Liotyphlops pino, Antúnez-Fonseca & Ramos-Galdamez & Solís & Diaz-Ricaurte & Wilson, 2024

Antúnez-Fonseca, Cristopher A., Ramos-Galdamez, Josue, Solís, José Mario, Diaz-Ricaurte, Juan C. & Wilson, Larry David, 2024, A new species of the genus Liotyphlops Peters, 1881 (Serpentes: Anomalepididae) from the Caribbean coast of Honduras, Zootaxa 5543 (1), pp. 97-110 : 101-106

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.5543.1.5
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:6A6EA5E8-C50D-416A-AF82-185A113B69C7
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14503244
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/7B5C87D5-4F7C-FF82-5FB4-925FE285F9F3
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Liotyphlops pino
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Liotyphlops pino sp. nov.

( Figs. 3–5 View FIGURE 3 View FIGURE 4 View FIGURE 5 )

Holotype. A female, CZB-HSE056 (field number EPA 02), collected by Cristopher A. Antúnez-Fonseca and team on 06 August 2019 at 09:04 h in the Pico Bonito National Park (15°42′15.96″N, 86°55′08.82″W; WGS84; 42 m above sea level), village of El Pino, municipality of El Porvenir, department of Atlántida, Honduras. GoogleMaps

Diagnosis. We assign our specimen to the genus Liotyphlops because it presents the following unique combination of diagnostic features reported for the genus: enlarged, non-polygonal head scales with rounded posterior margins; the enlarged rostral joins a short and broad frontal shield, completely separating prefrontals; midbody scale rows 22 to 28; and a tail with a terminal spine. Liotyphlops pino sp. nov. can be distinguished from its congeners by the unique combination of the following characters: three scales contacting the posterior border of the prefrontals; one scale in contact with posterior border of the nasal between second supralabial and prefrontal; three scales on the first vertical row of body; supralabials three; infralabials three; scale between prefrontal and ocular anterior absent; midbody rows of scales 22; 425 “dorsal” scales between rostral and terminal spine; 414 “ventral” scales; and 11 subcaudal scales. The color pattern on the frontal and gular region is pale brown, with a nuchal collar slightly lighter than the rest of the body, relatively dark brown body, which becomes slightly lighter on its posterior region.

Comparisons. Among its congeners, Liotyphlops pino sp. nov. is the only species to have three scales on the first vertical row of dorsals (vs. 4–6 scales in all other congeners); it is also distinguished by having one scale contacting the posterior border of the nasal between the second supralabial and prefrontal (vs. two in L. anops , L. palauophis , L. schubarti , L. taylori and L. ternetzii ); three scales contacting the posterior line of the prefrontal (vs. four scales in L. anops , L. argaleus , L. palauophis , and L. trefauti ); three supralabial scales (vs. four in L. albirostris , L. anops , L. argaleus , L. bondensis , L. caracasensis , L. haadi , L. palauophis , L. petersii , L. schubarti , L. taylori , L. ternetzii , L. treufati , and L. wilderi ); three infralabial scales (vs. two and four in L. taylori and L. treufati , respectively); dorsal scale rows 22 around the body (vs. without 22 on the anterior region of body in L. albirostris , L. anops , L. argaleus , L. bondensis , L. caissara , L. caracasensis , L. haadi , L. palauophis , L. petersii , L. schubarti , L. taylori , and L. wilderi ); 425 rows of “dorsal” scales (vs. 432–478 in L. albirostris , above 497 in L. anops , L. argaleus , L. palauophis , L. taylori , and L. treufati , below 402 in L. caissara , L. haadi , and L. wilderi ); and 11 “subcaudal” scales (vs. 12 or more in L. albirostris , L. anops , L. argaleus , L. palauophis , L. taylori , and L. wilderi , eight or less in L. caracasensis , and L. treufati ).

