THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS LIBRARY Return this book on or before the Latest Date stamped below. A charge is made on all overdue books. U. of I. Library FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY FOUNDED BY MARSHALL FIELD, 1893 PUBLICATION 251 ZOOLOGICAL SERIES VOL. XII, No. 16 REPTILES COLLECTED IN SALVADOR FOR THE CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY 14192B KARL P. SCHMIDT Associate Curator of Reptiles and AmphibianflyuM f Pv WILFRED H. OSGOOD Curator, Department of Zoology EDITOR CHICAGO, U. S. A. November 21, 1928 PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA BT FIELD MUSEUM PRESS I'D \b REPTILES COLLECTED IN SALVADOR FOR THE CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY BY KARL P. SCHMIDT tf A collection of one hundred and four specimens of lizards and "^ "snakes from Salvador is a by-product of the survey of the birds and ^mammals of that republic initiated by Mr. Donald R. Dickey of the •California Institute of Technology. This small but valuable lot of : herpetological material was collected by Mr. R. A. Stirton on his "last expedition in 1926-1927. Through the kindness of Mr. Dickey, the collection has been presented to Field Museum of Natural History. The amphibians secured by Mr. Stirton have gone to the U.S. National Museum and will be reported upon by Mr. Remington Kellogg. There is an extraordinary dearth of information about the rep- tiles of Salvador. The total number of species recorded thus far is only seventeen. These are as follows: i. 2 3. 4- 5- 6. 7- 8. 9- 10. n. 12. 13- H. 15- 16. 17. Species Rhinodemmys incisa (Bocourt) .Gonatodes fuscus (Hallowell) Phyllodactylus tuberculosus Wiegmann A nolis binotatus Peters ( = A . cupreus Hallowell) Basiliscus vittatus Wiegmann Ctencsaura completa Bocourt Sceloporus variabilis Wiegmann Sceloporus fulvus Bocourt Ameiva undulata (Wiegmann) Cnemidophorus deppei Wiegmann Leiolopisma assatum (Cope) Mabuya agilis (Raddi) Stenorhina degenhardtii Berthold Imantodes gemmistratus Cope Oxybelis acuminatus (Wied) Oxybelis fulg idus (Daudin) Micrurus fulvi Ivius (Linnaeus) Type locality Mts. near La Union, Salvador Nicaragua California Guayaquil, Ecuador Mexico Guatemala & La Union, Salvador Mexico La Union, Salvador Mexico Tehuantepec Vplcan de Isalco, Guatemala Rio de Janeiro New Granada "San Salvador" Espirito Santo River, Brazil Surinam, Port-au-Prince, Haiti Carolina The additions to this list in the present collection are : 1. Coleonyx mitratus (Peters) 2. Anolis sallaei Gunther 3. Corythophanes percarinatus Dum6ril 4. Sceloporus malachiticus Cope 5. Sceloporus acanthinus Bocourt 6. Gerrhonotus salvadorensis sp. nov. Costa Rica Mexico Escuintla, Guatemala Near Arriba, Costa Rica San Augustin, Guatemala Los Esesmiles, Salvador 193 194 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — ZOOLOGY, VOL. XII. 7. Gymnophthalmus sumichrasti (Cope) West Coast of Tehuantepec 8. Spilotes pullatus mexicanus (Laurenti) Mexico 9. Trimorphodon biscutatus (Dum6ril & Bibron) Mexico 10. Conophis lineatus (Dum6ril & Bibron) Mexico 11. Bothrops godmani (Gunther) Totonicapam, Guatemala The part of Honduras which adjoins Salvador is little known, and it is not surprising that the faunal relations deducible from the Salvadorean list are primarily Guatemalan. Twenty-one of the twenty-eight species have been recorded from Guatemala. There are indications of a continuation of the fauna of the semi-arid western slope of Central America from Guatemala through Salvador and the southern corner of Honduras into western Nicaragua. Among the species recorded from Salvador, Sceloporus fulvus, Anolis cupreus, and perhaps Gonatodes fuscus suggest this relation. LIST OF SPECIES LIZARDS 1. Coleonyx mitratus (Peters). Brachydactylus mitratus PETERS, Monatsber. Akad. Wiss. Berlin, 1863, p. 41, 1863. Eublepharis dovii BOULENGER, Cat. Lizards Brit. Mus., i, p. 233, 1885. A single specimen from Divisadero, dept. Morazan, collected December 25, 1926. This specimen agrees closely with a series from Honduras. 2. Gonatodes fuscus (Hallowell). Stenodactylus fuscus HALLOWELL, Journ. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., (2), 3, P- 33, 1855. Gonatodes fuscus McLAiN, Contr. Neotropical Herpetology, p. i, 1899. Thirty-one specimens from Divisadero, Dept. Morazan, Decem- ber 6-1 1, 1926 and March 25, 1927. 