Norman J. Scott

The genera Boiruna and Clelia (serpentes: pseudoboini) in Paraguay and Argentina

Snakes of the pseudoboine genera Clelia, which is probably polyphyletic, and Boiruna are distributed from southern Argentina, southern Brazil, and Uruguay northwards into central Mexico. Six members occur in Paraguay and Argentina: B. maculata, Clelia bicolor, C. clelia, C. plumbea, C. quimi, and C. rustica. Historically, there has been taxonomic confusion among the larger species (B. maculata, C. clelia, C. plumbea, and C. rustica) and between the small species (C. bicolor and C. quimi). All of the species except C. rustica have distinct ontogenetic color changes. Species can be distinguished on the bases of size, color, hemipenial spines, and loreal, supralabial, and ventral scale counts. Much of the morphological evolutionary differentiation in Boiruna and Clelia seems to have taken place in the snout region, as evidenced by the differing proportions of the scales of the loreal region. Boiruna maculata has the widest ecological amplitude. It is broadly distributed in most vegetation types north of the 38th parallel in central Argentina, being absent only from the deltaic sediments of Buenos Aires Province, Argentina and the broad valleys and rolling hills of eastern Paraguay. Clelia bicolor is most common in the Paraguay and Parana river valleys, with a few records from the Andean foothills in northern Argentina. Clelia clelia is distributed along the Rio Paraguay and the lower Parana, and is also found throughout much of eastern Paraguay. Clelia plumbea is apparently parapatric with C. clelia along the Rio Parana in southeastern Paraguay and Misiones Province, Argentina. The ranges of C. quimi to the east and C. bicolor in the west about in this same region without apparent overlap. There are no vouchered records of Clelia rustica from Paraguay. In Argentina, it is a species of temperate climates; north of the 30th parallel, it occurs in the Andean foothills and the wet forests of Misiones Province. Southwards, it is widely distributed to beyond the 40th parallel.

REDESCRIPTION OF PHALOTRIS NIGRILATUS FERRAREZZI, 1993 (SERPENTES: COLUBRIDAE: XENODONTINAE)

Phalotris nigrilatus Ferrarezzi, 1993 is a poorly known species described from a single specimen from Paraguay. Two new specimens make possible a more detailed description of the species, including a description of the hemipenis, and support the validity of the species. Hemipenial morphology provides another character that further supports the inclusion of the species in the nasutus group. We describe variation within the species, probable sexual dimorphism, and the known distribution. It will be necessary to do further work in Paraguay to establish the conservation status of this apparently rare and endemic species.

Taxonomic Status of the False Coral Snake Genus Simophis (Peters, 1860) (Serpentes: Colubridae: Colubrinae) from Paraguay and Brazil

Abstract The genus Simophis includes Brazilian and Paraguayan colubrid snakes with color patterns mimetic with triad-banded coral snakes of the genus Micrurus. Currently Simophis is thought to include two species: Simophis rhinostoma, described from Brazil and recorded in the literature from Paraguay, and Simophis rohdei, considered to be a Paraguayan endemic. The species are differentiated by the number of scale rows at midbody (15 in S. rhinostoma and 17 in S. rohdei) and the number of supralabial scales (7 in S. rhinostoma and 8 in S. rohdei). A review of specimens from Paraguay and Brazil indicate variation in the number of supralabial scales, and a reexamination of the holotype of Rhinaspis rohdei showed that it actually has 15 middorsal scale rows and not 17 as was indicated in the original description. A single specimen from Brasilia has 17 dorsal scale rows. The genus Simophis must be considered to be monotypic (S. rhinostoma), having 15 dorsal scale rows (rarely 17) and between 7 and 9 supralabials (rarely 5). The species has a unique combination of characters, some associated with arboreality (slender body, long tail, laterally keeled ventral scales), and one found in fossorial snakes (shovel-shaped rostral).

First record of the globally-threatened Cerrado endemic snake Philodryas livida (Amaral, 1923) (Serpentes, Dipsadidae) from Paraguay, and the importance of the Reserva Natural Laguna Blanca to its conservation

Philodryas livida is a rare Cerrado endemic snake known from very few specimens in a handful of localities in Brazil. Here we report the first specimen from Paraguay collected in campo limpio Cerrado in Departamento San Pedro. The importance of the continued protection of the Reserva Natural Laguna Blanca for the conservation of this globally-threatened species is highlighted.

Oxyrhopus petolarius (Linnaeus, 1758) (Serpentes, Dipsadidae): distribution extension and new departmental record for Paraguay

We present the first record of Oxyrhopus petolarius for Departamento Itapua, Paraguay. This record extends the species known distribution in approximately 166 km southwest from Puerto Bertoni in Departamento Alto Parana, representing the southernmost record for the species and highlights the importance of protecting the remaining Atlantic Forest patches in Paraguay.

Reptilia, Squamata, Teiidae, Dracaena paraguayensis Amaral, 1950: in Paraguay, Dracaena sí, Crocodilurus no

An old published record for “ Crocodilurus ” in Paraguay was almost certainly based on Dracaena paraguayensis Amaral, 1950. Thus, D. paraguayensis occurs from the Brazilian Pantanal south along the Paraguay River as far as Fuerte Olimpo, and Crocodilurus lacertinus (Daudin, 1802) remains restricted to the Amazon and Orinoco river drainages.