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tie ILLINOIS

ZOOLOGICAL SERIES

OF

FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

Volume 24 CHICAGO, OCTOBER 20, 1943 No. 26

PERUVIAN SNAKES FROM THE UNIVERSITY
OF AREQUIPA

BY KARL P. SCHMIDT

CHIEF CURATOR, DEPARTMENT OF ZOOLOGY
AND

WARREN F. WALKER, JR.

HARVARD UNIVERSITY

A considerable collection of snakes and of some other reptiles and
amphibians in the collection of the University of Arequipa, at
Arequipa, Peru, was lent to the senior author in 1939 through the
courtesy of Dr. Corzo Masias, of the Department of Zoology, and
at the suggestion also of Dr. Carlos Nicholson, Professor of Bio-
geography at the university. This material, all unidentified, was
partly without data as to locality; but a series of specimens from the
faunally little-known Department of Madre de Dios gives it suffi-
cient importance to warrant publication of a list of the forty-seven
species of snakes in the collection. Two species are described as new.
Much of this collection was assembled through the efforts of the late
Dr. Edmundo Escomel, long resident in Arequipa.

The specimens without data are undoubtedly all from Peru,
and most of them are probably from the Department of Madre de
Dios. The remaining material comes from the following localities
or regions:

Chanchamayo: A tropical lowland locality at the headwaters of the Rio
Peren6 in the Department of Junin.

Montana: A term used for the forested tropical lowlands of eastern Peru.

Madre de Dios: A department of Peru, much of it a tropical lowland region
bordered by mountains on the south.

Selvas de Sandia: The tropical lowlands below Sandia in the Department
of Puno.

Boundary of Peru and Bolivia: Collections resulting from a boundary survey
expedition, departments of Puno and Madre de Dios.

No. 532 279

280 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY— ZOOLOGY, VOL. 24

Arequipa: The vicinity of Arequipa in the Department of Arequipa; a semi-
arid region of 7,000 to 8,000 feet elevation, on the Pacific slope.

Vitor Valley: A valley crossing the coastal desert of the Department of Are-
quipa below Arequipa.

Majes Valley: The long valley to the north of the Vitor Valley, Department
of Arequipa.

Tambo: A small town on the Rio Tambo, in the southern part of the Depart-
ment of Arequipa.

An annotated list of the species in the collection follows.
Boa hortulana hortulana Linnaeus

Boa hortulana Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., 1, p. 216, 1758 — America.

Three specimens from Madre de Dios, collected by Sr. Valdivia,
agree with the typical subspecies. The midbody scale rows range
from 51 to 55. The single male, U.A. No. 124, has ventrals 276;
caudals 117. The two females, U.A. Nos. 123 and 126, have ventrals
and caudals respectively 282, 113, and 280, 113.

Helicops polylepis Giinther

Helicops polylepis Giinther, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (3), 7, p. 426, 1861 — upper
Amazon.

Two female specimens, U.A. Nos. 127 and 133, collected by
Sr. Valdivia in Madre de Dios, have the dorsal scale formulae
23-23-19 and 23-23-17; ventrals 123, 128; caudals 73, 72. They
agree well with the usual description of this species except that in
No. 127 the rostral is separated from the internasal by a contact
of the nasals behind it. In No. 133 the scales of the occiput and outer
row are not keeled, but this may be owing to poor preservation.

Drymobius dendrophis Schlegel

Herpetodryas dendrophis Schlegel, Phys. Serp., 2, p. 196, 1837 — Cayenne.
Drymobius dendrophis Cope, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., p. 561, 1860.

A female specimen, U.A. No. 79, from the Escomel Collection,
but without other data, agrees very well with the definition of this
form. It has ventrals 162, tail incomplete; olive above with black-
edged narrow white crossbands. This specimen extends the range
of the species south from Ecuador into Peru.

Dryadophis boddaertii boddaertii Sentzen

Coluber boddaertii Sentzen, Meyer's Zool. Arch., 2, p. 59, 1796 — type locality
unknown.

fo.5"

rr

1943 PERUVIAN SNAKES— SCHMIDT AND WALKER 281

Dryadophis boddaertii boddaertii Stuart, Mus. Zool. Univ. Mich., Misc. Publ.,
48, p. 66, 1941.

A single male specimen, U.A. No. 174, without data, and two
females, U.A. Nos. 107a and 120, from Chanchamayo, collected by
Coronel Zapata. The two females, which are adult and agree well
with the typical subspecies, have ventrals 192, 196, and caudals 108,
112, respectively. The male, a juvenile specimen, has ventrals 185
and caudals 118. Its coloration resembles that given for adults of
pukhriceps (Stuart, 1941, p. 51). Stuart (I.e., p. 32) regards this as
the primitive pattern for the group, and accordingly to be expected
in the young of the more specialized forms.

Drymarchon corais corals Boie

Coluber corais Boie, Isis, p. 537, 1827 — America.

Drymarchon corais corais Barbour and Noble, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 58,
p. 617, 1921.

One female specimen, U.A. No. 155, without data, agrees with
the typical subspecies. The ventrals are 216, the caudals 77, with
the first fourteen entire. This specimen, a juvenile individual, has
the scales slightly oblique and is marked with crossbands.

