countries such as Bolivia, Peru, Colombia and Venezuela.
description: Published as part of Zaher, Hussam, Oliveira, Maria Ermelinda & Franco, Francisco Luís, 2008, A new, brightly colored species of Pseudoboa Schneider, 1801 from the Amazon Basin (Serpentes, Xenodontinae), pp. 27-37 in Zootaxa 1674 on pages 28-33, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.180275