Description of the holotype. Female specimen with 425 “dorsals”, 414 “ventrals”, and 11 “subcaudals”, midbody scale rows 22. TL 195.5 mm, SVL 192.3 mm (98.3% TL), CL 3.2 mm (1.6% TL), midbody diameter 15.6 mm (8.0% TL), head width 2.7 mm (1.4% TL), head height 1.87 mm (1.0% TL) ( Fig. 3 View FIGURE 3 ). Cycloid scales are present throughout the body. Head scales comprise an elongate rostral scale, longer than wide, in contact anterolaterally with the nasals, laterally and dorsal with the prefrontal and ventral with the first supralabial, and posteriorly with a single relatively widened frontal ( Figs. 2A–B View FIGURE 2 , 4 View FIGURE 4 ). A pair of triangular prefrontals border the rostral anterolaterally in the dorsal region, contacting in the lateral region with the nasals and the rostral posteriorly with the frontal, the anterior ocular and the second scale of the first vertical row of the dorsals. Two crescent-shaped nasal scales, where the nasal opening is on the border between the two; the anterior is bordered anteriorly by the rostral, dorsally by the prefrontal, posteriorly by the posterior nasal, ventrally by the first supralabial, and the posterior contacts anteriorly with the anterior nasal, contacting the prefrontal dorsally, posteriorly with the preocular and second supralabial, and ventrally with the first supralabial ( Figs. 2A–B View FIGURE 2 , 4 View FIGURE 4 ). The ocular point is evident, located between two scales that we consider the anterior ocular of semi-rounded shape and the posterior one of hexagonal shape, which are not separated from the prefrontal by any dorsally preocular scale. Three scales posteriorly surround the posterior ocular scale. A slightly rectangular scale between the frontal and ocular scales. Three supralabial scales, the first being longer than wide and increasing in width posteriorly, the second supralabial being twice as wide relative to length and third supralabial slightly longer than the second supralabial. Three scales on the first vertical line of the dorsal, formed by the second supralabial, infraocular and anterior ocular. One scale contacting the posterior line of the nasal between the second supralabial and prefrontal, which we are referring to as infraocular. Three scales contacting the posterior line of the prefrontal, referred to as infraocular, anterior ocular and frontal ( Fig. 2E–F View FIGURE 2 ). Three infralabial scales with the first being slightly larger than the second, which are rhomboidal in shape and the third relatively triangular, when closing the individual's mouth, the supralabials and infralabials appear to fit together of the same number ( Figs. 2A–D View FIGURE 2 , 4 View FIGURE 4 ). The mental is triangular, not divided, wider than long and in contact with the first infralabial on each side ( Figs. 2C–D View FIGURE 2 , 4 View FIGURE 4 ).

Pale mauve dorsal scales head with sepia border. The frontal region is pale brown, extending from the lower half of the rostral scale, much of the nasal scales, the first supralabial, and the ventral region of the head. Presence of a slightly paler nuchal collar separated from the body at least on the first ten scales from the frontal scale to the posterior part of the body, where it is observed that this region is paler because at least the anterior two thirds are of a tone like Salmon and the posterior third Warm Sepia. Warm Sepia shade along the body of uniform dorsal and ventral pattern, although as the scales approach the cloacal region, paler shades predominate over darker shades on each scale. The edge of the cloaca is salmon colored and in the subcaudal region, the predominant shade in the scales is dark over light ( Fig. 3 View FIGURE 3 ). After more than two years of preservation, the coloration of the holotype does not appear to have changed significantly from that observed in life ( Fig. 5 View FIGURE 5 ).

Distribution and habitat. Known only from the type locality ( Figs. 1 View FIGURE 1 , 6 View FIGURE 6 ). The environment of the site is characterized by the presence of herbaceous plants consisting of various bushes and trees scattered among some houses. Previously, this property was dedicated to the cultivation of citrus trees, of which few scattered trees remain. Although elements of the native vegetation largely have been cleared away, the type locality is located in Lowland Moist Forest, which in Honduras extends along the Atlantic versant from the western border with Guatemala to the eastern border with Nicaragua and in the West-central Caribbean Lowlands area ( McCranie 2011: Map 110).

Etymology. The specific name ‘pino’ is applied as a noun in apposition and refers to village of El Pino (= “The Pine”), located in the municipality of El Porvenir, department of Atlántida, Honduras. In recognition of the inhabitants of the village of El Pino (especially the López-Orellana family), who have been supporting research projects for more than a decade and carrying out environmental education on the forests and the diversity and endemism that inhabit this protected area, in favor of its conservation.