The Project Gutenberg eBook of A Taxonomic Study of the Middle American Snake, Pituophis deppei

This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this ebook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this eBook.

Title: A Taxonomic Study of the Middle American Snake, Pituophis deppei

Author: William Edward Duellman

Release date: March 9, 2010 [eBook #31570]

Most recently updated: January 25, 2021

Language: English

Credits: Produced by Chris Curnow, Simon Gardner, Joseph Cooper and

the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at

http://www.pgdp.net

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A TAXONOMIC STUDY OF THE MIDDLE AMERICAN SNAKE, PITUOPHIS DEPPEI ***

UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS PUBLICATIONS

MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

Vol. 10, No. 10, pp. 599-610, 1 pl., 1 fig.

May 2, 1960

A Taxonomic Study

of the Middle American Snake,

Pituophis deppei

BY

WILLIAM E. DUELLMAN

UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS

LAWRENCE

1960

UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS PUBLICATIONS, MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

Editors: E. Raymond Hall, Chairman, Henry S. Fitch, Robert W. Wilson

Volume 10, No. 10, pp. 599-610, 1 pl., 1 fig. Published May 2, 1960

UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS

Lawrence, Kansas

PRINTED IN

THE STATE PRINTING PLANT

TOPEKA, KANSAS

1960

28-2493

PLATE 45

Fig. 1. Pituophis deppei deppei from Cumbres de Acultzingo, Veracruz, UMMZ 114596. Approx. 1/2 natural size.

Fig. 2. Pituophis lineaticollis lineaticollis from Dos Aguas, Michoacán, UMMZ 119567. Approx. 1/3 natural size.

A Taxonomic Study of the Middle American Snake, Pituophis deppei

BY

WILLIAM E. DUELLMAN

INTRODUCTION

As a part of a study of the herpetofauna of the Mexican state of Michoacán an attempt was made to ascertain the interspecific and intraspecific relationships of the various populations of Pituophis there. Field work in Michoacán revealed that two supposed subspecies of Pituophis deppei were sympatric. This discovery led to the examination of all available (124) museum specimens of these snakes.

I am grateful to the following persons who permitted me to examine specimens in their care: Charles M. Bogert, American Museum of Natural History (AMNH); Doris M. Cochran, United States National Museum (USNM); Norman Hartweg, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology (UMMZ); Robert F. Inger, Chicago Natural History Museum (CNHM); Arthur Loveridge, Museum of Comparative Zoology (MCZ); Hobart M. Smith, University of Illinois Museum of Natural History (UIMNH); and Edward H. Taylor, E. H. Taylor—H. M. Smith collection (EHT-HMS). Specimens in the accounts of the species are listed after the abbreviations of the institutions given in parentheses above.

HISTORICAL REVIEW

Duméril (1853: 453) described Elaphis deppei from a specimen in the Leiden Museum from "Mexico." This specimen, according to the type description, has 233 ventrals and 67 caudals. In 1863 Jan described Pituophis deppei var. pholidostictus, also with "Mexico" as the type locality. Subsequent authors (see synonymy of P. deppei deppei in Stull, 1940: 25) have treated pholidostictus as a synonym of deppei. Smith and Taylor (1950: 334) restricted the type localities of deppei and pholidostictus to San Juan Teotihuacán, México. Cope (1860: 369) described Arizona jani on the basis of a specimen in the United States National Museum from Buena Vista, Coahuila. Stull (1932: 2, 1940: 42), Smith (1944: 145) and Smith and Taylor (1945: 107) considered jani as a northern subspecies of Pituophis deppei. Arizona lineaticollis was described by Cope (1861: 300); the type, which originally was in the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia and is now lost, was said to have come from Jalapa, Veracruz. This locality probably is in error. Smith (1943: 460) placed lineaticollis as a southern subspecies of deppei. Schmidt and Shannon (1947: 79) described Pituophis deppei brevilineata on the basis of five specimens from Tancítaro, Michoacán, and Stuart (1954: 172) described Pituophis deppei gibsoni from seven specimens from Departamento Chimaltenango, Guatemala. Thus, at present five subspecies of Pituophis deppei are recognized.

CHARACTERS STUDIED

Snakes currently assigned to Pituophis deppei differ from other members of the genus by possessing two instead of four prefrontal plates. The subspecies of P. deppei have been defined on characters of coloration and scutellation.