Chironius carinatus Linnaeus

Coluber carinatus Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., 1, p. 223, 1758 — "Indiis."
Chironius carinatus Fitzinger, Neue Classif. Kept., p. 60, 1826.

*" Chanchamayo, U.A. No. 103, Coronel Zapata; Madre de Dios,
U.A. No. 72, Sr. Juan Perea, and U.A. No. 129, Sr. Valdivia; Selvas
de Sandia, U.A. No. 27; Peru (without other data), U.A. Nos. 129,
161, 167, 169.

The dorsal formula is 12-12-8 in all except No. 129, in which
it is 12-12-10. The ventrals range from 141 to 153 in males and
from 145 to 156 in females; the caudals 133 to 135 in males and 128
to 134 in females. The supralabials are 9, the fourth, fifth and sixth
entering the eye. The infralabials are 10 in male and 11 in female
specimens. Oculars 1-2, and temporals 1-2.

The series is variable in coloration. Some specimens are uni-
•> form olive or brown above and below, while others are marked
i above with white spots that merge in narrow crossbands. All
^ types are possible within the range of variation as described by

Boulenger (1894, p. 73), but in our opinion his concept of the species

is composite.

282 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — ZOOLOGY, VOL. 24

Chironius multiventris sp. nov.

Type from the Department of Madre de Dios, Peru. No. 38250
Field Museum of Natural History. Female, collected by Sr. Valdivia.

Range. — Tropical lowland regions of eastern Peru.

Diagnosis. — A Chironius closely allied to carinatus, but differing
in having ventrals 178 to 183 and caudals 172 to 202 as opposed to
previous maxima (known to us) for Peruvian carinatus of ventrals
156 and caudals 135. The dorsal scale formula of 12-12-10 further
separates it from carinatus, which normally has 12-12-8. The
infralabials in these two females are 10-10 and 10-11, as opposed
to 11 for the females of carinatus. In coloration this species is closely
allied to carinatus.

Description of type. — Body elongate, strongly compressed; tail
long; head slightly elongate, wider than the body.

Rostral broader than deep, just visible from above; internasals
slightly smaller than the pref rentals; frontal two- thirds to three-
fourths as broad as long, slightly longer than its distance from the
end of the snout, slightly shorter than the parietals; supraoculars
large; nostril large; loreal longer than deep; 1 preocular on the
right side, 2 on the left; 2 postoculars; 9 supralabials with the
fourth, fifth and sixth entering the eye; 10 infralabials on the right
side, 11 on the left; temporals 1-2.

Scales of uppermost pair of vertebral rows weakly keeled, at
least posteriorly, rest smooth, lateral scales oblique; dorsal formula
12-12-10; ventrals 183; anal divided; caudals 172.

The anterior part of the body is olive above, giving way to light
brown posteriorly. A narrow, whitish, black-edged, vertebral stripe
(yellow in life?) gradually develops on the neck and disappears
posteriorly. Beginning slightly anterior to midbody, the ground
color is broken at intervals of three or four scales by narrow whitish
crossbands about one scale wide, bordered by dark brown, and
gradually disappearing in the tail. The supralabials and the under
side of the body are yellowish. The ground color encroaches on the
edge of the ventrals, which are bordered by a dark line anteriorly.
This is still more distinct in the caudals. The posterior part of the
lower surface of the body has a median dark streak to the anus.

Total length 1,250; tail 490.

Notes on paratype. — The single paratype, U.A. No. 107, from
Chanchamayo, not very well preserved, agrees well with the type
in scale characters. The nostril is large, between two nasals, as is

1943 PERUVIAN SNAKES— SCHMIDT AND WALKER 283

probably the case in the type, in which the condition is somewhat
obscure; 1 preocular on each side; 10 infralabials on each side; tem-
porals 1-1; ventrals 178; caudals 202.

In coloration, the paratype agrees fairly well with the type, for
it has the light crossbands and vertebral stripe. The ground color,
however, is uniform olive throughout, and the lateral scales of the
dark areas are bordered on their lower edges with black. This
tends to obscure the vertebral stripe. Posteriorly the light cross-
bands are closer together than on the type, often only two scales
apart.

Total length 1,360; tail 560.

Remarks. — C. multiventris is close to carinatus as re-described
by Boulenger (1894, p. 73), and a revision of that composite form
may prove it to be a subspecies. C. multiventris and C. carinatus,
however, occur in the same region in Peru, evidently without inter-
grading.

Chironius fuscus Linnaeus

Coluber fuscus Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., 1, p. 222, 1758 — Asia, in error.
Chironius fuscus Amaral, Mem. Inst. Butantan, 4, p. 84, 1930.

One male specimen, U.A. No. 76, without data, has the dorsal
scale formula 10-10-8; ventrals 156; caudals 118. It is a green
snake that fits type B of Boulenger (1894, p. 76), or viridis Dume'ril
and Bibron. In our opinion fuscus, as redescribed by Boulenger, is
also a composite species.

Leptophis occidentalis nigromarginatus Gtinther

Ahaetulla nigromarginatus Giinther, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (3), 8, p. 28,
1866 — upper Amazon.

Leptophis occidentalis nigromarginatus Amaral, Mem. Inst. Butantan, 4, p. 85,
1930.

