Phyllomedusa 16(2):225–242, 2017 © 2017 Universidade de São Paulo - ESALQ ISSN 1519-1397 (print) / ISSN 2316-9079 (online) doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.11606/issn.2316-9079.v16i2p225-242 Redescription, geographic distribution and ecological niche modeling of Elapomorphus wuchereri (Serpentes: Dipsadidae) Omar Machado Entiauspe-Neto,1 Márcia Ferret Renner,2 Conrado Mario-da-Rosa,3 Arthur Diesel Abegg,4 Daniel Loebmann,1 and Thales de Lema2 1 Carreiros, 96203-900, Rio Grande, RS, Brazil. E-mail: [email protected]. 2 Av. Ipiranga 6681, Partenon, 90619-900, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. 3 Laboratório de Biologia Evolutiva, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Av. Roraima, 1000, Camobi, 97105-900, Santa Maria, RS, Brazil. 4 Laboratório Especial de Coleções Zoológicas, Instituto Butantan, Av. Vital Brasil, 1500, Butantã, 05503-900, São Paulo, SP, Brazil. Abstract Redescription, geographic distribution and ecological niche modeling of Elapomorphus wuchereri (Serpentes: Dipsadidae). The original description of Günther, 1861 included a drawing and brief comments about the morphology of three specimens; two of the latter belong to another species and the holotype is lost. Based on the discovery of new specimens, we redescribe and designate a neotype. We discuss the variation and the taxonomic history of the species, and based on the results of a species distribution model analysis (SDM), we describe the distribution, extent of occurrence, and conservation status. Keywords: Atlantic Forest, coloration, Groundsnake, morphology, taxonomy, variation. Resumo Elapomorphus wuchereri (Serpentes: Dipsadidae). A descrição original de Günther, redescrevemos e designamos um neótipo. Discutimos a variação e o Palavras-chave: cobra-da-terra, coloração, Floresta Atlântica, morfologia, taxonomia, variação. Received 05 December 2016 Accepted 22 June 2017 Distributed December 2017 Phyllomedusa - 16(2), December 2017 225 et al. Introduction or providing precise locality data. In the same work, Jan suggested that might be a Elapomorphini is a clade of mainly fossorial, variant of Strauch, 1884 small- to medium-sized dipsadid snakes, that (now a synonym of ), although includes Cope, 1861, he noted that it also resembled Lema and Hofstadler-Deiques, 2010, . Strauch (1884) redescribed Wiegmann (in Fitzinger), 1843, and based on the same specimens that Günther Cope, 1862 (Ferrarezzi 1993, Hofstadler-Deiques (1861a) used; he noted the morphological resem- and Lema 2005, Lema and Hofstadler-Deiques blance of to , 2010). These snakes are widely distributed in and reported that the holotype of forested and open biomes across most of South America east of the Andes, from Colombia and was morphologically close to , and French Guiana to Argentina (Ferrarezzi 1993). was housed in the Staatlisches Museum für The genus occurs almost Naturkunde (SMS, Sttutgart, Germany). exclusively in the Atlantic Forest Biome ( In his revision of “ Galindo-Leal and Câmara 2005) and contains Boulenger (1896) considered three species to be two species. valid: Reinhardt, 1861; (Raddi, 1820) ranges from the state of Rio de and (Sauvage, Janeiro in southeastern Brazil to the state of Rio 1877) (originally described as Grande do Sul in southern Brazil. and currently a synonym of ). Günther, 1861, is recorded from the states of Bahia and Espírito Santo (Lema and Hofstadler-Deiques 2010). Until recently, the BMNH.1946.3.1) as syntypes of he monotypic genus (Reinhardt, 1861) was included in the description of this taxon was based on a specimen (now BMNH 1946.1.2.91 and BMNH.1946.1.2.96) collected in the state of Minas Gerais in as syntypes. southeastern Brazil and included notes on its Amaral (1930a) suggested that coloration in life, with emphasis on the yellow was a junior synonym of nape collar that distinguishes it from the two and designated former species. Boulenger, 1896 and Boulenger, 1903 as Since the formal description of synonyms of Overlooking the the species has had a convoluted works of Amaral (1930a,b,c, 1935, 1936), Peters and Orejas-Miranda (1970) considered E. cription includes illustrations of three individuals—a and to be larger specimen (possibly BMNH.1946.1.2.96), valid species, but they retained as a and two young individuals (BMNH.1946.1.2.92 synonym of Cunha and Nascimento and BMNH.1946.3.1). The two latter specimens (1978) revalidated and by Lema from the synonymy of Lema and and Hofstadler-Deiques (1995). Hofstadler-Deiques (1995) re-examined the type Although a few authors recognized series of and concluded that two of there was no consensus as the snakes were and that to the distinguishing features of the species. Jan was a synonym of (1862) described