Helicops scalaris Jan, 1865

Schoeneberg, Yannis & Koehler, Gunther, 2022, Distribution and identification of the species in the genus Helicops Wagler, 1830 (Serpentes, Colubridae, Xenodontinae), Biodiversity Data Journal 10, pp. 69234-69234 : 69234

Helicops scalaris Jan, 1865

Diagnosis

This species can be distinguished from all its congeners, except H. trivittatus by the combination of having intergenials, 110-119 ventrals in males and 113-125 in females (versus ♂117-127♀130-138 in H. hagmanni ; ♂121-134♀130-145 in H. pastazae ; ♂135-142♀137-150 in H. petersi ; ♂124♀129-136 in H. yacu ) and 67-95 subcaudals (versus 55-59 in H. hagmanni ). From H. trivittatus , it differs in having a blotched dorsum, versus striped in H. trivittatus (for information on references, see Suppl. material 3).

Distribution

Helicops scalaris is known only from the northern border area between Colombia and Venezuela, western and north of Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela (Fig. 3 d).