Scutellation.—The only scale characters utilized in the present study are the numbers of ventrals and caudals. The number of ventrals varies in the total sample from 210 to 246 (Table 1); usually the variation in one locality is no more than 15. Number of caudals varies from 52 to 72. There is slight sexual dimorphism in the number of ventrals and somewhat greater differences in the number of caudals.

TABLE 1.—VARIATION IN THE NUMBERS OF VENTRALS AND CAUDALS IN FOUR SUBSPECIES OF PITUOPHIS.

SUBSPECIES

Ventrals

Caudals

Range

Mean

Range

Mean

deppei deppei

34 ♂♂

210-231

220.4

53-69

61.5

16 ♀♀

209-232

218.2

52-61

57.2

deppei jani

12 ♂♂

215-235

225.1

56-68

62.6

3 ♀♀

228-231

229.0

52-60

56.0

lineaticollis lineaticollis

13 ♂♂

231-258

239.5

54-72

64.9

9 ♀♀

229-249

241.3

55-68

60.6

lineaticollis gibsoni

2 ♂♂

234

234.0

61-65

63.0

4 ♀♀

241-246

243.7

57-63

59.0

Coloration.—The dorsal ground color is tan or straw; the dorsal pattern consists basically of dark middorsal blotches and dark lateral intercalary spots. Number of blotches, color of blotches posteriorly, width of pale interspaces between anterior blotches, and color of lateral intercalary spots vary considerably geographically. In some populations (lineaticollis and gibsoni) the anterior blotches are divided medially forming either a pair of dark stripes on the anterior part of the body or a series of paired spots. Details of coloration are described in the following accounts.

Fig. 1. México and Guatemala showing the distribution of the subspecies of Pituophis deppei and P. lineaticollis.

ACCOUNTS OF THE SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES

Study of Pituophis deppei (auctorum) revealed the presence of sympatric populations of two distinct species of Pituophis differing from each other in scutellation and coloration. The nomenclature resulting from the required rearrangement necessitates the recognition of 1) deppei as a species, 2) jani as a subspecies of deppei, 3) lineaticollis (with brevilineata as a synonym) as a species distinct from deppei, and 4) gibsoni as a subspecies of lineaticollis. Known geographic distributions of these named taxa are shown in Figure 1.

Pituophis deppei deppei Duméril

Elaphis deppei Duméril, Mem. Acad. Inst. France, vol. 23, p. 453, 1853; Duméril and Bibron, Erpétologie générale, vol. 7, p. 268, February 25, 1854.

Pituophis deppei, Jan, Elenco sistematico degli ofidi, p. 59, 1863; Günther, Biologia Centrali-Americana, Reptilia, p. 124, February, 1894.

Elaphis pleurostictus Duméril, Mem. Acad. Inst. France, vol. 23, p. 453, 1853 [Type.—Museum d'Histoire Naturelle Paris, No. 6616; type locality—"Monte Video" (restricted to San Juan Teotihuacán, México, by Smith and Taylor, 1950: 334)].

Pituophis pleurostictus, Jan, Elenco sistematico degli ofidi, p. 59, 1863.

Pituophis deppei, var. pholidostictus Jan, Elenco sistematico degli ofidi, p. 59, 1863 [Type.—Zoologisches Museum Berlin, No. 1738; type locality.—"Mexico" (restricted to San Juan Teotihuacán, México, by Smith and Taylor, 1950: 334)].

Pituophis deppei deppei, Stull, Occas. Papers Mus. Zool. Univ. Michigan, no. 250, p. 1, October 12, 1932; Bull. U. S. Natl. Mus. 175, p. 25, April 23, 1940; Smith and Taylor, U. S. Natl. Mus., no. 187, p. 107, 1945.

Type.—Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Histoire, Leiden, No. ???, obtained by Ferdinand Deppe. The type locality was originally given as "Mexico"; this was restricted to San Juan Teotihuacán, state of México, by Smith and Taylor (1950: 334).

Diagnosis.—This subspecies is characterized by the presence of solid body-blotches and lateral intercalary spots, dorsal interspaces less than five scales in length, and the absence of paired stripes or rows of blotches, on the anterior part of the body. There are 209 to 232 ventrals and 52 to 62 caudals. The body-blotches number 27 to 49. In adults the anterior and posterior body-blotches are black; the lateral intercalary spots are solid black. In many individuals black dashes connect the adjacent corners of the dorsal body-blotches (Pl. 45, Fig. 1). In juveniles the anterior, dorsal body-blotches are black, whereas those at the midbody and posteriorly are brown.

