cryptic species within the dendrophidion vinitor complex in middle ...

SPECIES IN THE DENDROPHIDION VINITOR COMPLEX N Cadle 205
in another 18% the bands were up to 2.5
rows wide; in one specimen, the neck bands
were three rows wide and in another they
were less than one row wide. In some
preserved specimens (e.g., Fig. 10C) the
pale dorsal bands are indistinct posteriorly,
seemingly because of secondary lightening
of the interspaces between the pale bands.
Crossbands extend down to lateral edges
of ventrals and merge with dark pigment on
the lateral edges of the ventral scales.
Posterior crossbands become invested with
dark pigment so that each crossband is
broken into a transverse series of vertebral
and lateral pale spots (ocelli) separated by
dark pigment (lateral ocelli on dorsal rows
3–5 and comprising adjacent parts of three
or four scales). Narrow broken blackish
lateral stripe on suture line between dorsal
rows 2–3 on posterior third or more of body;
distinctness and extent of interruption of
this stripe varies. Ventrolateral blackish tail
stripe on suture between subcaudals and
dorsocaudal row 1. The dark posterolateral
and tail stripes are indistinct in some
specimens.
Top of head uniform brown or gray down
to upper edges of supralabials. Ill-defined
postocular stripe extending across top edge
of penultimate supralabial. Rest of supralabials
and gular region immaculate whitish.
Venter immaculate except for fairly pale
brown/gray speckling (often containing
some larger dark spots) on extreme lateral
edges. Subcaudals immaculate; no investing
dark pigment or spots on subcaudals or
posterior ventrals (compare D. crybelum).
One specimen from Costa Rica (KU 35638)
has an unusual ventral pattern: in addition
to lateral dark blotches, the anterior third of
the body has short dark lateral lines across
the anterior edges of the ventral plates.
These lines are never complete (as in some
other Dendrophidion, e.g., D. paucicarinatum),
the extensions occupying only the
lateral portions of the plates.
Juveniles are similar to adults but color
tones are lighter. Anterior ground color
medium to pale brown (unlike juvenile D.
crybelum). Ocelli on the posterior body are
poorly defined because the investment of
pale bands with dark pigment is much less
in small juveniles than in adults.
Distribution (Fig. 11). Atlantic versant of
Central America from extreme eastern
Honduras to eastern Panama at the Colombia
border; upland Pacific drainages in
northwestern Costa Rica (Cordillera de
Tilarán and Cordillera de Guanacaste) and
in Panama. The elevational range derived
from data associated with specimens is 10 to
1,433 m (most records ,200 m). Records
from the Pacific lowlands of Costa Rica
(Savage, 2002: 656; Laurencio and Malone,
2009) are erroneous, as discussed below.
The distributions of D. vinitor and D.
apharocybe are separated by about 400 km
at their closest localities in Guatemala/
Belize and Honduras, respectively (Fig. 11).
Savage (2002: 656, map 11.79) indicated
two lowland localities of ‘‘Dendrophidion
vinitor’’ on the Pacific side of Costa Rica
(denoted by ‘‘3’’ in Fig. 17). I conclude that
both are based on mistaken identities (I am
indebted to Jay M. Savage for pointing me
toward the source of the records and to
Gerardo Cháves for information and photographs
of UCR specimens). The first, due
east of the tip of the Nicoya Peninsula
(Savage, 2002: 656, map 11.79), is based on
UCR 14406 and 14620, which were obtained
during a survey of Carara National
Park (Laurencio and Malone, 2009; David
Laurencio, personal communication, March
2011). These specimens were initially identified
as ‘‘D. vinitor,’’ but both have divided
anal plates and pattern characters of D.
percarinatum rather than ‘‘D. vinitor’’
(characters confirmed from photos provided
by Gerardo Cháves, who also examined the
specimens at my request, May 2011). The
second erroneous record is from the Pacific
lowlands due north of the Osa Peninsula
(Savage, 2002: 656, map 11.79), purportedly
based on UCR 7235 cited by Lieb (1988)
from Cajón (north bank of the Río Térraba,
about 80 m, Puntarenas Province). However,
that UCR number is seemingly in error,
and the UCR collection currently has no
specimens of ‘‘D. vinitor’’ from Puntarenas
Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology harv-160-04-01.3d 11/4/12 19:59:12 205