Serpent Research: New snail-eating snakes from Ecuador

Photographs of some species of Dipsas in life: a D. andiana MZUTI
5413 from Bilsa, province of Esmeraldas, Ecuador b D. andiana
from Mindo, province of Pichincha, Ecuador c D. bobridgelyi MZUTI 5414 from Buenaventura, Province of El Oro, Ecuador
d D. catesbyi from Gareno, province of Napo, Ecuador e D. catesbyi
from Gareno, province of Napo, Ecuador f D. elegans from
Calacalí–Mindo, province of Pichincha, Ecuador g D. ellipsifera
from Pimampiro, province of Imbabura, Ecuador h D. gracilis
from Canandé, province of Esmeraldas, Ecuador i D. gracilis
from Mashpi, province of Pichincha, Ecuador j D. indica from
Gareno, province of Napo, Ecuador k D. jamespetersi AMARU
1123 from province of Azuay, Ecuador l D. klebbai from El Chaco,
province of Napo, Ecuador m D. klebbai from El Chaco, province
of Napo, Ecuador n D. latifrontalis from San Isidro, state of
Mérida, Venezuela o D. oligozonata from Poetate, province of
Azuay, Ecuador p D. oreas MZUTI 5414 from Buenaventura,
province of El Oro, Ecuador q D. oreas from Poetate–Corraleja,
province of Azuay, Ecuador r D. palmeri from Agoyán, province
of Tungurahua, Ecuador s D. palmeri MZUTI 4975 from Reserva
San Francisco, province of Zamora, Ecuador t D. pavonina from
Maycu, province of Zamora, Ecuador u D. temporalis from
Colombia v D. variegata from Gareno, province of Napo, Ecuador
w D. vermiculata from Miazi, province of Zamora, Ecuador, and
x D. vermiculata from Narupa, province of Napo, Ecuador.

In a recently published paper, Arteaga et al. (2018) present a molecular phylogeny of the Neotropical snail-eating snakes (tribe Dipsadini) that included 43 (24 for the first time) of the 77 species, sampled for both nuclear and mitochondrial genes. Morphological and phylogenetic support was found for four new species of Dipsas and one of Sibon, which are described here based on their unique combination of molecular, meristic, and color pattern characteristics. Sibynomorphus is designated as a junior subjective synonym of Dipsas. Dipsas latifrontalis and D. palmeri are resurrected from the synonymy of D. peruana. Dipsas latifasciata is transferred from the synonymy of D. peruana to the synonymy of D. palmeri. A new name, D. jamespetersi, is erected for the taxon currently known as Sibynomorphus petersi. Re-descriptions of D. latifrontalis and D. peruana are presented, as well as the first photographic voucher of an adult specimen of D. latifrontalis, along with photographs of all known Ecuadorian Dipsadini species. The first country record of D. variegata in Ecuador is provided and D. oligozonata removed from the list of Peruvian herpetofauna. With these changes, the number of Dipsadini reported in Ecuador increases to 22, 18 species of Dipsas and four of Sibon.

Citation
Arteaga A, Salazar-Valenzuela D, Mebert K, Peñafiel N, Aguiar G, Sánchez-Nivicela JC, Pyron RA, Colston TJ, Cisneros-Heredia DF, Yánez-Muñoz MH, Venegas PJ. 2018. Systematics of South American snail-eating snakes (Serpentes, Dipsadini), with the description of five new species from Ecuador and Peru. ZooKeys, Jun 14,766:79.