Variation.—Geographically, scutellation varies only slightly. Comparison of specimens from the northern part of the Mexican Plateau (Chihuahua, Coahuila, and Durango—5 specimens), the central part of the plateau (Aguascalientes, San Luis Potosí, and Zacatecas—13 specimens), the southern part of the plateau (Guanajuato, Jalisco, México, and Michoacán—18 specimens), and Puebla and southern Veracruz (12 specimens) shows the average number of ventrals for these samples to be, respectively, 221.6, 216.7, 221.3, and 220.0. The average number of dorsal body-blotches for the same samples are, respectively, 36.6, 37.7, 38.4, and 34.6. Only in the southernmost sample is there a noticeable difference in the number of blotches.

The specimen from Párajo Verde, Veracruz, was considered to be an intergrade between P. deppei and P. lineaticollis by Smith (1943: 461), who stated that, although the snake had 231 ventrals and dark lateral streaks as does deppei, it had light-centered dorsal blotches and stripes on the neck as does lineaticollis. This specimen (USNM 110892) has a high number of ventrals for deppei; one from Jalisco has 232, and one each from Guanajuato and Veracruz have 229. The blotches posteriorly are lighter than those anteriorly and are slightly lighter in the center than at the periphery. Two anterior blotches are divided medially and narrowly connected by black streaks. Although these are somewhat suggestive of the pattern of lineaticollis, they are more nearly like that of deppei. Four other specimens from the same area are typically deppei. There is some doubt as to the actual provenance of the snake stated to have come from Párajo Verde, for, according to Smith (1943: 460), the snake had been tied to a truck and dragged halfway down the slopes of the Cumbres de Acultzingo, where he found it. He surmised that it probably was dragged no farther than the settlement, Párajo Verde, at the Cumbres de Acultzingo.

Fugler and Webb (1956: 171) commented on the uniformly brown dorsum of a specimen (KU 39564) from 16 miles east and 18 miles north of Ocampo, Coahuila. It has a higher number of ventrals (242) and caudals (88) than is known for deppei. It is, without a doubt, a Pituophis. It is not Pituophis catenifer, as attested to by the presence of only two prefrontals. The high number of ventrals and caudals, together with the uniform dark brown dorsum, provide a combination of characters indicating that this specimen may represent an undescribed species in the deppei group of Pituophis.

Distribution.—Southern Chihuahua and southern Coahuila southward on the western and central parts of the Mexican Plateau to the Valley of México and to southeastern Puebla and adjacent Veracruz.

Specimens examined.—Total of 63, as follows: Aguascalientes: 16 km. N of Aguascalientes, UIMNH 27149; 17 km. E of Aguascalientes, UIMNH 36222; 5 km. SW of Aguascalientes, KU 29495; Cavillito, UIMNH 28134; 11 km. N of Rincon de Romos, UIMNH 40359-60; 2 km. N of San Francisco de los Romos, UIMNH 27569. Chihuahua: USNM 8321 (2 specimens); Semachique, CNHM 11825. Coahuila: Castanuelas, MCZ 407. Distrito Federal: Lago Xochimilco, UIMNH 18709; Pedregal, UMMZ 99790. Durango: Coyotes, CNHM 1497; Hacienda Magdalena, USNM 46365; Llano Grande, UMMZ 113634. Guanajuato: USNM 16442; Acambaro, KU 45003; Irapuato, UIMNH 35055. Jalisco: Atemajac, USNM 46385; Guadalajara, USNM 24969; 5 km. SE of Guadalajara, KU 29508; Jamay, AMNH 19848-9, 19851-2; 3 km. WNW of Lagos de Moreno, KU 27727; 5 km. NW of Sayula, UMMZ 101933. México: Atzocozlco, AMNH 19850; Chalco, USNM 110889; San Juan Teotihuacán, EHT-HMS 5378, 5383, MCZ 16051. Michoacán: 6 km. E of Carapan, AMNH 69940; 3 km. W of Carapan, UMMZ 114598; 14 km. W of Morelia, UMMZ 104969; Tacambaro, USNM 46557; Tacícuaro, USNM 110888; 11 km. W of Zacapu, UMMZ 104968. Puebla: Alseseca, UIMNH 36221; Atlixco, USNM 46433; Puebla, AMNH 19856; 30 km. N of Puebla, USNM 110887; Tecamachalco, UMMZ 88688; 16 km. SSE of Tecamachalco, UMMZ 114597; Tehuacan, UMMZ 88687; 22 km. N of Tehuacan, EHT-HMS 5377. San Luis Potosí: USNM 46554; 26 km. SW of San Luis Potosí, UIMNH 28133. Veracruz: 3 km. W of Acultzingo, KU 23978; Cumbres de Acultzingo, UIMNH 36224, 36226, UMMZ 114596; Párajo Verde, USNM 110892; questionably from Potrero Viejo, UMMZ 89358-9. Zacatecas: 16 km. E of Somberete, UIMNH 27147; 1 km. SW of Tiburcio, KU 33599; 3 km. ESE of Troncoso, KU 29494; 10 km. W of Villa de Arriaga (San Luis Potosí), UIMNH 27151; 24 km. NW of Zacatecas, UIMNH 6393; 13 km. SE of Zacatecas, UIMNH 27148; 26 km. SE of Zacatecas, UIMNH 27568.

