A New Species of Amphisbaena from Northeastern Brazil (Squamata: Amphisbaenidae)
We describe a new species of Amphisbaena from the Caatinga in the northern region of Bahia, northeastern Brazil. The new taxon is identified mainly by having two precloacal pores, 158–165 body annuli, 12–14 caudal annuli with autotomy on the third and fourth annuli, 14–16 dorsal and 15–16 ventral segments on a midbody annulus, four supralabials, three infralabials, and a postmalar row. Its description increases to 23 the number of species of Amphisbaenia for the Caatinga. Knowledge of worm lizard richness has largely increased in Brazil since the 1990s, especially in the Caatinga and the Cerrado, due mainly to collections in previously unsurveyed areas for environmental impact assessments. Nós descrevemos uma nova espécie de Amphisbaena da Caatinga na região norte da Bahia, nordeste do Brasil. O novo taxon é identificado principalmente por possuir dois poros pré-cloacais, 158–165 anéis corporais, 12–14 anéis caudais com autotomia no terceiro e quarto anéis, 14–16 segmentos dorsais e 15–16 segmentos ventrais em um anel no meio do corpo, quatro supralabiais, três infralabiais, e uma fileira pós-malar. Sua descrição eleva para 23 o número de espécies de Amphisbaenia para a Caatinga. O conhecimento sobre a riqueza de espécies de cobras-de-duas-cabeças tem aumentado intensamente no Brasil desde a década de 1990, especialmente na Caatinga e no Cerrado, em maior parte devido a coletas em áreas previamente não amostradas para fins de estudos de impacto ambiental.Abstract
Resumo
Lateral (A), dorsal (B), and ventral view (C) of the head, and ventral view of the tail (D) of the holotype (MFCH 3939) of Amphisbaena kiriri sp. nov. Scale bar: 2 mm.
Midbody in dorsal (A), ventral (B), and lateral view (C), and cloacal region (D) of the holotype (MFCH 3939) of Amphisbaena kiriri sp. nov. Scale bar: 2 mm.
Comparison of the dorsal, lateral, and ventral views of the head of Amphisbaena kiriri sp. nov (MFCH 3939, holotype) (A, B, and C, respectively), A. anamariae (UFG 373) (D, E, and F, respectively), and A. neglecta (ANSP 13019, holotype) (G, H, and I, respectively). Scale bar: 2 mm.
Geographic distribution map of Amphisbaena kiriri sp. nov. Top right map: location of specimen records in South America; middle right map: magnification showing locality records of A. kiriri and the type localities of A. bahiana and A. frontalis in northeastern Brazil; top left map: magnification detailing the elevation gradient of the region where A. kiriri specimens were found, together with the type localities of A. bahiana and A. frontalis; bottom left and right maps: remnants of Caatinga vegetation (MMA and IBAMA, 2011) and the soil types (IBGE and EMBRAPA, 2001) in the study region (type locality of A. frontalis not shown).
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