Dipsas turgida (COPE, 1868)
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Dipsas turgida
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| Higher Taxa | Colubridae (Dipsadinae), Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | Portuguese: dormideira Portuguese: Cobra-Lesma, Dormideira, Dormideira-Ocidental, Dormideira-Rajada, Dormideira-Tigrada, Papa-Lesma |
| Synonym | Cochliophagus inaequifasciatus DUMÉRIL, BIBRON & DUMÉRIL 1854: 480 Leptognathus turgida COPE 1868 Leptognathus atypicus COPE 1874 (incertae sedis fide CADLE 2007) Leptognathus turgida — COPE 1887: 58 Leptognathus inaequifasciata — BOULENGER 1896 Leptognathus inaequifasciata — WERNER 1910: 281 Leptognathus turgida — WERNER 1910: 283 Tropidodipsas spilogaster GRIFFIN 1916: 197 Sibynomorphus turgidus — AMARAL 1926 Sibynomorphus inaequifasciatus — PETERS 1960: 146 Sibynomorphus turgidus — PETERS & OREJAS-MIRANDA 1970 Sibynomorphus turgidus — CEI 1993 Sibynomorphus turgidus — LEYNAUD & BUCHER 1999: 34 Sibynomorphus inaequifasciatus — WALLACH et al. 2014: 669 Sibynomorphus turgidus — WALLACH et al. 2014: 670 Dipsas turgida — ARTEAGA et al. 2018 Dipsas turgida — NOGUEIRA et al. 2019 |
| Distribution | N Paraguay, Uruguay, SE Bolivia, Brazil (Mato Grosso, Rio Grande do Sul), Argentina (Misiones, Corrientes, Chaco, Entre Rios, Santa Fe, Córdoba [HR 35: 192], Tucumán, Salta, Jujuy, Santiago del Estero) Type locality: Northern part of Paraguay River. inaequifasciatus: Paraguay ?; Type locality: South America. |
| Reproduction | oviparous |
| Types | Syntypes: USNM 5815 a, a 406 mm male, and 5815b, a 408 mm male (T.J. Page, 1853-1856). HOLOTYPE. Probably in Paris Museum, collected by M. Verreaux [inaequifasciatus] |
| Diagnosis | |
| Comment | Synonymy after PETERS & OREJAS-MIRANDA 1970 and CEI 1993. S. inaequifasciatus (from Paraguay) is a synonym fide Cacciali et al. 2016). Based on the original description Peters (1960) noted that all but one of the holotype's characters have been reported from aberrant individuals of S. vagans, and that it also shares characters in common with S. neuwiedi. It is therefore possible that S. inaequifasciatus is conspecific with one of these two species, in which case the name S. inaequifasciatus would have priority (Peters 1960). In the absence of additional specimens and reliable information on its provenance its appropriate taxonomic status cannot be verified and the holotype ("Probably in the Paris Museum" - Peters 1960) has not been located. Peters (1960) recommends "discarding" the name on this basis, but despite this recommendation the name S. inaequifasciatus continues to be used to refer to a valid species in checklists for Brazil and (erroneously) Paraguay." (P. Bowles, pers. comm., 3 Mar 2015) Distribution: "This species is known from a single specimen from "Sudamerica", probably collected in Brazil but never subsequently recorded there. A specimen from Paraguay originally assigned to this species (Cope 1862) was later included in the type series of the new species Sibynomorphus turgidus by the same author (Cope 1868). Recent examination of this individual confirmed its identity as S. turgidus (P. Cacciali, unpubl. data), and the holotype is therefore the only example of S. inaequifasciatus known to exist. See map in Nogueira et al. 2019. The type locality of Cochliophagus inaequifasciatus was repord to be in South America, “doubtfully from Brazil”; apart from that the distribution is unknown. The specimen from Paraguay has been reported by Cope (fide Peters 1960). Diet: primarily molluscs, snails, slugs (Santos et al. 2017). |
| Etymology | Named after Latin turgeō (“swell out”) + -idus. Turgidus (feminine turgida), adjective, meaning "swollen, inflated," is clearly a reference to Cope's description of the species, "... and the top of the muzzle swollen both longitudinally and transversely." |
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