Madre de Dios, U.A. Nos. 130, 136, Sr. Valdivia; montana,
U.A. No. 34, Sr. Juan Perea.

Dromicus chamissonis Wiegmann

Coronella chamissonis Wiegmann, Nova Acta Acad. Caes.-Leop. Carol., 17,

p. 246, 1835— Tollo, Chile.
Dromicus chamissonis Steindachner, Reise der Novara, Rept., p. 65, 1867.

Eight specimens: Arequipa, U.A. No. 38; Madre de Dios, U.A.
Nos. 65, 139, 141, Sr. Valdivia; Selvas de Sandia, U.A. No. 15,

284 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY— ZOOLOGY, VOL. 24

Alberto Zimmermann; Tambo, U.A. No. 11; Vitor Valley, U.A. 10;
Peru (without other data), U.A. No. 85, Escomel Collection.

The ventrals range from 195 to 204 in the males, and from 205
to 220 in the females; the caudals range from 111 to 125 in the
males, and from 102 to 112 in the females. These specimens from
Peru are certainly not the Chilian chamissonis of Wiegmann, being
very distinct in coloration. Further study of these specimens is
reserved for a report on the coastal fauna of Peru, in progress.

The three specimens said to be from the Madre de Dios region
are indistinguishable from the coastal form in squamation, colora-
tion, dentition, and penial characters. It is possible that they have
been mislabeled.

Leimadophis reginae Linnaeus

Coluber reginae Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., 1, p. 219, 1758 — "Indiis."

Leimadophis reginae Amaral, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 67, Art. 24, p. 5, 1925.

Boundary of Peru and Bolivia, U.A. No. 18, Dr. Valdez; Chan-
chamayo, U.A. No. 104, Coronel Zapata; Madre de Dios, U.A.
Nos. 58 (head only), 60, 62, 122, Sr. Valdivia; montana, U.A. No.
30; no data, U.A. No. 176.

The ventrals are 148 and 149 respectively in the two males;
tail incomplete in both. In the six females the ventrals range from
146 to 158; and the caudals from 64 to 74 in the three with com-
plete tails. These specimens agree in coloration with typical repre-
sentatives of the species, and exhibit the normal change of color
pattern from young to adult.

Lygophis taeniurus taeniurus Tschudi

Liophis taeniurus Tschudi, Fauna Peruana, Herp., p. 51, pi. 5, 1845 — forest
region of Peru.

Lygophis taeniurus taeniurus Amaral, Mem. Inst. Butantan, 4, p. 20, 1930.

One adult female specimen, U.A. No. 157, without data, agrees
with the typical subspecies, with 163 ventrals and 54 caudals. A
second juvenile specimen, U.A. No. 57, from the Department of
Madre de Dios, is too fragmentary to yield a scale count. It is
best referred to this subspecies, but lacks the characteristic dark
longitudinal lines on the posterior part of the body and tail.

Xenodon severus Linnaeus

Coluber severus Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., 1, p. 219, 1758 — Asia, in error.
Xenodon severus Schlegel, Phys. Serp., 2, p. 83, 1837.

1943 PERUVIAN SNAKES— SCHMIDT AND WALKER 285

Boundary of Peru and Bolivia, U.A. Nos. 16, 17, Dr. Valdez;
Chanchamayo, U.A. No. 109, Coronel Zapata; Madre de Dios,
U.A. No. 140, Sr. Valdivia; no data, U.A. No. 173.

The four males have ventrals 127-139; caudals 37^41. The
single female has ventrals 136; tail incomplete. This series agrees
very well with available descriptions in coloration. There are 9-2
to 10-2 dark crossbands evident in all, but these are obscured in
No. 109, a half-grown individual. The remaining specimens are
juvenile; the abdomens in Nos. 16 and 17 are still full of yolk.

Liophis cobella cobella Linnaeus

Coluber cobella Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., 1, p. 218, 1758 — America.

Liophis cobella cobella Amaral, Bull. Antiven. Inst. Amer., 4, p. 87, 1931.

One male specimen, U.A. No. 170, without data, has ventrals
142 and caudals 52. This specimen has 39 -f 15 black annuli, very
narrowly separated by yellow annuli that widen laterally and
ventrally. On the posterior dorsal part of the body these yellow
annuli disappear. In coloration and low ventral count the specimen
thus approaches alticolus of Amaral (1931, p. 87). It has been com-
pared with topotypes of alticolus, and found to differ in not having
a whitish-pink belly, and in having a differently shaped head and
infralabials. In these last two respects it agrees with the typical
subspecies, to which it has been tentatively referred. Eventually
it may prove to be a distinct southern race.

This appears to be the first record of the species from Peru.

Liophis purpurans Dume'ril and Bibron

Ablabes purpurans Dume'ril and Bibron, Erp. Ge"n., 7, p. 312, 1854 — Mana,

Cayenne.
Liophis purpurans Giznther, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (4), 9, p. 19, 1872.

Two male specimens, U.A. Nos. 165 and 172, without data,
agree with the definition of this species. The ventrals are 145, 151,
and caudals 73, 69, respectively.

Atractus badius Boie

Brachyorrhos badius Boie, Isis, p. 540, 1827 — Java (in error).
Atractus badius Boulenger, Cat. Snakes Brit. Mus., 2, p. 308, 1894.