3. Phyllodactylus tuberculosus Wiegmann. Phyllodactylus tuberculosus WIEGMANN, Nova Acta Leop. Carol. Akad. Naturf., 17, p. 241, pi. 18, fig. 2, 1835. A single specimen from Divisadero, dept. Morazan, collected December 25, 1926. REPTILES OF SALVADOR — SCHMIDT. 195 4. Anolis sallaei Giinther. Anolis sallaei Giinther, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1859, p. 421, 1859. Twenty-eight specimens from Divisadero, dept. Morazan, col- lected December 6-26, 1926 and March 21-26, 1927. 5. Anolis cupreus Hallowell. Anolis cupreus HALLOWELL, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci., Phila., 1860, p. 481, 1860. ? Anolis binotatus BOCOURT, Miss. Sci. Mex., pt. 3, livr. 2, p. 92, 1873 (not of Peters, 1863). Three adult male specimens are distinguished from the common Anolis at Divisadero by the absence of a dark spot on the throat fan and by the presence of dark scapular and sacral spots. These specimens were collected at Hacienda Chileta, dept. Sonsonate, April 23, 1927. They are associated with Anolis cupreus because of agreement in coloration and probable distribution. The type of this species was secured in Nicaragua by the North Pacific Ex- ploring Expedition, probably in western Nicaragua, which is topo- graphically and climatically continuous with the coastal region of Salvador. The characteristic scapular and sacral spots are present in all three specimens. One shows the dorsal lighter color outlined by a darker border composed of triangular segments, the apices of which are directed toward the' vertebral line, with a pair of triangles over the shoulders and two much darker pairs over the hind limbs. It is reasonable to suppose that this is the form recorded from Salvador as Anolis binotatus by Bocourt. Judging from Barbour's remarks on the coloration of Panamanian specimens identified as binotatus (type locality Guayaquil), the Salvadorean species is dis- tinct (Barbour, Occ. Papers, Mus. Zool. Univ. Mich., No. 129, p. 6. 1923)- 6. Basiliscus vittatus Wiegmann. Basiliscus vittatus WIEGMANN, Isis, 1828, p. 373, 1828. A single specimen from San Jose* del Sacare", dept. Chalatenango, March 15, 1927. 7. Corythophanes percarinatus A. Dume'ril. Corythophanes percarinatus A. DUMERIL, Arch. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris, 8, p. 518, pi. 20, fig. 3, 1856. 196 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — ZOOLOGY, VOL XII. A single specimen collected at Hacienda Chileta, dept. Sonso- ate, April 22, 1927, bears the note "Coffee region — balsam forest." 8. Sceloporus acanthinus Bocourt. Sceloporus acanthinus BOCOURT, Miss. Sci. Mex., pt. 3, livr. 3, p. 180, pi. 18, fig. 2, pi. 19, fig. 4, 1874. Two juvenile specimens, collected at San Jose* del Sacare", dept. Chalatenango, March 15-18, 1927, at 3600 feet altitude; one adult from Hacienda Chileta, dept. Sonsonate, April 23, 1927, from the coffee region or balsam forest zone. 9. Sceloporus malachiticus Cope. Sceloporus malachiticus COPE, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1864, p. 178, 1864. Five specimens from Los Esesmiles, dept. Chalatenango, 7500 feet altitude, March 8, 1927. 10. Sceloporus fulvus Bocourt. Sceloporus fulvus BOCOURT, Miss. Sci. Mex., pt 3, livr. 4, p. 214, pi. 18 bis, fig. 8, 1874. Three specimens from San Jose" del Sacare", dept. Chalatenango, March 12-17, X927, 3600 feet altitude; one from Divisadero, dept. Morazan, March 25, 1927; and two from Gigante Mine, near Divi- sadero, March 29, 1927. 11. Gerrhonotus salvadorensis sp. nov. Type from Los Esesmiles, dept. Chalatenango, 6000-8000 feet altitude, Salvador. No. 10957 Field Museum of Natural History. Adult female. Collected March 8, 1927 by R. A. Stirton. Range. — Known only from the type locality. Diagnosis. — A Gerrhonotus with twenty rows of dorsal plates and a large pair of prefrontal shields, separating the frontal from the median frontonasal. Description of type. — Head scarcely distinct from neck, body stout, limbs weak. Head shields smooth; two pairs of internasals behind the rostral followed by a large median shield, the fronto- nasal; frontonasal wider than long, separated from the frontal by a pair of pref rentals; frontal a little longer than its distance from the end of the snout, in contact with two oculars on each side ; six super - REPTILES OF SALVADOR — SCHMIDT. 