Leptodeira septentrionalis (Kennicott, 1859)

Cuadrado, Stefania S., Loor, Yelsin A. & Narváez, Andrea E., 2020, Herpetofauna of Engabao, Playas Canton, Ecuador, with notes on the occurrence of Ceratoprhys stolzmanni (Steindachner, 1882), Check List 16 (3), pp. 665-674 : 666-667

Leptodeira septentrionalis (Kennicott, 1859)

Figure 2A

Material 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.

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 individual

was 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).