Pituophis deppei jani Cope

Arizona jani Cope, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, p. 369, 1860.

Pituophis deppei jani, Stull, Occas. Papers Mus. Zool. Univ. Michigan, no. 250, p. 2, October 12, 1932, Bull. U. S. Natl. Mus., no. 175, p. 42, April 23, 1940; Smith, Zool. Ser. Field Mus. Nat. Hist., vol. 29, p. 145, February 29, 1944; Smith and Taylor, Bull. U. S. Natl. Mus., no. 187, p. 107, 1940.

Type.—United States National Museum, No. 1522, from Buena Vista, Coahuila, obtained by Lieutenant Darius N. Couch.

Diagnosis.—This subspecies is characterized by solid body-blotches that are black anteriorly and brown posteriorly, anterior dorsal interspaces six or more scales in length, and the absence of dark stripes or rows of spots on the anterior part of the body. There are 215 to 235 ventrals, 52 to 68 caudals, and 21 to 31 dorsal body-blotches. The position of the lateral intercalary spots and lateral streaks are the same as in deppei deppei.

Variation.—Throughout the range of this subspecies the posterior body-blotches are brown and noticeably lighter than the anterior ones. Juveniles are colored like adults. Specimens from the northern part of the range (Nuevo León and Tamaulipas) have 21 to 28 (average 24.0) dorsal body-blotches and 7 to 11 (average 8.9) scales in the interspace between the first and second dorsal body-blotches, as compared with specimens from the southern part of the range (Hidalgo, Queretaro, and San Luis Potosí), which have 24 to 31 (average 27.7) dorsal body-blotches and 6 to 10 (average 7.8) scales in the first interspace. Likewise, there is a difference in the number of ventrals between the northern and southern samples; those from the north have an average of 228.8 ventrals, and those from the south have 222.0. In all of these characters the southern sample shows trends towards the southern subspecies, deppei, which has fewer ventrals, fewer scales in the first interspace, and more dorsal body-blotches.

Distribution.—Eastern part of the Mexican Plateau and lower leeward slopes of the Sierra Madre Oriental from Hidalgo and Queretaro northward to southeastern Coahuila.

Specimens examined.—Total of 28, as follows: Coahuila: Buena Vista, USNM 1522; 50 km. W of La Rosa, EHT-HMS 5374. Hidalgo: Ixmiquilpan, USNM 110890-1; 24 km. S of Ixmiquilpan, EHT-HMS 5373; Jacala, UMMZ 80937; 35 km. E of Pachuca, UMMZ 99552; 16 km. E of Tulancingo, KU 40357. Nuevo León: Ojo de Agua near Galeana, CNHM 33564-5. Queretaro: Cadereyta, UMMZ 99791-3. San Luis Potosí: Charcas, UMMZ 77256-8; San Diego, UMMZ 77254-5; 24 km. NE of San Luis Potosí, UIMNH 18711; 30 km. NE of San Luis Potosí, UIMNH 27150, 28135. Tamaulipas: Miquihuana, MCZ 19544-50.

Pituophis lineaticollis lineaticollis Cope, new combination

Arizona lineaticollis Cope, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, p. 300, 1861.

Pituophis lineaticollis, Stull, Occas. Papers Mus. Zool. Univ. Michigan, no. 250, p. 2, October 12, 1932, Bull. U. S. Natl. Mus., no. 175, p. 47, April 23, 1940.

