[Ophidia: Viperidae 1 in Panamá Lachesis Muta Muta L.M. Stenophrys L.M. Stenophrys; L.M. Stenophrys As in L.M. Stenophrys
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lue nUSJlJIlaSLel"� LUC;fte,)·t� rrLULU rrLULU \ .1..JU111dCU03} [Ophidia : Viperidae 1 in Panamá Víctor Martínez Escuela de Biología, Universidad de Panamá, Estafeta Universitaria, Panamá, Rep. de Panamá. Róger Bolaños Departamento de Microbiología e Inmunologíay Diagnóstico en Parasitología, Universidad de Costa Rica, Costa Rica. (Received fo rpublication on Novembcr 11, 1981) Resumen: Se describe por primera vez el haUazgo de Lachesis muta muta (la Verrugosa del Chocó) en Playa Chuzo, Darién, Panamá. La escamación, el colorido de la cabeza y otros estudios adicionales son característicos de esta subespecie. Sugerimos que la nueva localidad sea reconocida como un nuevo ámbito de extensión. Up to the present the known geogmphical' small scales, 226 ventrals, 53 subcaudals, 35 distribution of Lachesis mu ta mu ta had its dorsals at midbody; from left to right, 9-9 northem limit in Venezuela and Colombia supralabials and 14-1 S infralabials; anal single. (Peters and Orejas Miranda, 1970). Ocurrence of this subspecíes in Darien Province, Pan ama, Hemipensis: Deseription of the everted and thus the existence of a possible intergrada hemipenis, as reeommended by Dowling and tion zone with L.m. stenophrys from Costa Savage (1960), is as follows: bifurcate with Rica and Panama was unknown (Hoge and spines at the subapical portian and normal tips, Romano, 1971; Hoge and Romano-Hoge, spermatic duct bifurcated; approximate length 1978/79). 40 mm. Froro the medica! point of view it is important to know the distribution of this Head pattern : Small and irregular black reptile since there are diffe renees in the venom spots on the head in a higher proportion than in composition among subspecíes and among geo L.m. stenophrys; black postocular band with graphical populations (Bolaños et al. , 1978). white seales aboye. On August 6, 1979, one of us (V.M.) captured a male specimen of L.m. muta 220.;5 Additional studies: Electrophoretic and cm long in "Playa Chuzo", 37 kmnorthwest of imrounoelectrophoretic patterns of the venom the town of Santa Fe, Darien Provinee, Panama of this species are different from those of the (Fig. 1). This locality is characterized by Tosi venom of L.m. stenophrys from Costa Rica (1971) as tropical humid forest transition to (Atlantic and Pacific slopes) and from Panama very humid; its altitude is below 30 m. (Atlantic versant). Lethality of the venom for white mice is slightly lower bu t capacity of producing edema is twice as great as in L.m. Scale counts aud shape: Rostral tmpe stenophrys. zoidal, nasals divided, one preoeular with a Seale counts of this specimen. coloration small presubocular below, supraoculars longer patterns of the head in comparison with and wider than the eye, 12 scales between the published drawings of other subspecies (Hoge, supraoeulars, two postoeulars, one suboeular 1965), ecogeography of L. muta in Central separated from supralabials by three rows of America (Vial and Jiménez-Porras, 1967) and COMUNICACIONES 101 additional studies of !he venom, support our identification of the specimen as L. m. muta (linnaeus). We su�est !hat !he new locality (Playa Chuzo) in Darien, Panama, be recognized as a range extension. The specimen was de posited in !he Zoological Museum of !he School of Biology of !he University of Costa Rica, No.8061. LlTERATURE ClTED Bolaños, R., G. Muñoz, & L. Cerdas. 1978. Toxicidad, ." '.I.1Co, •••••• neutralización e inmunoelectroforesis de los vene. nos de Lochesis muta de Costa Rica y Colombia. Toxicon, 16: 295-300. Dowling, H.G., & J.M. Savage. 1960. A guide to the Fig. 1. Site of capture of the specimen of Lachesis m. snake hemipenis: A survey oC basic structure and muta, Playa Chuzo, Provinee of Darien, Pana systematic characteristics. Zoologica (N.Y.), 45: m •. 17-31. Hege, A.R. 1965. Prcliminary account on neotropical Crotalinae (Serpentes: Viperidae), Mem. Inst. Peters, J., & B. Orejas-Miranda. 1970. Catalogue of Butantan, 32: 109-1:84. Neotrvpical Squamata. Part 1. Snakes. Bull. U.S. Natl. Mus. NO.297. i-VID + 347 p. Hoge, A.R., & S.A.W,D.L. Romano. 1971. Neotropical pit vipers, sea snakes and coral snakes, p. 21 1·293. In W. Sücherland E.E. Bucldey (eds.). Venomous Tosi J.A. 1971. Inventariación y demostraciones fores animals and their venoms. Vol. 11. Venomous tales. Panamá. Zonas de vida. FO:SF/PANAG. Informe técnico 2. PNUD. F AO. vertebrates. Academic, New York. Hoge, A.R., & S.A.W.D.L. Romano-Hoge. 1978/79. Poisonous snakes of the world. Part I. Oteck list of Vial J.L., & J.M. Jiménez-Porras. 1967. The eco the pit vipers Viperoideae, Viperidae, Crotalinae. geography of the Bushmaster, Lachesis muta, in Mem. lnst. Butantan, 42/43: 179-310. Central America. Amer. Mid!. NaL, 78: 182-187. .