Geophis Wagler

Wilson, Larry David & Townsend, Josiah H., 2007, A checklist and key to the snakes of the genus Geophis (Squamata: Colubridae: Dipsadinae), with commentary on distribution and conservation, Zootaxa 1395, pp. 1-31 : 4

Geophis Wagler

Geophis Wagler 1830: 342 .

Catostoma Wagler 1830: 194 .

Rabdosoma Duméril, 1853: 440 . Colobognathus Peters, 1859: 275 . Geophidium Peters, 1861: 923 . Colophrys Cope, 1868: 130 .

Parageophis Bocourt, 1883: 435. Dirosema Boulenger, 1894: 298 .

Type­species. Catostoma chalybeum Wagler, 1830 , by monotypy (see Remarks).

Type­locality. Mexico.

Distribution. Geophis occur from 13–2744 m elevation from the Sierra Madre Occidental in southwestern Chihuahua and the Sierra Madre Oriental in southern Tamaulipas, Mexico, through the central highlands and Atlantic lowlands of Central America to the highlands of northern and western Colombia. These snakes occur in vegetation ranging from lowland wet and dry forest, through upland pine­oak forest and wet forest, to highland cloud forest.

Content. 46 species.

Systematic references. Downs (1967), Smith et al. (1990).

Remarks. The name Catostoma Wagler 1830 was first used for this genus, but was quickly substituted with the name Geophis by Wagler (1830) in the same work, in order to avoid confusion with the fish genus Catostomus Lesueur 1817 . Smith et al. (1990) further clarified the nomenclatural priority of the name Geophis over Catostoma .