Pituophis deppei lineaticollis, Smith, Proc. U. S. Natl. Mus., vol. 93, p. 460, 1943; Smith and Taylor, Bull. U. S. Natl. Mus., no. 187, p. 108, 1945.

Pituophis deppei brevilineata Schmidt and Shannon, Fieldiana-Zool., vol. 31, p. 79, February 20, 1947.

Type.—No type specimen is known. Cope (1861: 300 and 1887: 72) stated that the specimen was from the southern Mexican Plateau and that it was collected by Carlos Sartorius. Smith and Taylor (1945: 108 and 1950: 348) gave the type locality as Jalapa, Veracruz. Although this locality was the source of many specimens sent to the United States by Sartorius, it is not within the known range of lineaticollis, and therefore cannot appropriately be thought of as the type locality. In the absence of a type specimen and a justifiable type locality, I hereby designate as a neotype, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, No. 114668. This specimen was collected 24 kilometers northwest of Ciudad Oaxaca, Oaxaca, on February 29, 1956, by William E. Duellman. It is an adult female having 229 ventrals, 67 caudals, and long black neck-stripes followed posteriorly by 23 light-centered dorsal body-blotches.

Diagnosis.—This subspecies is characterized by the presence of continuous dark paravertebral stripes on the anterior part of the body, and light-centered dorsal body-blotches and lateral intercalary spots (Pl. 45, Fig. 2). There are 229 to 258 ventrals, 54 to 72 caudals, and 23 to 45 dorsal body-blotches posterior to the neck-stripes. The young are colored like the adults.

Variation.—Specimens from the southern part of the range in Oaxaca have 229 to 245 ventrals (average 238.3); to the north on the Mexican Plateau in the state of Michoacán seven specimens have 231 to 243 (average 237.1) ventrals. In the relatively isolated mountain ranges of the Sierra del Sur in Guerrero and the Sierra de Coalcomán in southern Michoacán the ranges of variation and average numbers of ventrals are, respectively, 234 to 258 (245.8) and 236 to 246 (242.2). The longest neck-stripes are found in specimens from Oaxaca and Guerrero; nevertheless, some specimens from the Mexican Plateau in Michoacán and three of the four specimens from the Sierra de Coalcomán have neck-stripes equally long. One specimen from 40 kilometers north of Ciudad México and several from the vicinity of Tancítaro, Michoacán, have rather shorter neck-stripes. One specimen from Dos Aguas, Michoacán, has the neck-stripes partially fragmented into rows of spots as in gibsoni.

On the basis of specimens from Tancítaro, Michoacán, Schmidt and Shannon (1947: 79) described the subspecies brevilineata, which they diagnosed as differing from lineaticollis in having fewer ventrals and shorter neck-stripes. The present data suggest that the characters used to diagnose the subspecies are variable not only in Michoacán, but throughout the range of the species. Consequently, Pituophis (deppei) brevilineata Schmidt and Shannon (1947) is placed in the synonymy of Pituophis lineaticollis lineaticollis Cope (1861).

Distribution.—The southern part of the Mexican Plateau in the states of Michoacán, México, and Morelos, the Sierra de Coalcomán in southern Michoacán, and the Sierra del Sur in Guerrero and Oaxaca.

Specimens examined.—Total of 25, as follows: Guerrero: Acahuizotla, USNM 46537; Chilpancingo, CNHM 38356-9, UIMNH 35000, UMMZ 85724-5; Omiltemi, USNM 46462. México: 40 km. N of Ciudad México, UIMNH 36223. Michoacán: Acuaro de las Lleguas, UMMZ 112565; Dos Aguas, UMMZ 118786, 119567-8; 40 km. E of Morelia, UMMZ 101932; Tancítaro, CNHM 37126, 39069-72. Morelos: 1 km. W of Tepoztlán, UMMZ 101931; Tres Cumbres, UIMNH 35001. Oaxaca: 25 km. N of El Soledad, UIMNH 6210; 24 km. NW of Oaxaca, UMMZ 114668; San Pedro Quiechapa, USNM 110893.

Pituophis lineaticollis gibsoni Stuart, new combination

Pituophis deppei gibsoni Stuart, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, vol. 67, p. 172, August 5, 1954.

Type.—University of Michigan Museum of Zoology No. 107060, obtained by Colvin Gibson. Type locality: Yepocapa, Chimaltenango, Guatemala.

