A new species of Apostolepis (Serpentes, Colubridae, Elapomorphini), belonging to assimilis group, found in Brazilian Cerrado Nova espécie de Apostolepis (Serpentes, Colubridae, Elapomorphini) pertencente ao grupo assimilis, encontrada no Cerrado brasileiro Artigo original Thales De Lema 1 Márcia F. Renner 2 ABSTRACT It is described Apostolepis parassimilis sp.n., with several specimens from Central Brazil, at Cerrado domain. It s similar to Apostolepis assimilis (Reinhardt 1861), from which differs by presence of white immaculate ventral side, terminal and subcaudals grayish, and snout don t projecting beyond jaws. KEYWORDS Morphology Pholidosis Coloration - White unblemished venter - Central Brazil. 71 ¹ Museu de Ciências e Tecnologia, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, P. O. Box 1429, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, 90619-900. E-mail: crothales@pucrs.br. 2 Faculdade Cenecista de Osório (CNEC), Dep. Biologia, 24 de Maio, 147, Osório, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, 95520-000. E-mail: marciafrenner@terra.com.br.
RESUMO Nova espécie de Apostolepis (Serpentes, Colubridae, Elapomorphini) pertencente ao grupo assimilis, encontrada no Cerrado brasileiro. É descrita Apostolepis parassimilis sp. n. com base em exemplares procedentes do Brasil Central, domínio Cerrado. Ela aproxima-se de Apostolepis assimilis (Reinhardt 1861) da qual difere, basicamente, por apresentar toda a face ventral branca e imaculada, terminal e subcaudais cinzentas, e focinho não projetado sobre mandíbula. PALAVRAS-CHAVE Morfologia Folidose Coloração - Ventre branco imaculado - Brasil Central.(PARÁGRAFO) 72
Introduction The examination of the snakes specimens in the exposition gallery of the Instituto Pinheiros, São Paulo, revealed some specimens determined as Apostolepis assimilis (Reinhardt 1861), but differing in several aspects of that. We examined other similar specimens in the collections of the Instituto Butantan (S. Paulo) and Museu Nacional (Rio de Janeiro), concluding by description of a new species, similar and inhabiting the same area of A. assimilis, which is the most frequent species of Elapomorphini, presenting high variation and, perhaps, polymorphic, as we are noting through analysis of variation in progress. The knowledge of variation of the Elapomorphini species is small, known to few species, according of available samples. Both species belong to assimilis group of species, characterized, mainly, by presence of nape-cervical collars, background uniformly red, and lower sides white, usually unblemished (One exception only). The paratype was caught in an expedition to northeastern Brazil made by Antenor Leitão de Carvalho, naturalist of the MNRJ. The description of the new species follows Lema (2004). Results Apostolepis parassimilis sp. n. Material and methods The specimen MNRJ.6524 presents the background color well conserved (about 60%) and selected to paratype. For holotype was selected the better conserved specimen, adult and male. The remainder specimens have the background color discolored, deduced by examination under stereomicroscope, that revealed presence of remnants of the erythrocytes, minute brown dots covering regularly all the surface of dorsal scales from vertebral and paravertebral zones. Acronyms of Institutions: IBSP, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo (SP); IPSP, Instituto Pinheiros, Produtos Terapêuticos, S.A., São Paulo (SP), closed (see further on); MCN, Museu de Ciências Naturais, of the Fundação Zoobotânica, Porto Alegre (RS); MCTP, Museu de Ciências e Tecnologia of the Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre (RS); MHNCI, Museu de História Natural de Capão da Imbuia, Curitiba, Paraná; MNRJ, Museu Nacional, Rio de Janeiro (RJ). The IPSP was closed and the housed specimens were sent to IBSP, MCNRS, MCTP; they were determined by Tertuliano Beu, technician of the institution. Figures 1-4. Apostolepis assimilis (IBSP.49354), from São Paulo, SP (Erros: The snout is white) (João Cavalheiro del.) Figures 5-8. Apostolepis parassimilis sp. n. - holotype (MCNRS. 8535) from Minas Gerais (Eduardo M. Lucchesi del.) 73