197 ciliaries; five supraoculars enclosing three small additional scales between them and the superciliaries ; a pair of frontoparietals, a little larger than the adjoining temporals; two pairs of parietals, separated by the interparietal and occipital; nasal small, separated from the rostral by the first pair of internasals; a small postnasal; two small supranasals, the anterior of which is wedged between the lateral ends of the first and second internasals; three loreals; two canthals ; the second pair of internasals, the canthals, and the super- ciliaries form a well defined series inclosing the anterior head shields ; a preocular; two suboculars, the posterior elongate; two small post- oculars; ten upper labials on one side, nine on the other; temporals 4-4-4; ear opening moderate, triangular, without projecting scales on its border; ten rows of nuchal shields, very weakly keeled; twenty rows of dorsal plates, the six upper rows sharply keeled, the laterals Fig. i. Gerrhonotus salvadorensis sp. nov., head from side and from above. F. M. N. H. No. 10957; xz. weakly keeled; forty-seven dorsals from the parietals to a point opposite the posterior face of the thighs; ventral plates in twelve longitudinal series ; fifty-seven ventrals from the pair of postmentals to the anus; eighteen lamellae beneath the fourth toe. Coloration uniform brown above with a narrow dark dorsolateral line; bluish gray beneath, tip of chin yellowish. Tail reproduced, the scales of the renewed portion a little smoother, less mucronate, and less regular than the original caudal scales. Measurements. — Length from snout to anus 87 mm. ; from snout to posterior border of ear 1 7 mm. ; from snout to posterior end of occipital 14 mm.; greatest width of head n mm.; foreleg 20 mm.; hind leg 2 5 mm. 198 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — ZOOLOGY, VOL XII. Notes on paratype. — F. M. N. H. No. 10956, also from the type locality, is a little smaller than the type. It agrees excellently with the larger specimen in all essential characters but exhibits slight anomalies in its head-shields. There is an extra pair of small shields inserted between the posterior parietals and the occipital ; the second pair of internasals is unsymmetrical, one beng enlarged, the other reduced, and the pair separated by a projection of the frontonasal. Remarks. — This species is not very closely allied to other Central American forms of Gerrhonotus. The only other species which has twenty rows of dorsal plates is G. moreletii, but this form has the frontonasal much enlarged and always broadly in contact with the frontal. 12. Ameiva undulata (Wiegmann). Cnemidophorus undulatus WIEGMANN, Herp. Mex., p. 27, 1834. Ameiva undulata A. DUMERIL, Cat. Meth. Rept., p. 113, 1851. Two specimens from San Jose del Sacar6, Dept. Chalatenango, March 12-14, 1927; two from Divisadero, dept. Morazan, March 22-25, !927; f°ur from Hacienda Chileta, dept. Sonsonate, April 22-23, 13. Cnemidophorus deppii Wiegmann. Cnemidophorus deppii WIEGMANN, Herp. Mex., p. 28, 1834. Five specimens from Divisadero, dept. Morazan, March 25, 1927; one specimen from Gigante Mine, near Divisadero, March 29, 1927. 14. Gymnophthalmus sumichrasti (Cope). Epaphelus sumichrasti COPE, Journ. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., (2), 8, p. 115, 1876. Gymnophthalmus sumichrasti BOCOURT, Miss. Sci. Mex., pt. 3, livr. 7, p. 471, pi. 20 H, fig. 2, 1881. A single specimen from San Jose del Sacare, 3600 feet altitude, dept. Chalatenango, March 15, 1927. The remains of a second specimen were found in the stomach of an Oxybelis acuminatus from this locality. 15. Mabuya agilis (Raddi). Scincus agilis RADDI, Mem. Soc. Ital. Sci., Modena, 19, p. 62, 1823. Mabuya agilis FITZINGER, Neue Classif. Rept., p. 52, 1826. REPTILES OF SALVADOR — SCHMIDT. 199 A single specimen from Divisadero, dept. of Morazan, March 25, 1927. 1 6. Leiolopisma assatum (Cope). Lampropholis assatus COPE, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1864, p. 179, 1864. A single specimen from San Jose del Sacare, dept. Chalatenango, March 18, 1927. SNAKES. 17. Spilotes pullatus mexicanus (Laurenti). Cerastes mexicanus LAURENTI, Syn. Rept., p. 83, 1768. Spilotes pullatus mexicanus NOBLE, Natural History, 21, p. 166, 1921. A single female specimen from Divisadero, dept. Morazan, De- cember n, 1926. This specimen, F.M.N.H. No. 10996, has the dorsal scale formula 17-18-16-14, the mid-dorsal row dividing to produce the even number. Ventral plates 218, subcaudals 130, upper labials 8-8, lower labials 9-9, preoculars i-i, postoculars 2-2, temporals i-i on each side. Total length 2175 mm., tail 573 mm., ratio of tail to total length .26. Mid-dorsal scales with bases white; no cross bands anteriorly; 13 light cross bands on the posterior half of the body ; tail with 1 1 light cross bands ; 3 1 pairs of black lateroventral markings on the ends of the ventral plates. 