Diagnosis.—This race is characterized by paired, elongated, pale-centered, paravertebral spots on the anterior part of the body. Posterior to the paired spots are 22 to 27 dorsal body-blotches; these and the lateral intercalary spots have pale centers. There are 234 to 246 ventrals and 57 to 65 caudals.

Variation.—The few specimens that are available from a small geographic area do not permit a discussion of geographic variation at this time. All of the specimens have the paired paravertebral spots and blotches with light centers. In this respect the population of lineaticollis east of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec is noticeably different from the nominal subspecies in the Mexican highlands. Smith and Taylor (1945: 108) listed a specimen from San Cristobal, Chiapas. I have not seen this specimen and so do not know to which subspecies it belongs. On geographical grounds it probably is gibsoni.

Distribution.—Guatemalan highlands and probably highlands of Chiapas. Aside from the specimens examined, two others are known—one from Volcán Agua, Sacatepequez (Slevin, 1939: 400), and one from Dueñas, Sacatepequez (Boulenger, 1894: 65); these localities are not shown in figure 1.

Specimens examined.—Eight, as follows: Guatemala: Chimaltenango: Chichavac, CNHM 1927; Finca El Tesoro, 3 km. SE of Acatenango, UMMZ 107062-3; Finca Recreo, 4.5 km. SW of Yepocapa, UMMZ 107381; Río Los Positos, 5.5 km. NE of Yepocapa, UMMZ 107061; Río Sobolopop, 8 km. W of Patzún, UMMZ 107064; Yepocapa, UMMZ 107060. El Quiche: Nebaj, UMMZ 89202.

LITERATURE CITED

BOULENGER, G. A.

1894. Catalogue of the snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). London, 2:xi + 382 pp., pls. 1-20.

COPE, E. D.

1860. Descriptions of reptiles from tropical America and Asia. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 1860:368-374.

1861. Contributions to the ophiology of Lower California, Mexico, and Central America. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 1861:292-306.

1887. Catalogue of the batrachians and reptiles of Central America and Mexico. Bull. U. S. Natl. Mus., 32: 1-98.

DUMÉRIL, A. M. C.

1853. Prodrome général de la classification des serpents. Mem. Acad. Sci. Inst. France, 23:399-536, 2 pls.

DUMÉRIL, A. M. C., and BIBRON, G.

1854. Erpétologie générale, ou histoire naturelle des reptiles. Paris, 7 (pt. 1): xvi + 780 pp.

FUGLER, C. M., and WEBB, R. G.

1956. Distributional notes on some reptiles and amphibians from southern and central Coahuila. Herpetologica, 12:167-171.

GÜNTHER, A.

1885-1902. Biologia Centrali-Americana. Reptilia and Batrachia. London, xx + 326 pp., pls. 1-76.

JAN, G.

1863. Elenco sistematico degli ofidi. Milan, 143 pp.

SCHMIDT, K. P., and SHANNON, F. A.

1947. Notes on amphibians and reptiles of Michoacan, Mexico. Fieldiana-Zool., 31 (9):63-85.

SLEVIN, J. R.

1939. Notes on a collection of reptiles and amphibians from Guatemala. I. Snakes. Proc. California Acad. Sci., 4th, ser., 23 (26):393-414, pls. 37-38.

SMITH, H. M.

1943. Summary of the collections of snakes and crocodilians made in Mexico under the Walter Rathbone Bacon Traveling Scholarship. Proc. U. S. Natl. Mus., 93:393-504.

1944. Snakes of the Hoogstraal Expeditions to northern Mexico. Zool. Ser. Field Mus. Nat. Hist., 29 (8):135-152.

SMITH, H. M., and TAYLOR, E. H.

1945. An annotated checklist and key to the snakes of Mexico. Bull. U. S. Natl. Mus., 187: iv + 239 pp.

1950. Type localities of Mexican reptiles and amphibians. Univ. Kansas Sci. Bull., 33 (8):313-380.

STUART, L. C.

1954. Descriptions of some new amphibians and reptiles from Guatemala. Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, 67:159-178.

STULL, O. G.

1932. An annotated list of the forms of the genus Pituophis. Occas. Papers Mus. Zool. Univ. Michigan, 250:1-5.

1940. Variations and relationships in the snakes of the genus Pituophis. Bull. U. S. Natl. Mus., 175:vi + 225 pp.

Transmitted February 2, 1960.

