Helicops boitata MORAES-DA-SILVA, CECÍLIA AMARO, SALES-NUNES, STRÜSSMANN, TEIXEIRA, ANDRADE, SUDRÉ, RECODER, RODRIGUES & CURCIO, 2019
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Helicops boitata
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| Higher Taxa | Colubridae (Dipsadinae), Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | |
| Synonym | Helicops boitata MORAES-DA-SILVA, CECÍLIA AMARO, SALES-NUNES, STRÜSSMANN, TEIXEIRA, ANDRADE, SUDRÉ, RECODER, RODRIGUES & CURCIO 2019 Helicops boitata — NOGUEIRA et al. 2019 |
| Distribution | Brazil (Mato Grosso) Type locality: Transpantaneira Road (16o25’21.18’’S, 56o40’12.64’’W; 124 m above sea level), municipality of Poconé, Mato Grosso state, Brazil |
| Reproduction | |
| Types | Holotype: UFMT-R 11940, adult male, collected on May 1st 2016 by F.F. Curcio; M. Teixeira Jr., R. Recoder and V. Sudré (Fig. 5). |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis. Helicops boitata differs from all other congeners for presenting the unique combination of the following characters: (1) dorsal scale rows 25/25/21, with moderate keels throughout the whole body length, slightly stronger on posterior one-third of trunk; (2) low ventral counts (113, male); (3) moderate subcaudal counts (68, male; tail tip missing); (4) subcaudal keels absent, moderate keels present on tail dorsals; (5) supralabials 10/10, 4th–6th contacting orbit; (6) infralabials 12/13; (7) intergenials absent; (8) nasal entire; (9) two preoculars; (10) two postoculars; (11) temporals 1+3; (12) maxillary teeth 20+2; (13) hemipenis strongly bilobed, noncalyculate, hemicapitate with a shallow capitular groove, lobes ornamented with circular spinulate transverse folds, body elongate, nearly twice as long as lobes, ornamented with enlarged lateral spines and small spicules in the central area of asulcate face; (14) dorsum greenish copper brown, with one vertebral and two lateral chain-like rows composed of dark spots, ventrally flanked by a continuous light orange paraventral stripe, and (15) venter light brown, with two irregular stripes composed of light orange rounded spots along the lateral margins of ventrals that converge towards midline of the ventral surface of tail, ending at level of 38th subcaudal. |
| Comment | Habitat: Moraes da Silva et al. 2019 found the holotype at 14:23hs, almost entirely submerged in a flooded area at the margins of the “Transpantaneira”, an unpaved road crossing the northern portion of Pantanal wetlands. This finding suggests that Helicops boitata has diurnal habits, contrasting with other congeners considered nocturnal (H. angulatus and H. polylepis) (Marques et al. 2005). In the Pantanal, at least H. leopardinus may be active during the day and night (Marques et al. 2005). Detecting the specimen became easy because it was exposed to the sun and the water in the collection spot was clear, shallow (up to 30 cm deep), and free from floating aquatic plants that would otherwise obstruct the vision. The collection site corresponds to a tributary of the Bento Gomes River that spreads in the area during the rainy season (from November to February), receding back to the riverbed in the dry season (from June to August) (Cunha & Junk 2009:305). Thus, the collection date reflects the receding period, when flooded areas start to dry out. We visited again the collection site in July of 2018–dry season–and the place still retained water in isolated and very turbid ponds. Behavior: The holotype did not bite when manipulated, contrasting with the usually aggressive behavior of most congeners that promptly bite when grabbed (Marques et al. 2005). Sympatry: Helicops leopardinus. |
| Etymology | The specific name is a noun in apposition deriving from the Brazilian Portuguese “boitatá”, as a reference to the folk legend of a giant fire snake that inhabits the Brazilian rivers and protects the forests against man-caused fire. The word has its origins in the native language Tupi (‘Mboi = snake; tatá = fire). It serves also as an allusion to the vivid orange tonality of the ventral pattern, resembling the color of flames. |
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