Jan, In a brief revision based on external and internal morphology, Lema and Hofstadler- without indicating where the type was deposited Deiques (2010) erected the monotypic genus Phyllomedusa - 16(2), December 2017 226 Elapomorphus wuchereri for while Brazil; USNM, United States National Museum, also revalidating until then a Washington, DC, USA; ZISP, Rossíiskaya synonym of No other revisions of or descriptions of Zoologisches Museum zu Berlin, Germany; variation in the genus have appeared since. ZUEC, Museu de Zoologia, Universidade Herein, we redescribe Estadual de Campinas, Brazil. based on examination of morphology, Head measurements were taken with a dial or digital caliper to the nearest 0.1 mm, whereas both living and preserved specimens. Com- parisons are made with its congener, E. otherwise stated, measurements follow follow We also comment on the known those of Lema and Hofstadler-Deiques (1995). distribution of present a species Ventral scales were counted as per Dowling distribution model, and discuss on the con- (1951). Taxonomic accounts follow Dubois servation status of the species. (2000). Sex determination was made by a small incision at the base of ventral side of tail, Materials and Methods exposing the hemipenis (males), or the anal glands (females). We examined 13 (two unvouchered) spec- imens of 187 E. The range of was and 38 from considered to be the area contained within the the following collections: BMNH, The Natural shortest continuous imaginary boundary, drawn History Museum, London, U.K.; CZGB, Coleção to encompass all known, inferred, or projected sites of present occurrence (IUCN 2012, 2014). FMNH, Field Museum, Chicago, USA; FUNED, To calculate the range, we employed a minimum Fundação Ezequiel Dias, Belo Horizonte, Brazil; convex polygon method that consists of drawing IBSP, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, Brazil; a polygon that contains all sites of occurrence for the species ( IUCN 2012, 2014) and in S.A., São Paulo, Brazil; MBES, Museu de which the internal angles do not exceed 180°. Then, we created a binary presence/absence species distribution map based on the “Equal Alegre, Brazil; MCZ, Museum of Comparative within the software R 3.3.3. (R Development Core Team 2008) and the R package dismo MNRJ, Museu Nacional, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; (Hijmans 2013), and visualized in the MZUFV, Museu de Zoologia João Moojen, ArcMap software (ESRI 2014). Habitat loss was Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Brazil; MSNM, calculated with the use of a current Atlantic Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Milano, Italy; MZUSP, Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil; (also known as Conservation Units in Brazil, MZUT, Museo di Zoologia, Universitá di Torino, equivalent to IUCN Categories I, II, and III) Italy; NMW, Naturhistorisches Museum zu within the Atlantic Forest. Wien, Austria; SMS, Staatlisches Museum für To evaluate the suitability of possible areas Naturkunde, Sttutgart, Germany; UESCB, in which might occur, we implemented a species distribution modelling Phyllomedusa - 16(2), December 2017 227 et al. (SDM) technique that was based on 10 locality 2006): Bio 3–Isothermality; Bio 4–Temperature records obtained from literature and museum Seasonality; Bio 7–Temperature Annual Range; records (Table 1); unless a location description Bio 10–Mean Temperature of Warmest Quarter; was explicit, coordinates were taken from the Bio 11–Mean Temperature of Coldest Quarter; respective county or municipality seat. We used Bio 14–Precipitation of Driest Month; Bio 15– the DIVA-GIS database (http://www.diva-gis. Precipitation Seasonality; Bio 16–Precipitation org/gdata of Wettest Quarter; Bio 17–Precipitation of Driest Quarter and Elevation. with Google Earth© with coordinates set between We generated a potential distribution model 08°04'31.79'' S and 25°03'56.57'' S and between of based on the nine 51°40'7.17'' W and 35°24'15.16'' W, which parameters selected and the occurrence data of encompasses the limits of the southeastern the species, using the maximum entropy Brazilian Atlantic Forest Biome in which the algorithm of the MaxEnt 3.3.3k software species is endemic; the polygon was then (Phillips 2006, Phillips & Dudik 2008). transformed into a layer, to extract the climatic Random test percentage was set to 25% of the data. input occurrence records of the species, selected The SDM of was by cross-validation to test the performance of the conducted under current climatic conditions; resulting model. We also ran 15 replications we applied bioclimatic variables of the with AUC > 0.7 (Area Under the Receiver WorldClim Project (Hijmans 2005), with Operator