28-2493

Transcriber's Notes

"Rijkmuseum van Natuurlijke Histoire" changed to "Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Historie" (Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Historie, Leiden)

Period changed to comma (Erpétologie générale, vol. 7, p. 268)

"Chipas" changed to "Chiapas" (Guatemalan highlands and probably highlands of Chiapas.)

The style of the majority of citations in this paper are of the form "(year: page)". A small number of citations been ammended to include the space following the colon.

*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A TAXONOMIC STUDY OF THE MIDDLE AMERICAN SNAKE, PITUOPHIS DEPPEI ***

Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will be renamed.

Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG™ concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you charge for an eBook, except by following the terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use of the Project Gutenberg trademark. If you do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the trademark license is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and research. Project Gutenberg eBooks may be modified and printed and given away—you may do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks not protected by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the trademark license, especially commercial redistribution.

START: FULL LICENSE

THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE

PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK

To protect the Project Gutenberg™ mission of promoting the free distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work (or any other work associated in any way with the phrase “Project Gutenberg”), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project Gutenberg™ License available with this file or online at www.gutenberg.org/license.

Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works

1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg™ electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property (trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works in your possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project Gutenberg™ electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.

1.B. “Project Gutenberg” is a registered trademark. It may only be used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg™ electronic works even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project Gutenberg™ electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg™ electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below.

1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation (“the Foundation” or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the United States and you are located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project Gutenberg™ mission of promoting free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg™ works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg™ name associated with the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg™ License when you share it without charge with others.

1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project Gutenberg™ work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any country other than the United States.

1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:

1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg™ License must appear prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg™ work (any work on which the phrase “Project Gutenberg” appears, or with which the phrase “Project Gutenberg” is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, copied or distributed:

This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this eBook.

1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg™ electronic work is derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase “Project Gutenberg” associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg™ trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.

1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg™ electronic work is posted with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked to the Project Gutenberg™ License for all works posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work.

1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg™ License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg™.

1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project Gutenberg™ License.

1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg™ work in a format other than “Plain Vanilla ASCII” or other format used in the official version posted on the official Project Gutenberg™ website (www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original “Plain Vanilla ASCII” or other form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg™ License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.

1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg™ works unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.

1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing access to or distributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works provided that:

- • You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from the use of Project Gutenberg™ works calculated using the method you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark, but he has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in Section 4, “Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.”

- • You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg™ License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg™ works.

- • You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of receipt of the work.

- • You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free distribution of Project Gutenberg™ works.

1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg™ electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the manager of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark. Contact the Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.

1.F.

1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project Gutenberg™ collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg™ electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain “Defects,” such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by your equipment.

1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the “Right of Replacement or Refund” described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark, and any other party distributing a Project Gutenberg™ electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.

1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further opportunities to fix the problem.

1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you ‘AS-IS’, WITH NO OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.

1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions.

1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone providing copies of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works in accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg™ work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg™ work, and (c) any Defect you cause.

Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg™

Project Gutenberg™ is synonymous with the free distribution of electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from people in all walks of life.

Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg™’s goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg™ collection will remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure and permanent future for Project Gutenberg™ and future generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at www.gutenberg.org.

Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation

The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal Revenue Service. The Foundation’s EIN or federal tax identification number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state’s laws.

The Foundation’s business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up to date contact information can be found at the Foundation’s website and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact

Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation

Project Gutenberg™ depends upon and cannot survive without widespread public support and donations to carry out its mission of increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be freely distributed in machine-readable form accessible by the widest array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations ($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt status with the IRS.

The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate.

While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who approach us with offers to donate.

International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.

Please check the Project Gutenberg web pages for current donation methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate.

Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg™ electronic works

Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg™ concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and distributed Project Gutenberg™ eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support.

Project Gutenberg™ eBooks are often created from several printed editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition.

Most people start at our website which has the main PG search facility: www.gutenberg.org.

This website includes information about Project Gutenberg™, including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.

back

back

back

Table of Contents

University of Kansas Publications

A Taxonomic Study of the Middle American Snake, Pituophis deppei

WILLIAM E. DUELLMAN

PLATE 45

A Taxonomic Study of the Middle American Snake, Pituophis deppei

WILLIAM E. DUELLMAN

INTRODUCTION

HISTORICAL REVIEW

CHARACTERS STUDIED

ACCOUNTS OF THE SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES

LITERATURE CITED

Transcriber's Notes

THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE