Envenomation by Micrurus coral snakes in the Brazilian Amazon region: report of two cases

Two cases of proven coral snake bites were reported in Belém, Pará State, Brazil. The first case was a severe one caused by Micrurus surinamensis. The patient required mechanical ventilation due to acute respiratory failure. The second case showed just mild signs of envenomation caused by Micrurus filiformis. Both patients received specific Micrurus antivenom and were discharged without further complications. Coral snake bites are scarcely reported in the Amazon region and there is a broad spectrum of clinical manifestations, varying from extremely mild to those which may rapidly lead to death if the patient is not treated as soon as possible.Dois acidentes por coral verdadeira são descritos em Belém, Pará. O primeiro caso foi decorrente de envenenamento por Micrurus surinamensis, no qual a vítima necessitou ventilação mecânica por insuficiência respiratória. O segundo, causado por Micrurus filiformis, apresentou apenas manifestações leves. Ambos os pacientes receberam soro antielapídico específico e evoluíram sem complicações. Acidentes por coral verdadeira na região Amazônica são raramente descritos e podem cursar com um largo espectro de alterações, que variam desde quadros de envenenamento muito leves até manifestações com risco de óbito

Dataset from the Snakes (Serpentes, Reptiles) collection of the Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Pará, Brazil

We present a dataset with information from the snake collection of the Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, known as the "Ophidia Collection". This collection currently has 26,728 specimens of snakes, including 9 families, 66 genera and 220 species. For the most part, it represents material from the Amazon Region. Specimens are preserved mostly in wet (alcohol) preparation, with some samples preserved in dry form, as is the case of the shells and skeletons of turtles. The dataset is now available for public consultation on the Global Biodiversity Information Facility portal (https://doi.org/10.15468/lt0wet). The Herpetological collection of Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi comprises the largest collection of its kind in the Amazon region with about 100,000 specimens of amphibians and reptiles (chelonians, alligators, lizards, snakes and amphisbaenians). This collection currently has 26,728 specimens of snakes, including 9 families, 66 genera and 220 species, some of which are endemic to the Amazon rainforest region. The Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi is the second oldest institution of science in Brazil in activity, founded in 1866

Distribution extension of Phimophis guerini (Serpentes: Dipsadidae: Xenodontinae) in the Brazilian Amazon

Phimophis guerini Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854 is a Xenodontinae snake distributed in Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay. In Brazil, the species is broadly distributed, occurring mainly in open areas of the Cerrado, but also in the Amazon, Atlantic forest and Caatinga. We provide a new record for this species from the municipality of Santarém in the western portion of the state of Pará (Brazil). Five specimens were collected in a small area covered with Amazonian Savanna vegetation. We also provide the description of the morphological variation for the collected specimens. The new record extends the northern limit of the distribution by some 640 km (from Floresta Nacional de Carajás, Parauapebas municipality, eastern Pará). The record from Santarém provides a third locality for P. guerini within the Amazon biome and supports the hypothesis of a past ecological corridor linking the Cerrado and the open habitats within the Amazon

Envenomation by Micrurus coral snakes in the Brazilian Amazon region: report of two cases

Two cases of proven coral snake bites were reported in Belém, Pará State, Brazil. The first case was a severe one caused by Micrurus surinamensis. The patient required mechanical ventilation due to acute respiratory failure. The second case showed just mild signs of envenomation caused by Micrurus filiformis. Both patients received specific Micrurus antivenom and were discharged without further complications. Coral snake bites are scarcely reported in the Amazon region and there is a broad spectrum of clinical manifestations, varying from extremely mild to those which may rapidly lead to death if the patient is not treated as soon as possible

The snake assemblage (Squamata: Serpentes) of a Cerrado-Caatinga transition area in Castelo do Piauí, state of Piauí, Brazil

This study records and analyzes the diversity and structure of a snake assemblage in a transition area between Cerrado and Caatinga, in the municipality of Castelo do Piauí, state of Piauí, comparing the distribution and similarity of the species composition with other open localities already studied in Brazil. We used three complementary sampling methods: time constrained search (TCS), pitfall traps with drift fences (PFT), and incidental encounters (IE). During the TCS and PFT, 912 hours/observer and 6,468 days/trap were used, respectively. We estimated 23 species of snakes for the locality, although only 19 species were recorded. Philodryas nattereri Steindachner, 1870 (n = 10), Liophis poecilogyrus (Schlegel, 1837) (n = 9), Liophis viridis Günther, 1862 (n = 8) and Thamnodynastes sp. (n = 8) were the most abundant species. Terrestrial, cryptozoic, and diurnal snakes predominated in the assemblage (Boidae = 2 species, Dipsadidae = 12, Colubridae = 2, Elapidae = 1, Viperidae = 2). The results indicate that the fauna of the locality is similar with that of other open formations, especially the Caatinga, corroborating previous floristic studies. Comparisons between snake assemblages analyzed by different authors suggest structural differences between the assemblages of the Cerrado and the Caatinga, contradicting the hypothesis of mixed composition of fauna in these biomes

Lista de serpentes da Estação Científica Ferreira Penna, Amazônia Oriental, Pará, Brasil.