Chanchamayo, U.A. No. 113, Coronel Zapata; Madre de Dios,
U.A. No. 64; montana, U.A. No. 31, Juan Perea.

The ventrals and caudals of the two male specimens are respec-
tively 144, 34, and 148, 33. The female specimen is fragmentary;

286 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — ZOOLOGY, VOL. 24

it has 23 caudals. In coloration Nos. 31 and 64 have the belly
spotted and agree with Boulenger's type E (1894, p. 309). No. 113
is plainly his type C.

Atractus emmeli Boettger

Geophis emmeli Boettger, Ber. Senck. Ges., 1888, p. 192, fig., 1888 — Mapiri
River, Bolivia.

Atractus emmeli Boulenger, Cat. Snakes Brit. Mus., 2, p. 311, 1894.

One female specimen, U.A. No. 73, from the Escomel Collection,
has no specific data. The ventrals are 188; the caudals 22. This
specimen agrees with the original description in scaling except for
the higher ventral count. It may be suspected that Boettger's
specimens were males. The ventral color pattern agrees with that
described by Boettger, but dorsally our specimen is much more
distinctly dark-spotted. To our knowledge this is the first record
from Peru.

Atractus vertebralis Boulenger

Atractus vertebralis Boulenger, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (7), 13, p. 451, 1904 —
Santo Domingo, Carabaya, Peruvian Andes.

Two specimens with no data agree with Boulenger's description.
The male, U.A. No. 148, has ventrals 170 and caudals 32. The
female, U.A. No. 145, has ventrals 175 and caudals 24.

Geophis diplozeugus sp. nov.

Type from the Department of Madre de Dios, Peru. No. 40251
Field Museum of Natural History. Adult female, collected by
Sr. Valdivia.

Diagnosis. — Allied to the Brazilian Geophis poeppigi Jan in color
pattern, dorsal and ventral scale count, and other scale characters.
Differing in having two temporals on each side, and a single preocular
(or loreal entering the eye) about as high as long, instead of the
elongate loreal of poeppigi; and probably in having the black rings
around the body more distinct.

Description of type. — Head not wider than body, bluntly pointed ;
eye about equal to its distance from the labial border; body sub-
cylindrical, tail short.

Rostral large, broader than deep, the portion visible from above
about equal to the internasal suture; internasals about half as long
as the pref rentals; frontal slightly broader than long, a little shorter
than its distance from the end of the snout; parietals long and

1943 PERUVIAN SNAKES— SCHMIDT AND WALKER 287

with a re-entrant angle posteriorly; nasals large, completely divided,
followed by a five-sided preocular which is higher than wide, and
thus sharply different from the "loreal entering the eye" of
poeppigi; a single postocular; upper labials 6, third and fourth
entering the eye, the fifth much the largest and broadly in contact
with the parietal; 2 temporals on each side above the sixth labial;
lower labials 7; a single large pair of chin shields; widened ven-
trals beginning immediately behind the chin shields.

Ventrals 169; anal single; caudals 24.

General coloration dark brown above, pale yellowish beneath,
with black transverse bars covering about three ventrals anteriorly
and one or two posteriorly; these number 24 on the body and two on
the tail. When attentively examined it is seen that these bars are
widened and continued faintly in the dorsal coloration, and that
posteriorly they are in tetrads, which in turn are composed of two
pairs of rings. Anteriorly the arrangement in tetrads may be dis-
cerned on the sides, each of the widened bars having a light lateral
spot, so that the wider ventral bar is thus apparently composed
of a pair of fused bars. Individual scales black-spotted in the
obscure light crossbands of the sides and back. A narrow nuchal
crossband on the ends of the parietals, widening on the sides of the
head; tip of snout light, including rostral, part of the internasals,
and first and second labials.

Total length 430; tail 34.

Notes on paratype. — The single juvenile male paratype, U.A.
No. 166, accordingly the allotype, unfortunately has no data.
There can be little doubt that it came also from the Madre de Dios
region. It has ventrals 162 and caudals 30, a normal sexual differ-
ence; it agrees excellently with the type in general scale characters.
The posterior nasal is fused with the preocular on one side.

The coloration is more sharply defined. The first pair of black
bands on the neck exhibit no division, but the next pair of bands is
obscurely divided into four, and beyond this each major band is
seen to be composed of two pairs of bands, widened above and tend-
ing to fuse on the back; there are ten such major "rings," with one
and one-half on the tail.

Length 169; tail 17.

Remarks. — There appears to be no record of Geophis poeppigi
other than the type, and we may be in error in our assumption that
our new form is directly allied to this species. There is no inherent

288 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY— ZOOLOGY, VOL. 24

difficulty in deriving the poeppigi color pattern from that above
described. Amaral (1931, p. 87) describes Atractus elaps tetrazonus,
from Colombia, without mention of the temporal shields. The
coloration described is remarkably similar to that of diplozeugus;
but even if Amaral overlooked the absence of the anterior temporal,
as is quite unlikely, the ventral count differs significantly from that
of our Peruvian species, as a second Colombian specimen referred
to tetrazonus by Amaral (1932, p. 113) has 142 ventrals, while the
original specimen had 150. Geophis ruthveni Werner (1925, p. 60),
the only other South American species of Geophis (as defined by the
temporal character), has 126 ventrals and an entirely different
coloration.

