Herpetofauna of Engabao, Playas Canton, Ecuador, with notes on the occurrence of Ceratoprhys stolzmanni (Steindachner, 1882)AuthorCuadrado, Stefania S.AuthorLoor, Yelsin A.AuthorNarváez, Andrea E.textCheck List20202020-06-02163665674http://dx.doi.org/10.15560/16.3.665journal article10.15560/16.3.6651809-127XLeptodeira septentrionalis
(Kennicott, 1859)
Figure 2AMaterial examined.ECUADOR
, province of
Guayas
, Playas Canton, Engabao
•
1 specimen
(sex undeter- mined),
330 mm
; human settlements (inside an aban- doned house);
02°36′41″S
,
080°26′14″W
;
12 m
a.s.l;
31 Mar. 2019
; Stefania S. Cuadrado, Yelsin A. Loor leg.; UG-R161 • 1 individual (sex undetermined),
307 mm
; unvegetated area near the road;
02°36′41″S
,
080°26′14″W
;
12 m
a.s.l;
10 Apr. 2019
; Stefania S. Cuadrado, Yelsin A. Loor leg.; UG-R163.
Figure 1. A.
Regional map showing distribution of
Ceratophrys stolzmanni
in Ecuador. The study area, and new records, are indicated at “7” on the map; other localities included are listed in Appendix, Table A1.
B.
Map of the study area of El Algarrobo, Engabao; sites A–D are shown.A and B correspond to sites inside the farm, while sites C and D correspond to the grazing area.(Map prepared by Hermel Pineida.)
Table 1.
List of species found at Engabao. We report the IUCN red list categories and the total number of individuals observed.
Order
Family
Species
IUCN 2019
Farm sites A,B
Grazing sites C,D
Anura
Bufonidae
Rhinella horribilis
NE
9
18
Ceratophryidae
Ceratophrys stolzmanni
VU
2
—
Hylidae
Scinax quinquefasciatus
LC
—
6
Leptodactylidae
Engystomops guayaco
DD
9
15
Squamata
Colubridae
Leptodeira septentrionalis
LC
—
11
Oxyrhopus fitzingeri
LC
—
1
Gekkonidae
Lepidodactylus lugubris
NE
6
1
Iguanidae
Iguana iguana
LC
3
5
Microlophus occipitalis
LC
66
11
Teiidae
Medopheos edracantha
LC
4
—
Identification.
Individuals of this species are usually nocturnal and semi-arboreal. They can reach up to
1055 mm
snout–vent length (SVL), with the females (
339– 1055 mm
) larger than the males (
340–965 mm
). The tail occupies 23–41% of the total body length. The dorsal coloration ranges from cream to reddish, with 20–70 dark-brown to black spots in addition to dark, intercalated lateral spots that may be present or absent (Du- ellman 1958;
Savage 2002
).
This species was the most recorded snake. It was only observed at site C, near the road. One individualwas collected coiled, and several were found in an aban-doned small house on the roadside during the day, between 10:30 and 12:00. In naturally vegetated areas, they were observed perching in shrubs near the pond, in fully shaded patches, between 17:00 and 23:00.Distribution.Leptodeira septentrionalis
is distributed
in the lowlands and premontane foothills of the Atlantic slope from southern Texas,
USA
, to northern
Colombia
. This species also occurs in the Pacific foothills from
Mexico
to southwestern
Panama
and into western South America, including northwestern
Peru
(
Savage 2002
). In
Ecuador
, it has been reported in the provinces of
Esmeraldas
,
Pichincha
,
Manabí
,
Los Ríos
,
El Oro
,
Guayas
, Bolívar,
Loja
, and Santo Domingo de los Tsách- ilas (
Kuch 2002
;
Almendáriz and Carr 2012
; Pazmiño-
Otamendi 2019
).