Atractus marthae MENESES-PELAYO & PASSOS, 2019
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Atractus marthae
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| Higher Taxa | Colubridae (Dipsadinae), Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | E: Martha’s Groundsnake S: Culebras Tierreras de Martha |
| Synonym | Atractus marthae MENESES-PELAYO & PASSOS 2019 |
| Distribution | Colombia (Santander) Type locality: Colombia, department of Santander, municipality of Santa Bárbara, Vereda Esparta, 07°01'5.38''N, 72°53'43.04''W, ca. 2400 m elevation. |
| Reproduction | |
| Types | Holotype: UIS R 3027, adult male, E. Meneses-Pelayo, 23 October 2014. Paratypes: (111 specimens, all collected or legated by first author from the department of Santander, Colombia): Reserva el Diviso, 0780306.1600N (note: coordinates verbatim copied from paper, hence erroneous), 72859011.9700W, ca. 2400 m asl, municipality of Piedecuesta: UIS-R 1734, 5 May 2007; Vereda Potrero Grande, 06850046.9600N, 72851020.6700W, ca. 2220 m asl, municipality of Guaca: UIS-R 3248–49, 20 November 2015; Vereda Esparta, 0780105.3800N, 72853043.0400W, ca. 2400 m asl, municipality of Santa Ba ́rbara: IAvH 9046 (formerly UIS-R 3021), IAvH-R 9045 (formerly UIS-R 3020), IUCN-R 13168 (formerly UIS-R 3022), IUCN-R 13169 (formerly UIS-R 3024), MHUA 15283–84 (formerly UIS-R 3018–19), UIS-R 3017, UIS-R 3023, UIS-R 3025–26, UIS-R 3028–35, UIS-R 3054, 23 October 2014; UIS-R 3038–44, UIS-R 3053, UIS-R 3055, 20 December 2014; UIS-R 3061–74, 22 February 2015; UIS-R 3090–98, UIS-R 3100, UIS-R 3262–63, 14 March 2015; UIS-R 3108–14, UIS-R 3120–25, 25 April 2015; UIS-R 3138–44, 23 May 2015; UIS-R 3148–54, UIS-R 3156, 28 June 2015; UIS-R 3172–78, UIS-R 3193, 25 July 2015; UIS-R 3194–97, 29 August 2015; UIS-R 3198–3205, 19 September 2015; UIS-R 3251–55, 20 November 2015. |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis: Atractus marthae is distinguished from all congeners by unique combination of the following characters: (1) dorsal scale rows smooth in 17/17/17; (2) postoculars two; (3) long loreal; (4) temporals usually 1þ2; (5) supralabials usually seven, third and fourth contacting the orbit; (6) infralabials usually seven, first three contacting chinshields; (7) maxillary teeth seven to ten; (8) gular scale rows usually four; (9) preventrals usually four; (10) ventrals 156–174 in females, 153–169 in males; (11) subcaudals 20–30 in females, 23–30 in males; (12) dorsum with variable coloration and pattern, presenting green to red ground color with broad black vertebral line (four scales wide) or narrow vertebral line (one scale wide) and two dorsolateral bands; (13) ventral ground color varying from cream with irregular black spots to belly mostly black with a few cream blotches anteriorly, usually posterior region of body and ventral surface of tail uniformly black; (14) moderately long body size, females reaching 346 mm SVL, males 307 mm; (15) small tail length in females (7.9–10.2% of SVL), small to moderately long in males (8.1–14.4% SVL); (16) hemipenis moderately bilobed (lobe size equivalent to the capitulum length), semicapitated and semicalyculated. |
| Comment | Habitat: under rocks, on trails of well-conserved forested areas dominated by Quercus humboldtii, in pastures of short grasses (savannas) with high density of rocks, very humid soils, and little arborization, as well as in areas of blackberry crops. Behavior: active during crepuscular periods between 1700–1830 hrs Diet: probably earthworms |
| Etymology | The new species is named herein in honor of Martha Patricia Ramírez-Pinilla for her invaluable contribution to the knowledge of the biology of Colombian amphibians and reptiles. Furthermore, we would like to acknowledge her dedicated vocation as a professor at the Universidad Industrial de Santander, during which she has contributed to the formation of many generations of herpetologists. |
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