Six expeditions to the Ferreira Penna Scientific Station, in Floresta Nacional de Caxiuanã, Eastern Amazonia, Pará State, Brazil, were made between September 2001 to August 2002. Three sampling methods were used: time constreined search, pitfall traps with drift fence and opportunistic sightings. We add 21 taxa to current list of 42 species of snakes known from area: Epicrates cenchria cenchria, Atractus schach, Atractus sp. n., Chironius carinatus, Chironius exoletus, Chironius scurrulus, Dendrophidion dendrophis, Erythrolamprus aesculapii, Helicops leopardinus, Helicops polylepis, Helicops trivittatus, Hydrodynastes gigas, Oxybelis aeneus, Pseustes poecilonotus, Taeniophallus brevirostris, Rhinobothrium lentiginosum, Xenodon rabdocephalus rabdocephalus, Xenopholis scalaris, Bothriospsis taeniata taeniata, Micrurus hemprichii hemprichii and Micrurus surinamensis surinamensis

Atractus caxiuana Prudente & Santos-Costa, 2006, n. sp.

Atractus caxiuana n. sp. (Figures 1–4) Atractus sp. Hoogmoed & Prudente, 2003 Atractus sp. Prudente & Santos­Costa, 2005 Type Material All specimens are from the same locality: “Estação Científica Ferreira Penna”, Flona de Caxiuanã, Pará State, Brazil (1 42 ’ 33 ” S 51 31 ’ 45 ” W), 0 m. Holotype: Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi—MPEG 19964, date and collector unknown. Paratypes: MPEG 19657, September, 1999, collected by J. A. R. Bernardi; MPEG 20128 (specimen injured), 27 January, 2002, collected by M.C. Santos­Costa. Diagnosis The new species is diagnosed by the following set of characters: 17 ­ 17 ­ 17 smooth dorsal scales without pits; 162 ventrals in the male and 171 in the female; 30 pairs of subcaudals in the male and 24 in the female; nasal contacting loreal, internasals, rostral, and the two first pairs of supralabials; loreal contacting internasal, and second and third supralabials; no preocular; two postoculars; two light spots on the back of the head, wideblack median ventral band of varying width on a white background; subcaudals totally black. Description Holotype (Figure 1), MPEG 19964; adult male; TL 249 mm; SVL 220 mm; TAL 29 mm (11 % of TL); and HL 7.6 mm (3 % of TL). Head slightly wider than neck. Body cylindrical, belly flattened, ventrolateral area rounded. Snout rounded. Tail short and conical. Dorsal scales smooth, lacking apical pits, in 17 ­ 17 ­ 17 rows; 162 ventrals; anal plate undivided; 30 pairs of subcaudals. Rostral wider than high, visible from above. Internasals small and pentagonal. Prefrontals much larger than internasals, in contact with eye, internasals, loreal, frontal, and supraoculars. Prefrontal median suture right orientation to internasal suture. Frontal wider than long, its width being 68 % of interorbital distance. Supraocular small, irregularly pentagonal. Parietals large, with median suture as long as prefrontal median suture. Nasal divided, contacting loreal, internasals, rostral, and the two first pairs of supralabials. Loreal contacting internasal, eyes, second and third supralabials. Loreal long, 1.75 times longer than greatest height, and contacting the eye. Eyes small, pupil round. Interorbital distance 40 % of head length. Diameter of eyes about 73 % of loreal length. Preocular absent. Two postoculars, one in contact with 4 th and 5 th supralabials. Temporal 1 + 2; single anterior temporal, in contact with parietal, 5 th and 6 th supralabials, and postoculars; upper posterior temporal elongate, lower short. Seven supralabials, 3 th and 4 th in contact with the eyes. Seven infralabials, first pair contacting the median, and the first three pairs in contact with the chinshields. Color pattern in preservative body and head brown, with two lighter rows on each flank (on the region of where the dorsal row is in contact with ventral scales). Scales on anterior and lateral part of head (rostral, internasals, nasals, prefrontals and loreal) with small, central lighter areas. One small light spot covering part of first, second and third supralabials. One small light spot covering part of 5 th and 6 th supralabials. Head with two light spots on each side, covering a small posterior part of the parietals, the posterior zone of temporals, and the posterior zone of the 7 th supralabial. Anterior zone of the chinshields, mental, and infralabials black. Gular region white, with irregular small black spots. Venter with a central black band of irregular width. Sides of ventral scales black, rest white. Anal and underside of tail black (Figures 2 and 3). Variation The two paratypes show differences in size, and in some scale counts as follows: Paratype MPEG 19657 (the left part of head is anomalous)—adult female, TL 289 mm; SVL 