Reptiles of Paraguay SPECIAL PUBLICATION OF THE MUSEUM OF SOUTHWESTERN BIOLOGY NUMBER 11, pp. 1–373 25 June 2016 The Reptiles of Paraguay: Literature, Distribution, and an Annotated Taxonomic Checklist Pier Cacciali1, Norman J. Scott2, Aida Luz Aquino Ortíz3, Lee A. Fitzgerald4, and Paul Smith5 1 Instituto de Investigación Biológica del Paraguay. Del Escudo 1607, Asunción, Paraguay; and Senckenberg Forschungsinstitut und Naturmuseum, Frankfurt am Main, Germany. E-mail: [email protected] 2 Corresponding Author: Research Associate, Department of Biology, University of New Mexico; Research Associate, Smithsonian Institution; Research Associate, Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History, P. O. Box 307, Creston, California 93432, USA. E-mail: [email protected] 3 Director, World Wildlife Fund Country Office, 150 c/ Peron, Edificio Opa Rudy 150, 4to piso, Asunción, Paraguay. E-mail: [email protected] 4 Biodiversity Research and Teaching Collections, Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA. E-mail: [email protected] 5 Fauna Paraguay, Encarnación, Departamento Itapúa, Paraguay, www.faunaparaguay.com; E-mail: [email protected]; and: Para La Tierra, Municipalidad de Santa Barbara, Departamento San Pedro, Paraguay, www.paralatierra.org; E-mail: [email protected]. Special Publication of the Museum of Southwestern Biology 1 Reptiles of Paraguay TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION ............................................................................................................................ 5 FORWARD ................................................................................................................................ 5 INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................... 7 GEOGRAPHY ............................................................................................................................. 7 CLIMATE .................................................................................................................................. 9 ECOREGIONS ......................................................................................................................... 10 HISTORY OF HERPETOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION IN PARAGUAY ..................................... 13 SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE OF PARAGUAYAN REPTILES ..................................................... 14 The Early Years ......................................................................................................................... 14 1900–1950 .................................................................................................................................. 19 1951–1978 .................................................................................................................................. 20 1979–Present Day ................................................................................................................... 21 METHODOLOGY ......................................................................................................................... 23 CLASSIFICATION ................................................................................................................... 25 SPECIES ACCOUNTS .............................................................................................................. 32 TESTUDINES .............................................................................................................................. 32 Cryptodira .................................................................................................................... 32 Testudinoidea ............................................................................................... 32 Testudinidae ................................................................................................. 32 Kinosternoidea ........................................................................................................... 37 Kinosternidae ................................................................................................ 37 Pleurodira ..................................................................................................................... 39 Chelidae ........................................................................................................... 39 CROCODYLIA .............................................................................................................................. 50 Eusuchia ........................................................................................................................ 50 Alligatoridae ..................................................................................................... 50 SQUAMATA–SAURIA .............................................................................................................. 56 Iguania ............................................................................................................................ 56 Dactyloidae .................................................................................................... 56 Iguanidae ......................................................................................................... 58 Leiosauridae ................................................................................................. 59 Liolaemidae ................................................................................................... 60 Polychrotidae ............................................................................................... 62 Tropiduridae ................................................................................................ 64 Gekkota .......................................................................................................................... 74 Gekkonidae .................................................................................................... 74 Phyllodactylidae .......................................................................................... 76 Scincomorpha ............................................................................................................. 81 Gymnophthalmidae ................................................................................... 81 Teiidae ............................................................................................................. 88 Mabuyidae .................................................................................................. 102 Diploglossa ................................................................................................................ 108 Amphisbaenia .......................................................................................................... 114 Special Publication of the Museum of Southwestern Biology 2 Reptiles of Paraguay Amphisbaenoidea ..................................................................................... 114 Amphisbaenidae ........................................................................................ 114 Rhineuroidea ............................................................................................. 127 SQUAMATA–SERPENTES .................................................................................................. 131 Booidea ....................................................................................................................... 131 Boidae ........................................................................................................... 131 Colubroidea ................................................................................................ 141 Viperidae ...................................................................................................... 141 Elapidae ........................................................................................................ 154 Colubridae ................................................................................................... 164 Dipsadidae .................................................................................................. 179 Dipsadidae–Incertae sedis .................................................................... 284 Scolecophidia ........................................................................................................... 286 Anomalepididae ....................................................................................... 286 Leptotyphlopidae ..................................................................................... 289 Typhlopidae ............................................................................................... 292 CONSERVATION ..................................................................................................................................... 294 BIOGEOGRAPHY OF PARAGUAYAN REPTILES ............................................................................ 295 REPTILE SPECIES THAT MAY OCCUR IN PARAGUAY ............................................................... 295 TESTUDINES ........................................................................................................................... 295 Family Emydidae .................................................................................................... 295 Family Chelidae ....................................................................................................... 295 SQUAMATA-SAURIA ...........................................................................................................