Dipsas catesbyi Sentzen

Coluber catesbyi Sentzen, Meyer's Zool. Arch., 2, p. 66, 1796 — type locality
unknown.

Dipsas catesbaei Boie, Isis, p. 550, 1827.

Chanchamayo, U.A. Nos. 105, 115, 118, Coronel Zapata; Depart-
ment of Madre de Dios, U.A. No. 144, Sr. Valdivia; montafia, U.A.
No. 33, Sr. Juan Perea; Peru (without other data), U.A. Nos. 74,
80, 86, 95, 97, 146, 159, Escomel Collection.

This series, while showing considerable variation in labials and
coloration, agrees well with the customary definition of catesbyi.
The eight males have ventrals 181-197, caudals 88-105; four females
177-186 and 84-92.

Dipsas indica Laurenti

Dipsas indica Laurenti, Syn. Kept., p. 90, 1768 — Zeylona, in error.

One male specimen, U.A. No. 114, collected by Coronel Zapata
in Chanchamayo, has the dorsal scale formula 13-12-11; ventrals
209; caudals 111.

It agrees with Boulenger's definition of this species except for
having 12 midbody scale rows. This is due to an abnormal loss of
a row on the right side of the body. Slightly anterior to midbody
there are 13 rows.

Dipsas mikanii peruanus Boettger

Leptognathus peruanus Boettger, Kat. Kept. Mus. Senck., 2, p. 128, 1898 —
Santa Ana, Cuzco, Peru.

One female specimen, U.A. No. 132, collected by Sr. Valdivia in
Madre de Dios, agrees very well with this race except for having a

1943 PERUVIAN SNAKES— SCHMIDT AND WALKER 289

preocular and loreal entering the eye anteriorly instead of the
more normal condition of the prefrontal and loreal. Ventrals 192;
caudals 95.

A second specimen, U.A. No. 160, a juvenile male, without
specific data, is presumably also from Madre de Dios. It agrees
with the above specimen in squamation with the expected sex
differences: ventrals 196; caudals 99. The vertebral row of scales
is a little more expanded, but these scales are still less than twice as
broad as long. In coloration, however, this specimen is quite
different, for the light-colored areas between the dark crossbands
are not flecked with brown, but are completely white. Similarly
the ventral surface is not flecked with brown and marked with large
brown spots, but is white, faintly marked with pairs of longitudinal
brown streaks. This may be due to fading or to juvenile coloration.
More material of the genus Dipsas is needed for the revisionary
study that is obviously required.

Imantodes cenchoa Linnaeus

Coluber cenchoa Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., 1, p. 226, 1758 — America.
Imantodes cenchoa Dumeril and Bibron, Erp. Ge"n., 7, p. 1065, 1854.

Madre de Dios, U.A. No. 8; montafia, U.A. No. 32, Sr. Juan
Perea; Peru (without other data), U.A. No. 96, Escomel Collection.

These three specimens agree well with typical representatives
of the species. The two males have, respectively, ventrals 263, 265,
and caudals 170; tail incomplete. The female has ventrals 258
and caudals 157.

Leptodeira annulata annulata Linnaeus

Coluber annulatus Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., 1, p. 224, 1758 — America.
Leptodeira annulata annulata Amaral, Mem. Inst. Butantan, 4, p. 204, 1930-

A female specimen, U.A. No. 112, collected by Coronel Zapata
in Chanchamayo, has ventrals 188, caudals 88. There is a second
poorly preserved specimen, U.A. No. 117, with the same data, in
the collection.

Clelia clelia Daudin

Coluber clelia Daudin, Hist. Nat. Kept., 6, p. 330, pi. 78, 1803— Surinam.
Clelia cloelia Stejneger, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 45, p. 547, 1913.

Two female specimens, U.A. Nos. 28 and 77, appear to be typical.
The former, from the montana, collected by Prudencio Salazar,

290 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY— ZOOLOGY, VOL. 24

has ventrals 201, and tail incomplete. The latter, without data, has
ventrals 227, and caudals 72.

Oxyrhopus bitorquatus Giinther

Tachymenis bitorquatus Giinther, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (4), 9, p. 19, 1872 —
Peruvian Amazon.

Oxyrhopus bitorquatus Boulenger, Cat. Snakes Brit. Mus., 3, p. 104, 1896.

A female specimen, U.A. No. 75, from the Escomel Collection,
but without specific data, has ventrals 193, caudals 87, and 16+7
triads of black crossbands.

Oxyrhopus petolus Linnaeus

Coluber petola Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., 1, p. 225, 1758 — Africa, in error.

Chanchamayo, U.A. No. Ill, Coronel Zapata; Madre de Dios,
U.A. Nos. 69, 121, 128, 142, Sr. Valdivia; Peru (without other data),
U.A. Nos. 78, 81, 93, 154, 158, Escomel Collection.

