Taxonomic vandalism - Wuster Gang of thieves - Vipers
GENUS ADELYNHOSERSERPENAE GEN. NOV. (2012)
Type species: Atropos nummifer Rüppell 1845
(Currently recognised in most contemporary texts as Atropoides
nummifer)
Diagnosis: Adelynhoserserpenae gen. nov. is easily separated
from the genus Atropoides by scalation. In
Adelynhoserserpenae males have 104-136 ventrals, versus 138-
155 in Atropoides (Campbell and Lamar 2004), females have
103-138 ventrals, versus 143-145 in Atropoides (Campbell and
Lamar 2004).
This difference reflects the physical reality that Atropoides is a
much longer and more slender animal than all species in
Adelynhoserserpenae gen. nov.
In Adelynhoserserpenae nasorostrals are often present, (as
opposed to always absent in Atropoides), there is a single row of
subfoveals separating prelacunal from supralabials (versus 1-3
rows of subfoveals separating prelacunal from supralabials in
Atropoides).
Atropides is defined above in this diagnosis as only including the
species taxon A. picadoi.
A. picadoi is a relatively thinly bodied species, versus the thickset body form of Adelynhoserserpenae.
Character states such as intersupraoculars, supralabials,
infalabials, dorsal mid-body scale rows and lateral body blotches
are highly variable both between and within species and are not
helpful in separating the genera.
However Atropoides picadoi has considerably smaller shields at
the back of the head than all species of Adelynhoserserpenae.
In Atropoides these shields would be defined as small, whereas
in Adelynhoserserpenae they’d be defined as medium (refer also
to fig. 91 in Campbell and Lamar 2004).
The genus Adelynhoserserpenae is found from northeastern
Mexico southward through Central America to central Panama.
They are usually forest dwellers.
For a detailed description of the snakes in the genus Atropoides
as defined until now (which would act to diagnose this new
genus in conjunction with the information above), refer to pages
274-290 of Campbell and Lamar (2004).
The very thickset build of Adelynhoserserpenae easily separates
them from other pitvipers.
Campbell and Lamar (2004), page 275, detailed minor
hemipenal differences between the species mexicanus and
picadoi, which was further investigated by Jadin, et. al. (2010)
who found little significant differences between the various
species in both genera.
However investigation of venom composition and toxicity is
required, as so far it has been shown that in
Adelynhoserserpenae it seems to be considerably less toxic to
humans than for Atropoides picadoi (Campbell and Lamar
2004)..
Etymology: Named in honour of my eldest daughter, Adelyn
Hoser, who by age 13 has more expertise with snakes than most
people many times her age.
She has been handling the world’s deadliest snakes since she
was a baby and with complete safety as they were all venomoid
(Hoser 2004), giving her unrivalled knowledge of the inner
workings of venomous snakes. Hence it’s fitting that she should
be recognised by having a genus of venomous snakes named in
her honour.
SPECIES WITHIN ADELYNHOSERSERPENAE GEN. NOV.
Adelynhoserserpenae indomitus Smith and Ferrari-Castro, 2008
Adelynhoserserpenae mexicanus (Duméril, Bibron and Duméril,
1854)
Adelynhoserserpenae nummifer (Rüppell 1845)
Adelynhoserserpenae occiduus (Hoge, 1966)
Adelynhoserserpenae olmec (Perez-Higareda, Smith and JuliaZertuche, 1985)
Species remaining in the genus Atropoides Werman 1992
Atropoides picadoi (Dunn, 1939).
Hoser, R. T. 2012. A new genus of Jumping Pitviper from Middle America (Serpentes: Viperidae). Australasian Journal of herpetology 10:33-34. Published 8 April 2012.
Full text available at:
http://www.smuggled.com/Issue-10-33-34.pdf
ALSO SEE
Hoser, R. T. 3013. Adelynhoserserpenae wellsi, a new species of Jumping Pitviper from Mexico (Serpentes: Viperidae). Australasian Journal of Herpetology 16:27-30.
Published 29 April 2013.
Available online at
http://www.smuggled.com/issue-16-27-30.pdf
0 notes