Taxonomic summary of Conopsis, Günther, 1858 (Serpentes: Colubridae)
Author
Goyenechea, Irene
Author
Flores-Villela, Oscar
text
Zootaxa
2006
1271
1
27
journal article
10.5281/zenodo.173271
6dd7301a-4234-4a32-ad70-9a3b0ef3bb31
11755326
173271
Conopsis lineata
(
Kennicott, 1859
)
Stenorhina
de Filippii
Jan, 1857
:48
(“
Messico
”; nomen nudum).
Toluca lineata
Kennicott, 1859
:23
–24.
Oxyrhina
(Achirina)
de Filippii, 1862:54,61,75.
Oxyrhina
de Filippii
Jan, 1863
:41
Conopsis lineatus
Bocourt, 1883
:565
–566.
Conopsis lineata
Dugès, 1896
:413
.
Conopsis nasus
Smith, 1939
:32
.
Toluca lineata varians
Jan, 1862
:54
.
nov. sin.
Stenorhina varians
Jan, 1857
:48
(nomen nudum).
Oxyrhina varians
Jan, 1862
:54
, 60, 61, 75.
Ogmius varians
Sumichrast, 1873
:249
.
Ogmius (Oxyrhina) varians
Sumichrast, 1882
:42
.
Conopsis varians
Bocourt, 1883
:566
.
Chionactis varians
Cope, 1896
:1021
.
Chionactis diasii
Cope
in
FerrariPerez, 1886
:188
–189.
Chionactis diasii diasii
Cope, 1898:943
.
Chionactis nasus
Ruthven, 1912
:231
.
Type
specimen:
USNM
2103.
Type
locality:
Valley of
Mexico
.
Diagnosis:
This species is characterized by the following combination of characters: divided internasals and prefrontals; brown dorsal coloration and three to five dark lines along body. Ventrally it is yellowish with no spots. This taxon is the smallest in the genus mean SVL
176.1 mm
. It differs from other members of the genus by its characteristic dorsal pattern.
Description:
A species with divided internasals and prefrontals; no loreal; pointed rostral; nasal pierced by nostril on each side of head; a preocular and two postoculars; hexagonal frontal, contactimg prefrontals; temporal formula 1+2; 7 upper labials and 6 lower labials; 2.5 upper labials before eye; genial shields separated by one scale; a mean of 126 ventrals (100–140) and 33.3 subcaudals (20–49); 17 rows of smooth scales at midbody; dorsum brown, with three to five dark lines; venter yellowish with no spots, but few specimens show rows of smallpaired dots.
Measurements:
Adults specimens of
Conopsis lineata
average
176.1 mm
in snoutvent length (
100–273 mm
),
215.2 in
total length (
120–320 mm
), body diameter
6.7 mm
.
Variation:
Loreal present (34.4%), absent (51.7%), or it may be present only on one side of head (19.2%). Postoculars from 2 (98.5%) to 1 (1.5%). Upper labials 7 (82.6%), 7/ 6 (5.4%), or 6 (12%). Upper labials before eye from 2.5 (63%) to 3 (27.2%), 2 (2%), 3.5 (0.8%) or 3/2.5 (5%). Lower labials from 7 (67.6%,), to 6 (27%), 7/6 (8%), 7/5 (1%), 6/5 (0.8%), or 6/4 (0.8%). First pair of genial shields separated by one (84.7%), two scales (12%), or in contact (3.3%). Dorsal coloration is brown (55.7%), cinnamon (18.4%), beige (17.5%), olive green (4.5%), or gray (3.9%), with 3 to 5 dark lines along body (61.5%), a vertebral dark line and tessellated below (33.5%), tessellated (5%). Ventral coloration creamy (83%), yellow (14.4%), yellowishgray (1.3%), or brown (1.3%). The venter has a series row of paired dots (41%), black dots intercalated along venter (18%), or immaculate (41%).
Distribution:
Conopsis lineata
is distributed in central and southern
Mexico
(fig. 5); it has been collected in the states of Distrito Federal, Guanajuato, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Estado de
Mexico
, Michoacan, Morelos, Oaxaca, Puebla, Queretaro, San Luis Potosi, Tlaxcala and Veracruz, from
1750 to 3100 m
, in xerophilous underbrush, cactus, pine, oak, pineoak, fir forests, and montane cloud forest. It is usually under rocks, logs, litter, grass, and in holes during the whole year; being more abundant from July to September.