Argentinian snakes

29
Distribution: Catamarca, Córdoba, La Pampa, La Rioja, Mendoza, Rio Negro, San Juan, San Luis, Santiago
del Estero and Tucumán (Tiranti & Avila, 1997; Avila & Morando, 1999). Chaqueña, Monte and Espinal
provinces and transitional areas between Espinal and Pampeana (Pampeano Austral district) provinces.
Oxyrhopus rhombifer inaequifasciatus Werner, 1909
Oxyrhopus rhombifer var. Inaequifasciata Werner, 1909. Mitt. Natur. Mus. Hamburg 26:230.
Pseudoboa ornata Hoge & Mertens, 1955. Senck. Biol. 36: 305.
Pseudoboa rhombifer inaequifasciatus Bailey, 1970. In: Peters & Orejas Miranda. Bull. U. S. Nat.
Mus. 297 (1): 235.
Type locality: Estancia Postillon, Puerto Max in Paraguay River, Paraguay.
Distribution: Chaco, Formosa, Jujuy, Salta and Santa Fe (Giraudo & Quaini, 1997). Chaqueña province.
Comments: Rey & Lions (1996) mentioned a specimen in Corrientes, Capital. However, it was captured in
the neighborhoods of a laboratory for the production of antivenom serum which maintain snakes from
diverse origins in captivity (L. Rey pers. com.). All the specimens from Corrientes, including various of
Capital Department are O. r. rhombifer (Giraudo, 1997). It is possible that the record of Rey & Lions is
based on an escaped specimen and for this reason, we do not include O. r. inaequifasciatus in Corrientes.
Phalotris Cope, 1862.
Phalotris Cope, 1862. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philad. 1861: 524.
Elapomorphus (Phalotris) Lema, 1984. Iheringia (zool.) (64): 61.
Type species: Elapomorphus tricolor Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854, Erp. Gén., 7: 837.
Comments: The genus, used as subgenus by some authors (Lema, 1984; Cei, 1993, inter alia), was
revalidated by Ferrarezzi (1993, 1993a) for the species formerly included in Elapomorphus with a single
prefrontal scale. Therefore, all Argentinian species are Phalotris. The genus Elapomorphus is restricted to
three species that have two prefrontals scales.
Also, Ferrarezzi (1993) and Puorto & Ferrarezzi (1993) reorganized the taxonomy of the genus based on
priority of the names, and they did not recognize races or subspecies as other authors had (Lema, 1994
considers several in P. bilineatus (= Elapomorphus spegazzinii), and P. lemniscatus). We use the approaches
of Puorto & Ferrarezzi, because several specimens of P. bilineatus cannot be assigned to a subspecies based
on Lema (1994), and because the majority of the taxa are known from a few specimens and their geographic
variation is not well know.
Although six species have been reported from Argentina, during the examination of all specimens in
Argentinian Museums, no specimens of Phalotris tricolor were found. All specimens identified as this
species were actually Phalotris punctatus, a very similar species (Giraudo, 1997).
Phalotris bilineatus (Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854)
Elapomorphus bilineatus Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854. Erp. Gen., 7: 839
Phalotris bilineatus Cope, 1862. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philad. 1861: 524.
Elapomorphus spegazzinii Boulenger, 1913. Ann. Mus. Civ. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) 6: 49.
Elapomorphus suspectus Amaral, 1924. Jour. Washington Acad. Sci. 14: 202.
Elapomorphus bollei Mertens, 1954. Senckenb. biol. 34: 183 fig. l.
Elapomorphus bilineatus suspectus Lema, 1978, Com. Mus. Ci.PUCRS (16):2, fig.1-3.
Elapomorphus bilineatus spegazzinii Lema, 1978. Com. Mus. Ci. PUCRS (17): 12.
Elapomorphus lemniscatus suspectus Lema, 1979. Iheringia, (zool.) (54): 8.
Elapomorphus lemniscatus spegazzinii Lema, 1979. Iheringia (zool.) (54): 80.
Elapomorphus (Phalotris) spegazzinii spegazzinii Lema, 1984. Iheringia (zool.) (64): 64.
Elapomorphus (Phalotris) spegazzinii suspectus Lema, 1984, Iheringia (zool.) (64): 66.
Phalotris bilineatus Ferrarezzi, 1993. Dep. Zool. Inst. Biocienc. Univ. São Paulo. Brazil: 215.
Type locality: Corrientes, Argentina
Distribution: Buenos Aires, La Pampa, Córdoba, Corrientes, Chaco, Chubut, Entre Ríos, Formosa, Jujuy,
Mendoza, Misiones, Río Negro, Salta, San Luis, Santa Fe, Santiago del Estero and Tucumán. Also Paraguay,
Uruguay and southern Brazil to São Paulo and Mato Grosso do Sul (Ferrarezzi, 1993, Puorto & Ferrarezzi,
1993; Tiranti & Avila, 1997; Giraudo & Quaini, 1997). Chaqueña, Espinal, Monte and Pampeana
provinces.