74 Type specimens.--- MCNRS.8535, holotype, young male; from IPSP (formerly IPSP.1934), from Minas Gerais State, in the municipality of Uberlândia, with the pattern well visible. MNRJ.6524, paratype, young female, from Bahia State, with visible pattern and colors. Diagnosis.--- Species similar to Apostolepis assimilis (Reinhardt 1861), from which differs presenting: (a) head high (vs head flat); (b) snout rounded not projecting (vs projecting); (c) inner margins of the parietal plates light marbled (vs fully black); (d) mental and gular regions white unblemished (vs strong blotched with black, or almost fully black); (e) black cervical collar small, long as 1/3 +1 DO rows; reaching the up side of the 3rd row; (f) tail blotch black only dorsally, grayish bellow (vs fully black); (g) terminal shield fully white (vs fully black). It s similar also, to Apostolepis freitasi Lema 2002, from which differs by the snout round not projecting (vs projecting); white snout (not red); small cervical black blotch (vs normal or long); lower sides immaculate white (vs blotched on lower head); and by the higher number of ventral scales, 236-270 instead 208-245; and by distribution: A. freitasi that s restricted to SE of Bahia, near Atlantic littoral, into the Caatinga domain. Description of the holotype Morphology.--- Head short, broad and high, more broader forward; broader than neck; snout short, high and slender, with tip rounded, few or not projecting beyond jaws; trunk relatively thick and long; tail entirely broad, with few compressed, with rounded tip. Measurements.--- See Table 1 Pholidosis.--- Rostral broad, trapeze like. Prefrontals large, very shorter than parietals. Frontal very small, hexagon like, anterior angle smaller than posterior; the length is the double of width, smaller than each supraocular. Supraoculars very broad. Parietals very large, V-shaped. Nasal short, triangle like, the nostril sited on ½ of it. Prefrontals are longer than wide, contacting the 2nd supralabial through long suture. Preocular are minute and diamond shaped. Postoculars are rectangle like, higher than long. Supralabials 6, 2nd and 3rd contacting the orbit; the 1st is the smallest, triangle shape; 2nd large, higher than long; 3rd long; 4th small, triangle like, sutured with the postocular; 5th and 6th the largest, 5th high and 6th long. Posterior temporal are long and narrow. Occipitals are very large, higher than long, suturing with parietal and 6th supralabial. Chin shields are short and broad, the anterior larger than posterior, both contacting the 1st four infralabials. Infralabials 7, 4th and 5th are the largest; 6th higher than long, and 7th longer than high. Gulars in 6 rows, on each side. Preventrals 2. Ventrals, 246. Subcaudals 32 pairs. Terminal very small, a few compressed. Coloration.--- Pillum small covering the eyes, 1st supralabials, outer margins of supraoculars and parietals, posterior half of 5th supralabials and all the 6th supralabials, the occipitals, and one ring of dorsal scales. Black stripe extending along the suture between parietals and posterior apex of frontal. Snout white colored extending to almost all the parietals. The light blotch on supralabials is small, reaching the 3rd, 4th, anterior ½ of the 5th, and lower margin of postocular. The black nape collar is narrow, don t forming sideburns, and ended in oral angle. The white nape collar is long as four vertebral scales,