The series is variable in coloration and may represent more than
one subspecies. Nothing can be done with this problem until the
revisionary study of the genus Oxyrhopus and its allies by Joseph
R. Bailey, which is in progress, becomes available. Nos. 93 and 121
have approximately 22 + 10 yellow crossbands and thus fall between
Boulenger's types A and B (1896, p. 102), with ventrals 202, 181,
and caudals 66, 72, respectively. Nos. 69, 78, 128, 142, 154, 158
have 14 + 9 to 19 + 9 yellow bands and thus fall directly into Bou-
lenger's type B. The three males have ventrals 197-209, and caudals
104-125. The three females have ventrals 205-210, and caudals
86-97. Finally, Nos. 81 and 111 have no light crossbands, or only
traces posteriorly, thus agreeing with Boulenger's type C; ventrals
207, 212, and caudals 92, 100.

Oxyrhopus trigeminus DumeYil and Bibron

Oxyrhopus trigeminus Dum^ril and Bibron, Erp. Ge"n., 7, p. 1013, 1854 —
cotypes from Rio de Janeiro and Bahia, Brazil.

A single male specimen, U.A. No. 164, without data, has ventrals
200 and caudals 81 and about 8+5 triads of black crossbands,
somewhat irregular by being offset on the midline.

Tachymenis peruviana Wiegmann

Tachymenis peruviana Wiegmann, Nova Acta Acad. Caes.-Leop. Carol., 17,

p. 252, pi. 20, fig. 1, 1835— Peru.
Trachymenis peruviana Escomel, Fauna de Arequipa, p. 9, 1929.

1943 PERUVIAN SNAKES — SCHMIDT AND WALKER 291

Arequipa, U.A. Nos. 36, 37, 39, 40; Madre de Dios, U.A. Nos.
61, 68, 70, 71, Sr. Juan Perea; Peru (without other data), U.A. Nos.
87, 89, 90, 92, Escomel Collection.

The characters of this series fall within the range of variation
of this widespread and common highland species. In the six males
the ventrals vary from 147 to 152; caudals from 46 to 64. In the
six females the ventrals range from 141 to 151 and the caudals
from 40 to 48.

As far as we know, this species has not been found in Peru below
8,000 feet and is thus apparently confined above the tropical zone.
The specimens from the Madre de Dios, essentially a lowland region,
therefore seem to present a problem. There is, however, a range of
mountains on the southwestern side of that department from which
these specimens may well have come, since the species is known to
be abundant in the Urubamba and Lake Titicaca valleys.

Philodryas olfersii Lichtenstein

Coluber olfersii Lichtenstein, Verz. Doubl. Mus. Berlin, p. 104, 1818 — Brazil.
Philodryas olfersii Giinther, Cat. Colubrine Snakes Brit. Mus., p. 124, 1858.

Chanchamayo, U.A. Nos. 108, 119; Madre de Dios, U.A. Nos.
63, 143; Peru (without other data), U.A. Nos. 35, 84, 88; Selvas de
Sandia, U.A. No. 26.

There are no differences apparent between Madre de Dios and
Chanchamayo specimens. Ventrals in three male specimens range
from 176 to 187 and caudals from 117 to 128; in five female speci-
mens these characters vary from 190 to 200 and from 109 to 112.

Philodryas viridissimus Linnaeus

Coluber viridissimus Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., p. 226, 1758 — Surinam.
Philodryas viridissimus Giinther, Cat. Colubrine Snakes Brit. Mus., p. 123,
1858.

A single male specimen, U.A. No. 134, from Madre de Dios, has
ventrals 210, caudals 121, and dorsal scales 19-19-15.

Oxybelis acuminatus Wied

.Coluber acuminatus Wied, Isis, p. 667, 1824; Beitr. Naturg. Bras., 1, p. 322,

1825 — Espirito Santo River, Brazil.
Oxybelis acuminatus Steindachner, Novara Expedition, Kept., p. 72, 1867.

Two female specimens, U.A. Nos. 110 and 125, are typical
acuminatus. The former, collected in Chanchamayo by Coronel

292 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — ZOOLOGY, VOL. 24

Zapata, has ventrals 192; caudals 161. The latter, collected in
Madre de Dios by Sr. Valdivia, has ventrals 198, caudals 182.

Oxybelis argenteus Daudin

Coluber argenteus Daudin, Hist. Nat. Kept., 6, p. 336, 1803 — type locality
unknown.

Oxybelis argenteus Dume"ril and Bibron, Erp. G6n., 7, p. 815, 1854.

One female specimen, U.A. No. 106, collected in Chanchamayo
by Coronel Zapata, agrees with the definition of this form. It has
ventrals 211, caudals 170, with a few of the latter missing.

Oxybelis fulgidus Daudin

Coluber fulgidus Daudin, Hist. Nat. Kept., 6, p. 352, pi. 80, 1803 — Surinam
and Port-au-Prince, Santo Domingo.

Oxybelis fulgidus Dume>il and Bibron, Erp. Gen., 7, p. 817, 1854.

The collection contains one incomplete specimen, U.A. No. 150,
without data.

Erythrolamprus aesculapii Linnaeus

Coluber aesculapii Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., p. 220, 1758 — "Indiis."
Erythrolamprus aesculapii Dume>il and Bibron, Erp. Gen., 7, p. 845, 1854.