265 mm; TAL 24 mm (8.30 % of TL); HL 7.9 mm (2,7 % of TL, and 2,9 % of SVL); 171 ventrals; 24 pairs of subcaudals; prefrontals much larger than the internasals, contacting eyes, and their median suture left orientation, almost continuous, to internasal suture, distinct of holotype; frontal wider than long, its width 67.3 % of the interorbital distance; loreal long, 2.2 times longer than greatest height, and in broad contact with the eye; interorbital distance 36.8 % of head length; diameter eye about 66 % of loreal length; seven infralabials, first pair not in contact in the median. Paratype MPEG 20128 (the posterior part of body and tail is injured)—HL 7.86 mm; prefrontals much larger than the internasals, contacting eyes, and their median suture sinistral (it is almost continuous) to the internasal suture; frontal wider than long with its width being 68 % of the interorbital distance; loreal 1.4 times longer than greatest height, and in broad contact with the eye; interorbital distance 28.6 % of head length; diameter of the eye about 69.4 % of loreal length; postoculars contacting both the 4 th and 5 th supralabials. Two paratypes (MPEG 19657 and MPEG 20128) with the same color pattern as the holotype. The paratype MPEG 19657 has sides of ventral scales wider than the paratype MPEG 20128. Hemipenis. hemipenis reaching to the 6 th or 7 th subcaudal. Moderately bifurcate, noncapitate, with lobes comprising about one­fourth of total length. Sulcus spermaticus dividing at the middle of organ, branches diverging, ending at the top of lobes. Small spines covering basal area, becoming enlarged and hooked at the upper half of hemipenial body. Spinulate calyces appearing at intrasulcar region and extending to tip of lobes (Figure 3). Etymology The specific epithet “ caxiuana ” is a proper noun from the type­locality. It comes from the Tupi language and means “the place with plenty of snakes”. Geographic range Known only from type locality (Figure 4). Remarks Savage (1960), mainly using hemipenial morphology, scutellation, dentition, and coloration defined three putatively monophyletic groups to accommodate species of Atractus occurring in Ecuador: the elaps, badius, and trilineatus groups. A. caxiuana has an undifferentiated hemipenis as presented in elaps group, but lacks some of the scutellation characters that define this group (large rostral and internasals, broad prefrontal, and short loreal). A. caxiuana can be distinguished from A. albuquerquei, A. elaps, A. insipidus, A. poeppigi, and A. trilineatus by presenting 17 dorsal scale rows (vs. 15). It shares 17 dorsal scales (putatively plesiomorphic state) with ten Amazonian species (A. badius, A. flammigerus, A. latifrons, A. major, A. snethlageae, A. torquatus, A. zidoki, A. natans, A. schach, and A. alphonsehogei). However, the adults of A. caxiuana are much smaller than those of A. badius, A. flammigerus, A. latifrons, A. major, A. snethlageae, and A. torquatus. The new species is distinguished from Atractus zidoki by the underside of tail being black (vs. black with white spots on many subcaudals), and from A. alphonsehogei by the presence of two light spots in the posterior part of head (vs. the absence of light band in the head). Finally, it is distinguished from A. natans, by the contact between loreals and prenasals (vs. contact between loreals and nasals).Published as part of Prudente, Ana Lúcia Da Costa & Santos-Costa, Maria Cristina Dos, 2006, A new species of Atractus Wagler, 1828 (Serpentes: Colubridae) from Eastern Amazonia, Brazil, pp. 21-29 in Zootaxa 1285 on pages 22-27, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17347

The real identity of Leptodira nycthemera Werner, 1901 from Ecuador: a junior synonym of Oxyrhopus petolarius (Linnaeus, 1758) (Serpentes, Dipsadidae)

Leptodira nycthemera Werner, 1901, was described from a specimen collected in Ecuador. No information on the holotype was published after its description. In the most recent review of Leptodeira, L. nycthemera was considered to be a synonym of L. a. annulata, although the author emphasized that the holotype was lost and did not include the pholidotic data from the original description in his account of L. a. annulata. Since this review, a number of authors have accepted this synonymy. Recently, analyzing specimens of Leptodeira in the Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin, Germany, we discovered the holotype of Leptodira nycthemera. This holotype is re-described here, and its correct identity is determined. Based on the analysis of meristic characters and the color of the holotype, we recognize Leptodira nycthemera as a junior synonym of Oxyrhopus petolarius