and three at sides. The black cervical collar is narrow, long as one or two vertebral dorsal scales, irregularly black blotched in the 3rd longitudinal row of scales. Lower sides immaculate white. Back ground color uniformly red. Black tail blotch only dorsal, covering nine dorsal vertebral scales, eight lateral scales; 8th pairs of subcaudals are grayish, as well as the terminal spine, that is black dorsally. Variation. Head broad, snout broad and rounded. The head is few broader at level of the anterior part of parietals. The trunk has the same diameter along it, decreasing at end of the 3rd part. The orbit is larger, the same size of the distance from it to oral border. The female tail is shorter than the male. The terminal is more conical than the holotype, but this difference may be by sexual dimorphism (Table 1). Pholidosis: Frontal few pentagonal, the length is few larger than width and larger than holotype. The paratype has the parietals anomalous, with different sizes, the left larger than right; the suture can be curled posteriorly. Anomaly in the paratype: left occipital divided with superior part fused with the temporal. The lower side of the head is anomalous in the paratype, with oblique plates to left, without symmetry (traumatism?). Coloration: Light supralabial blotch trapezoid. Black cervical collar with some vertebral projections (anterior and posterior). The black tail blotch only in the dorsal scales, subcaudals white or grayish, or shadowed, with terminal all or almost white, with proximal margins dark, white down. The paratype has a curious anomaly at end of trunk: left and ventrally is blackish at 18th dorsal scales in the one, or two rows of scales, and nine ventral scales. Distribution. On Cerrado, N to S, reaching the States of Goiás to Santa Catarina, being sympatric with A. assimilis and A. ammodites, only considering species of the same group. One specimen housed in IBSP, as from Rio Grande do Norte, is, certainly, an error where only occurs A. cearensis. About this probable error, we have found another specimens housed in this collection with doubtful origins. Conclusion The new species belongs to the asimilis group, that comprising species inhabiting the Cerrado, all presenting background color uniformly red, white and black nape-cervical collars, and the belly unblemished white colored. The variation of this species is known partially, and we are working with the A. assimilis. About Apostolepis cearensis Gomes 1915, from Caatinga, there are contributions (Zamprogno et al., 1998; lema and Renner, 2005). Both species have high frequency over-lopping in the distribution borders in northeastern Brazil. In the areas of the Cerrado, without or with forests ( cerradões ), there are many species of Apostolepis (Lema, 2001), but in the open areas of Caatinga only occurs two species (A. carensis, and A. freitasi Lema 2004), except on some highlands that are enclaves with relictual herpetofauna (Lema, 2003), and in the riverbanks of São Francisco(Rodrigues, 1992). The option to consider A. parassimilis sp. n. as a morph of A. assimilis, with low rate of melanin was considered, but need an available sample of them to conclude this. This is a previous communication while the variation of latter are in progress. The comparison (table 2) was using only the type specimens. Acknowledgments To the Curators of collections, by loan of specimens, mainly to Carmem Lúcia dos Santos Cordeiro and Iara Lúcia Laporta Ferreira, Francisco Luís Franco (IBSP), to Cyro de Camargo Nogueira (IPSP), to Moema Leitão de Araújo (MCNRS), and to Ronaldo Fernandes (MNRJ). To Eduardo Melloni Lucchese by drawings. 75