Three male specimens, U.A. Nos. 83, 116, 152, agree with aescu-
lapii as defined by Boulenger (1896, p. 200). Nos. 83 and 152 from
the Escomel Collection but without data have ventrals 197 and
191; caudals 50, and missing, respectively. No. 116, collected in
Chanchamayo by Coronel Zapata, is much shriveled and was not
counted. All have between 9 and 12 double pairs of black annuli
on the body and tail. Thus they fit Boulenger's type E (1896, p.
202) or tetrazona Jan. Inasmuch as the subspecies of this form have
not been clearly defined we feel it best to refer these specimens
provisionally to aesculapii.

Tantilla marcapatae Boulenger

Homalocranium marcapatae Boulenger, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (7), 10, p. 401,
1902 — Marcapata Valley, eastern Peru.

One male specimen, U.A. No. 25, from the Selvas de Sandia, is
a very interesting discovery, for this species has hitherto been known
only by the female type. This specimen agrees very well with the
original description in both squamation and coloration, with the
expected sexual differences in ventrals and caudals. These are 164

1943 PERUVIAN SNAKES— SCHMIDT AND WALKER 293

and 62 respectively as opposed to 180 and 47 in the female type.
The red areas between the dark crossbands have faded to white.

Tantilla melanocephala Linnaeus

Coluber melanocephala Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., 1, p. 218, 1758 — America.
Tantilla melanocephala Cope, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., p. 74, 1861.

Chanchamayo, U.A. No. 101, Coronel Zapata; Peru (without
other data), U.A. Nos. 149, 153, 175.

In the two males the ventrals are 145 and 129; the caudals
missing and 49, respectively. In the two females the ventrals are
137 and 148; the caudals 43 and missing, respectively. This series
agrees with the species as redescribed by Boulenger (1896, p. 215),
but the lack of differentiation of the sexes in ventrals and caudals
leaves much to be explained. It appears evident that melanocephala
is a composite form.

Micrurus balzani Boulenger

Elaps balzani Boulenger, Ann. Mus. Civ. Geneva, (2), 19, p. 130, 1898 — Yun-

gas, Bolivia.
Micrurus balzani Schmidt, Field Mus. Nat. Hist., Zool. Ser., 20, p. 192, 1936.

A single male specimen, U.A. No. 82, without data, is referred
to balzani, with which it agrees in style of coloration (black, yellow,
and red rings not in triads) and in having a single postocular on
each side. The ventrals number 196, caudals 45. The lower labials
are reduced to six on each side by fusion of the normal fifth and
sixth. This specimen, presumably from the Madre de Dios region,
is not unreasonably distant from the hitherto known Bolivian range
of balzani.

Micrurus hemprichii Jan

Elaps hemprichii Jan, Rev. Mag. Zool., 1858, p. 523, 1858— Colombia.
Micrurus hemprichii Amaral, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 67, Art. 24, p. 17, 1925.

A single female specimen, U.A. No. 171, is from Peru, without
further data. It has ventrals 185, anal plate entire, caudals 25;
triads of black rings 6 + ^j1 total length 466, tail 36.

Micrurus langsdorffi Wagler

Micrurus langsdorffi Wagler, in Spix, Serp. Bras., p. 10, pi. 2, fig. 2, 1824 — Rio
Japura, Amazonas.

irThe black rings, when arranged in threes, are counted as "triads," and
fractions of triads, on body + tail.

294 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — ZOOLOGY, VOL. 24

A single specimen, U.A. No. 59, from the Madre de Dios region,
a female, has ventrals 211, caudals 34, and 41+5 subequal complete
black rings separated by narrow white annuli. Alternation in width
of the black rings can be traced on parts of the body. It thus
corresponds to annellatus, which the senior author has combined
with langsdorffi (1936, p. 191).

A female specimen, U.A. No. 9, without data, is referable to this
species. It has ventrals 217, caudals 31, and 21 + 7 black rings on
body and tail. The black rings on the body are separated by slightly
longer red zones in which the scales are heavily black-pigmented.

A specimen in the American Museum of Natural History,
recorded as from Juliaca, Peru, has been examined by the senior
author. Like the mammals described from Juliaca by J. A. Allen,
this specimen undoubtedly came from the "Inca Mines" and thus
constitutes another record from the Department of Madre de Dios.

Micrurus lemniscatus Linnaeus

Coluber lemniscatus Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., p. 274, 1758 — Asia, in error.
Micrurus lemniscatus Beebe, Zoologica, 2, p. 216, 1919.

A single female specimen, U.A. No. 163, with no data, agrees
well with the usual diagnosis of this species. Ventrals 228, caudals
33, black triads 9 + 1^, total length 340, tail 31.

We suggest the restricted type locality for this species as Bele*m,
Para, Brazil.

Micrurus spixii obscura Jan

Elaps corallinus var. obscura Jan, Icon. Ge'n. Ophidiens, 41, pi. 6, fig. 3, 1872
— Lima, in error.

The junior author, in the course of preparation of a list of the
Peruvian snakes, finds that all of the Peruvian specimens examined
agree with Jan's excellent figure of obscura, differing from spixii
spixii in having an elongate black mark on the neck. This is appar-
ently the middle black ring of the first triad of black rings. Traces
of the first ring may be represented by black spots on the parietals
and corresponding black spots on the gular region.

The University of Arequipa specimens, Nos. 91, 156, and 162,
all without specific locality, are clearly obscura by this definition;
the single male has ventrals 227, caudals 20, and triads %, 6% +
%. The two female specimens have ventrals 222 and 223, caudals
22 and 21, and triads %, 5% + %, and %, 7 + %. The type locality
for obscura may be corrected and restricted to eastern Peru.

1943 PERUVIAN SNAKES— SCHMIDT AND WALKER 295

Micrurus surinamensis Cuvier

Elaps surinamensis Cuvier, Regne Animal, 2, p. 84, 1817 — Surinam.
Micruriis surinamensis Beebe, Zoologica, 2, p. 216, 1919.

A single male specimen, U.A. No. 131, collected in Madre de
Dios by Sr. Valdivia. The ventrals number 166, caudals 33 + (tip
of tail missing), total length 837, tail 97.

Trimeresurus atrox Linnaeus

Coluber atrox Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., p. 22, 1758 — Asia, in error.
Trimeresurus atrox Schmidt and Andrews, Field Mus. Nat. Hist., Zool. Ser.,
20, p. 182, 1936.

A single male specimen, U.A. No. 94 (without data), from
Escomel Collection, has 194 ventrals and 73 caudals. In a female
specimen from Madre de Dios, U.A. No. 66, ventrals and caudals
are 193 and 71; another female specimen, No. 102, from Chan-
chamayo, has these scutes 202 and 65; and two female specimens,
U.A. Nos. 147 and 151 (without data) have respectively 198 + 57,
and 193 + 54. There is considerable variation in the color pattern
among these five specimens, apparently all within the possible
range of atrox.

The type locality for this form may be corrected and restricted
to Surinam.

Trimeresurus microphthalmus Cope

Bothrops microphthalmus Cope, Journ. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., (2), 8, p. 182,
1876 — between Balsapuerto and Moyobamba, Peru.

A male specimen, U.A. No. 67, from Madre de Dios, collected
by Sr. Juan Perea, may be referred tentatively to microphthalmus.
It seems not unlikely that the specimen in question may represent
a new form. We reserve opinion on this matter pending examination
of further material.

Trimeresurus pictus Tschudi

Lachesis picta Tschudi, Fauna Peruana, Herp., p. 61, pi. 10, 1845 — higher
montana of Peru.

A single female specimen, U.A. No. 7, from the Valle de Majes,
collected by Sr. Romano. Like the specimen of microphthalmus
mentioned above, the single specimen available is insufficient basis
for the description of a new form. We suspect that the population
of picta in the Majes Valley may well be distinguishable from that
of central Peru.

296 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — ZOOLOGY, VOL. 24

Crotalus durissus terrificus Laurent!

Caudisona terrified Laurenti, Syst. Kept., p. 93, 1768 — America, below lat. 45.

Crotalus durissus terrificus Klauber, Trans. San Diego Soc. Nat. Hist., 8, p. 190,
1936.

A single female specimen, U.A. No. 14, from the Selvas de
Sandia, collected by Alberto Zimmermann, has 176 ventrals, anal
divided, and 22 caudals. Gloyd (1940, p. 137) mentions no record
of the rattlesnake from Peru except that of Tschudi (1845, p. 63),
who ascribes it to the "montana" of northern Peru, but apparently
without a specimen. The junior author has heard reports of it
from the Huanuco region.

REFERENCES

AMARAL, AFRANIO DO

1931. Studies on Neotropical Ophidia XXIII. Additional Note on Colombian
Snakes. Bull. Antivenin Inst. Amer., 4, pp. 85-89.

1932. Estudos sobre ophidios neotropicos XXIX. Novas Notas sobre especies
da Colombia. Mem. Inst. Butantan, 7, pp. 103-123.

BOULENGER, G. A.

1893. Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum. 1, pp. xiv+448, text
figs. 1-26, pis. 1-28.

1894. Idem. 2, pp. xii+382, text figs. 1-25, pis. 1-20.
1896. Idem. 3, pp. xiv+727, text figs. 1-37, pis. 1-25.

ESCOMEL, EDMUNDO

1929. Fauna de Arequipa, in Escomel, Obras Cientificas. 1, pp. 367-418, 8 pis.

GLOYD, H. K.

1940. The Rattlesnakes, Genera Sistrurus and Crotalus, A Study in Zooge-
ography and Evolution. Chicago Acad. Sci., Special Publ., 4, pp. viii+270,
10 text figs., 22 maps, 31 pis.

SCHMIDT, K. P.

1936. Preliminary Account of Coral Snakes of South America. Field Mus.
Nat. Hist., Zool. Ser., 20, pp. 189-203.

STUART, L. C.

1941. Studies of Neotropical Colubridae VIII. A Revision of the Genus
Dryadophis Stuart, 1939. Mus. Zool. Univ. Mich., Misc. Publ., 49, pp.
1-106, 13 text figs., 4 maps, 4 pis.

TSCHUDI, J. J. VON

1845. Untersuchungen iiber die Fauna Peruana. Herpetologie. St. Gallen,
Scheitlin und Zollikofer, pp. 1-80, pis. 1-12.

WERNER, FRANZ

1925. Neue oder wenig bekannte Schlangen aus dem Wiener naturhistorischen
Staatsmuseum (2te Teil). Sitzber. Akad. Wiss. Wien (math.-natur.), Abt. 1,

134, pp. 45-66. TKEUBWRTl* INI

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