18. Trimorphodon biscutatus (Dumeril and Bibron). Dipsas biscutata DUMERIL and BIBRON, Erp. G£n., 7, p. 1153, 1854. Trimorphodon biscutatus COPE, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1861, p. 297, 1861. A single female specimen from Hacienda Chileta, dept. Son- sonate, April 23, 1927. This specimen, F.M.N.H. No. nooi, has the dorsal scales in 25 rows, reducing to 17 posteriorly. Ventral plates 255, subcaudals 85, upper labials 7-9, lower labials 13-12, pre- oculars 3-3, postoculars 3-3, temporals 3-3 on each side. Total length 878 mm., tail length 158 mm., ratio of tail to total length .18. Coloration normal. 19. Conophis lineatus (Dumeril and Bibron). Tomodon lineatus DUMERIL and BIBRON, Erp. Ge"n., 7, p. 936, 73. 1854. 200 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — ZOOLOGY, VOL. XII. Conophis lineatus COPE, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1868, p. 308, 1868. A single male specimen from Divisadero, dept. Morazan, December 21, 1926, F.M.N.H. No. 10999. The dorsal scale formula is 21-19-17; ventral plates 166, subcaudals 79, upper labials 8-8, lower labials 9-9, preoculars i-i, postoculars 2-2, temporals 2-3 and 2-2. Total length 748 mm., tail length 178, ratio of tail to length .24. At mid-body, the ground color is gray on the upper half, pure yellow on the belly, extending to the second scale row. The first black line is the middle of the first scale row; the second and third lines are on the third and fourth scale rows, uniting where the fourth scale row is dropped into a broader dark band behind, where they cover half of the second, the third, and half of the fourth scale rows; fourth line on the middle of the seventh row, broader behind and occupying the sixth and seventh rows. Honduran specimens have ten black lines instead of eight. 20. Oxybelis acuminatus (Wied). Coluber acuminatus WIED, Beitr. Nat. Bras., i, p. 322, 1825. Oxybelis acuminatus STEINDNACHER, Kept., Reise Novara, p. 72, 1867. One male specimen from Divisadero, dept. Morazan, December 8, 1926, F.M.N.H. No. 10998; one female from San Jos6 del Sacare, dept. Chalatenango, March 17, 1927, F.M.N.H. No. 10997. Dorsal scales 17-13 (in both); ventrals 185,187; subcaudals?, 167; upper labials 9; lower labials 10; preoculars single; postoculars 2; temporals 1-2 on each side. The second specimen, with an uninjured tail, measures 1290 mm., tail 505 mm., ratio of tail to total length .39. The stomach of No. 10998 contained the remains of a Sceloporus, that of No. 10997 a Gymnophthalmus sumichrasti. 21. Bothrops godmani (Giinther). Boihriechis godmani GUNTHER, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (3), 12, p. pi. 364, pi. 6, fig. G, 1863. A single female specimen of this well characterized species from Los Esesmiles, dept. Chalatenango, 6000-8000 feet altitude, March 6, 1927, F.M.N.H. No. 1 1000. Dorsal scales 23-21-19-17, ventral plates 142, subcaudals 34, upper labials 9-9, lower labials 10-10; eye separated from the labials by two rows of scales; a single enlarged median scale between the supraoculars, separated from them by two REPTILES OF SALVADOR — SCHMIDT 201 rows of smaller scales on each side. Vertebral series of spots confluent, making a band six scale-rows wide ; lateral series of spots opposite the widened parts of the dorsal band, on the second to sixth scale-rows; the first spot on the side of the neck elongate; upper lip light, uni- form; a dark postocular stripe sharply defined below. REFERENCES BOCOURT, MARIE — FIRMIN 1868. "Descriptions de quelques Cheloniens nouveaux appartenant a la Faune Mexicaine." Ann. Sci. Nat. Zool., (5), 10, p. 121-122, 1868. DUMERIL, BOCOURT AND MOCQUARD 1870-1909. "Etudes sur les Reptiles" in Recherches Zoologiques, Miss. Sci. Mex. Amer. Centr., Part three, pp. XIV-IOI2, pis. 1-77. GUNTHER, ALBERT C. L. G. 1885-1902. "Reptilia and Batrachia," in Biologia Central! Americana, pp. XX-326, pi. 1-76. KELLOGG, REMINGTON 1928. "An apparently new Hyla from San Salvador." Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., 41, pp. 123-124. MCL-AIN, ROBERT BAIRD 1899. "Contributions to Neotropical Herpetology." Wheeling, W. Va., pp. 1-5, i pl- T;;: LRKHBY m THH DEC 14 UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS-URBAN*