Referências LEMA, T. Fossorial snake genus Apostolepis from South America (Serpentes: Colubridae: Elapomorphinae). Cuadernos de Herpetología 15 (1): 29-43. 2001. LEMA, T. Geographic distribution of chromatic patterns in elapomorphine snakes (Colubridae), and species groups. Comunicações do Museu de Ciências e Tecnologia da PUCRS, Sér. Zool. 16 (1): 17-37. 2003. LEMA, T. Description of a new species of Apostolepis Cope 1861 (Serpentes, Elapomorphine) from Brazilian Cerrado. Acta Biologica Leopoldensia 26 (1): 155-160. 2004. LEMA, T. Contributio to the knowledge of Apostolepis cearensis Gomes, 1915 (Serpentes: Colubridae: Elapomorphinae), with comments of similar species from Northeastern Brazil. Comunicações do Museu de Ciências e Tecnologia da PUCRS, ser. Zool. 18 (2); 129-140. 2005. RODRIGUES, M. T. Herpetofauna das dunas interiores do Rio São Francisco: Bahia: Brasil. V. Duas novas espécies de Apostolepis (Ophidia, Colubridae). Memórias do Instituto Butantan 54 (2): 53-59. 1992. ZAMPROGNO, C.; M.G.F. ZAMPROGNO; and T. LEMA. Contribuição ao conhecimento de Apostolepis cearensis Gomes, 1915, serpente fossorial do Brasil (Colubridae: Elapomorphinae). Acta Biológica Leopoldensia 20 92): 207-216. 1998. 76 Appendix Specimens examined. Key: IBSP, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo; MCNRS, Museu de Ciências Naturais, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul; MHNCI, Museu de História Natural de Capão da Imbuia, Curititba, Paraná; MNRJ, Museu Nacional, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Apostolepis parassimilis sp. n. Brazil: Bahia (MNRJ.6524, paratype). Minas Gerais: Uberlândia (MCNRS.8535, holotype; MHNCI.904). Goiás: Cana Brava (IBSP.9154); Ilha do Bananal: Santa Isabel (IBSP.12324, IBSP.13324). São Paulo: Mayrink (IBSP.49429). Without locality (IBSP.43960). Apostolepis assimilis Brazil. Distrito Federal: Brasília (CHUNB.1418). Goiás: Aragarças (MNRJ.21). Cana Brava (IBSP.9154). Catalão (MCTP.5446). Planaltina (CHUNB.34). Minas Gerais: Cassilândia (MHNCI.748). Caxambu (IBSP.816). Entre Rios de Minas (FUNED.691). Ibirité (FUNED.603). Lambari (DZSP.113, DZSP.114). Moeda, near Belo Horizonte (FUNED.2). Nova Lima (FUNED.550). Passa Quatro (IBSP.3274). Serra do Cipó (MZUSP.7595). Serra do Espinhaço: Capão dos Porcos Farm (ZMK.63806, holotype of A. assimilis). Uberabinha (IBSP.888). Uberlândia (LPH.52, LPH.53, LPH.54, LPH.55, LPH.56; MHNCI.355, MHNCI.904; MCTP.1754, MCTP.1755; MZUSP.3841, MZUSP.3845; MCTP.4084, MCTP.4372; MHNCI.6388). Vespasiano (FUNED.4). Mato Grosso do Sul: Campo Grande (CHAFB.213, CHAFB.423, CHAFB.424, MCTP.2490, MCTP.2491), Sta. Fe (MHNCI.6719), Sta. Mônica (MCTP.4174). Itatiaiuçu (FUNED.510). Mato Grosso: Chapada dos Guimarães (IBUFRJ w/n), Buriti (ERC w/n; IBSP.5346), Cachoeira das Andorinhas (UFMT.2085). Cuiabá; Agrícola Gustavo Dutra (MNRJ.2031). Santa Catarina: Florianópolis: Ilba de Sta. Catarina (BGSS.5344, BGSS.5345, BGSS.5346). São Paulo: Bauru (MHNCI.4790). Cabreuva (MCTP.7305). Campo Largo (IBSP.4498). Campo Limpo (IBSP.6532, IBSP.7654). Cotia (MCTP.7303). Itatiba (IBSP.5703). Itu (IBSP.4180; MHNCI.6969), Fazenda Pau d Alho (IBSP.6606). Jundiaí (DZSP.109). Mooca (DZSP.115). Osasco (MCTP.64; MCTP.110; MCTP.112, CHUNB.6141). Piraçununga (IBSP.2761). Poá (IBSP.7515). Santo Amaro (IBSP.1636). São Bernardo (DZSP.116). São João da Boa Vista (IBSP.6926). São Paulo (MCTP.109, MCTP.6867; IBP.8449). São Roque: (MCTP.7302, MCTP.7304), Tubarão (MHNCI.4495, MHNCI.4496, MHNCI.4497). Sorocaba (MHNCI.6970; MCTP.7301).