Amphisbaena flavescens Wied, 1824 Plate

Vanzolini, Paulo E. & Myers, Charles W., 2015, The Herpetological Collection Of Maximilian, Prince Of Wied (1782 - 1867), With Special Reference To Brazilian Materials, Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2015 (395), pp. 1-155 : 68-69

Amphisbaena flavescens Wied, 1824 Plate 48 and figure 26 (lectotype)

1824 Isis : 670 (diagnosis).

1825 Abbildungen: Lief. 9 ( fig. 2 of composite pl.). 1825 Beitra¨ge: 507.

PRESENT STATUS: Amphisbaena alba Linnaeus, 1758 .

REMARKS: The publication date for Amphisbaena flavescens usually is given as 1825, but the 1824 Isis has priority. We could find no text for this species in the Abbildungen, but the plate is admirable.

In the Beitra¨ge, Wied mentioned two specimens, with measurements and scale counts for one. In the collection there are two specimens: AMNH R-1098 was designated by Gans (1962: 6–7) as the lectotype ; he

34 Wied treated Spix rather than the young Wagler as the responsible party in this complaint. Wagler’s Serpentum brasiliensium nowadays is cited as a stand-alone book, but alternatively it could have been cited as Wagler in Spix (1824a – 1824b). It was based on Spix’s notes and specimens and was published by Spix as part of his planned eight-volume Animalia...species novae, with three herpetological parts.

2015 VANZOLINI AND MYERS: PRINCE MAXIMILIAN 69

expressed doubts as to whether AMNH R- 1097 was an original syntype. Localities mentioned by Wied were the Sertong von Bajía and the Gegend des Flusses Belmonte.

The relevant data are:

It is quite evident that Gans was right in choosing AMNH R-1098 as the lectotype of this species. AMNH R-1097 has a further decisive (and negative) characteristic: it has 10 preanal pores, a number that does not occur in the Atlantic Forest.

The type locality was ‘‘restricted’’ by Gans to the mouth of the Rio Mucuri (18 ° 059S, 39 ° 349W).

SPECIES ACCOUNTS: AMPHIBIANS

Figures

Fig. 26. Lectotype of Amphisbaena flavescens Wied (AMNH R-1098).

Fig. 2. Pen-and-watercolor sketches dated 1815 and attributed to Prince Maximilian. Top: Gesamtansicht der Expedition (‘‘General View of the expedition’’), showing pack mules, handlers, and military guard. Bottom: Prinz Maximilian mit Teilnehmern seiner Expedition (‘‘Prince Max with members of his expedition’’). From Bosch, 1991: 84–85. (Courtesy of Brazilian Library of Robert Bosch GmbH, Stuttgart)