ABSTRACT
Typhlopidae is the most diverse family of Scolecophidia, with 269 species. Amerotyphlops was recently erected within subfamily Typhlopinae and comprises fifteen species distributed from Mexico to Argentina and the southern Lesser Antilles. Despite recent advances, affinities among typhlopines remain poorly explored, and the phylogenetic relationships and morphology of the South American (SA) species were never accessed before. Here, we performed a phylogenetic analysis including 106 species of Typhlopidae and ten genes. Our dataset represents the most comprehensive for SA species, containing seven of eight recognized species. Corroborating previous studies, we recovered the main groups of Typhlopoidea, and for typhlopines, we recovered with strong support two clades: (a) the Greater Antilles radiation, and the (b) Lesser Antilles and SA radiation. Within the SA radiation, we recovered four main lineages: (a) a clade formed by A. tasymicris and A. minuisquamus; (b) a clade composed by A. reticulatus as the sister group of all other SA species; (c) a clade composed by A. brongersmianus as the sister group of a clade comprising all Northeast Brazilian Species (NBS); and (d) a clade of the NBS, including A. yonenagae, A. arenensis, A. paucisquamus, and A. amoipira. We supplemented our phylogenetic result with the description of hemipenial morphology for seven SA species and comment their relevance to the systematics of Typhlopinae. Hemipenes of SA Amerotyphlops follow the general pattern in scolecophidians (single organ with undivided sulcus). Only A. reticulatus and A. minuisquamus have organs with calcified spines. According to our results, hemipenial ornamentation have shown highly informative and could represent a potential source of systematic and taxonomic characters in that group. We also present an extensive review of the geographical distribution for all SA species. Our study represents the first integrative analysis of a poorly known evolutionary radiation of one of the most widespread SA fossorial snakes.
ABSTRACT
Typhlopidae is the most diverse family of Scolecophidia, with 269 species. Amerotyphlops was recently erected within subfamily Typhlopinae and comprises fifteen species distributed from Mexico to Argentina and the southern Lesser Antilles. Despite recent advances, affinities among typhlopines remain poorly explored, and the phylogenetic relationships and morphology of the South American (SA) species were never accessed before. Here, we performed a phylogenetic analysis including 106 species of Typhlopidae and ten genes. Our dataset represents the most comprehensive for SA species, containing seven of eight recognized species. Corroborating previous studies, we recovered the main groups of Typhlopoidea, and for typhlopines, we recovered with strong support two clades: (a) the Greater Antilles radiation, and the (b) Lesser Antilles and SA radiation. Within the SA radiation, we recovered four main lineages: (a) a clade formed by A. tasymicris and A. minuisquamus; (b) a clade composed by A. reticulatus as the sister group of all other SA species; (c) a clade composed by A. brongersmianus as the sister group of a clade comprising all Northeast Brazilian Species (NBS); and (d) a clade of the NBS, including A. yonenagae, A. arenensis, A. paucisquamus, and A. amoipira. We supplemented our phylogenetic result with the description of hemipenial morphology for seven SA species and comment their relevance to the systematics of Typhlopinae. Hemipenes of SA Amerotyphlops follow the general pattern in scolecophidians (single organ with undivided sulcus). Only A. reticulatus and A. minuisquamus have organs with calcified spines. According to our results, hemipenial ornamentation have shown highly informative and could represent a potential source of systematic and taxonomic characters in that group. We also present an extensive review of the geographical distribution for all SA species. Our study represents the first integrative analysis of a poorly known evolutionary radiation of one of the most widespread SA fossorial snakes.
ABSTRACT
We describe a new species of Philodryas from the highlands of southern Ecuador. The new species is distinguished from all known species of Philodryas by a unique combination of coloration, scalation, and hemipenial characters. The new species resembles Philodryas simonsii in color pattern. However, they differ notoriously by their hemipenial morphology. The three other trans-Andean members of the genus (Philodryas simonsii, Philodryas chamissonis, and Philodryas tachymenoides), along with the new species, compose a probably monophyletic group that may be characterized by the presence of ungrooved postdiastemal teeth in the maxilla. Unlike most species of the genus Philodryas, the new species shows a restricted distribution, being apparently endemic to a small region of high-altitude (3150-4450m) grasslands in the southern Andes of Ecuador.
