Atractus ronnie Passos, Fernandes & Borges-Nojosa 2007

Atractus ronnie Passos, Fernandes & Borges-Nojosa, 2007

Figs. 13C, 15A

Atractus ronnie Passos, Fernandes & Borges-Nojosa, 2007; Copeia 2007:789.

Atractus ronnie – Loebmann, Ribeiro, Sales & Almeida, 2009; Biotemas 22:170.

Holotype: Adult female, MNRJ 14194, from Serra de Baturité (04°10’S, 38°55’W, ca. 800 m), municipality of Pacoti in the state of Ceará, Brazil, collected on 10 April 1998 by D. M. Borges-Nojosa (specimen examined).

Paratypes: Twenty-four specimens, all from Serra do Baturité, state of Ceará: municipality of Pacoti (CHUFC 1396, MNRJ 14195), collected on 17 July 1989 by L. W. Lima-Verde; (CHUFC 2646), 18 December 1997 by D. M. Borges-Nojosa; (CHUFC 2648), 11 January 1998 by D. M. Borges-Nojosa; (CHUFC 2658), 09 December 2005 by D. M. Borges-Nojosa, J. C. L. Melo, and M. J. B. Leite, locality of Sítio Olho d`água dos Tangarás; (CHUFC 2481, 3500), 23 February 1989 by D. M. Borges-Nojosa, locality of Monguba; (CHUFC 3502), 03 April 1990 by D. M. Borges-Nojosa, locality of Sítio São José; (MNRJ 14196–97), 16 February 1999 and 10 April 1998, respectively by D. M. Borges-Nojosa, locality of Granja; (CHUFC 2641, 2647), 02 November 1997 by D. M. Borges-Nojosa, locality of Sítio Pau do Alho; (CHUFC 25980), 28 April 2005 by W. C. M. Luz, locality of Sítio Xangrilá; (CHUFC 2652–24), 2005 December by W. C. M. Luz, locality of Cidade Pacoti; (CHUFC 2675–76, 2678), between 17 February and 02 March 2006 by W. C. M. Luz, locality of Cidade Pacoti; (CHUFC 2733), 04 April 1990 by D. M. Borges-Nojosa, district of Santana. Municipality of Baturité: (CHUFC 2578), 11 February 2005 by D. M. Borges-Nojosa, P. Cascon, and J. C. L. Melo, locality of Sítio Escuro. Municipality of Mulungu: (CHUFC 2645), 1991 by D. M. Borges-Nojosa and S. M. Cornélio. Municipality of Guaramiranga: (CHUFC 2649), 15 August 1998 by D. M. Borges-Nojosa, locality of Linha da Serra; (CHUFC 2651), 6 June 2005 by D. M. Borges-Nojosa, P. Cascon, and J. C. L. Melo, locality of Sítio Guaramiranga.

Diagnosis: Atractus ronnie is distinguished from all congeners by the combination of the following characters (1) 17 smooth dorsal scale rows; (2) two postoculars; (3) moderate loreal; (4) temporals generally 1+2; (5) seven supralabials, third and fourth contacting orbit; (6) seven infralabials, first four contacting chinshields; (7) seven or eight maxillary teeth; (8) three gular scale rows; (9) generally three preventrals; (10) 146–163 ventrals in females, 129–151 in males; (11) 16–23 subcaudals in females, 20–25 in males; (12) dorsum creamish yellow uniformly scattered with black dots; (13) venter immaculate creamish white; (14) body size moderate in females (maximum 391 mm SVL), small in males (248 mm SVL); (15) tail short in females (8.1–10.5% SVL), moderate (11.4–15.5% SVL) in males; (16) hemipenis slightly bilobed, slightly semicapitate, and semicalyculate.

Comparisons: Among all congeners, A. ronnie shares 17 dorsal scale rows, seven upper and lower labials, first four infralabials infralabials contacting chinshields, generally three gular scale rows, seven maxillary teeth, dorsum creamish yellow uniformly scattered with black dots, venter and tail immaculate creamish white, hemipenis slightly bilobed, semicapitate, semicalyculate, and lateral projections on the lobes only with A. pantostictus. Atractus ronnie differs from A. pantostictus by lacking a black collar and lateral tip projections on lobes (vs. conspicuous black collar and lateral tip projections on lobes).

Description: Head longer than wide, flattened in lateral view, round in dorsal view; snout truncate in lateral view, round in dorsal view; canthus rostralis well marked in lateral view; cervical constriction indistinct; rostral sub-triangular in frontal view, broader than high, poorly visible in dorsal view; internasal as long as wide; internasal suture sinistral with respect to prefrontal suture; prefrontal as long as wide; supraocular subtrapezoidal, slightly longer than wide; frontal sub-pentagonal, as long as wide; parietal twice as long as wide; nasal divided; nostril located between prenasal and postnasal; prenasal twice as high as long; postnasal slightly higher than long; loreal moderate, contacting second and third supralabial; pupil subelliptical; generally two postoculars of similar size; lower postocular occasionally longer than upper postocular; temporal generally 1+2; anterior temporal twice as long as high; upper posterior temporal elongate, about four times as long as wide; seven supralabials, third and fourth contacting orbit; first two supralabials of similar size and slightly smaller than third; sixth higher and seventh longer than remaining supralabials; symphisial sub-triangular, twice broader than long; seven infralabials, first four contacting chinshields; first pair of supralabials in contact behind symphisial, preventing symphisial/chinshields contact; chinshields twice as long as wide; generally three gular scale rows; generally three preventrals; 17 smooth dorsal scale rows; dorsals lacking apical pits, supra-anal tubercles, and keels; caudal spine long, conical, robust, and acuminate.

Maxillary arch: Flattened in dorsal view, with five prediastemal and two postdiastemal teeth; prediastemal teeth large, moderately spaced, of similar size, curved posteriorly, angular in cross session, robust at base, narrower on the apices; maxillary diastema short; postdiastemal teeth slightly smaller than last prediastemal tooth; lateral process absent or poorly developed.

Colour in preservative: Dorsum and background of head grayish brown, except for snout region (rostral, nasals, internasals, loreal, and anterior portion of prefrontals) creamish white coloured; supralabials creamish white, except for dorsal edges of third and fourth supralabials dark brown; mental region and paraventrals creamish white; venter and tail generally immaculate creamish white; venter rarely with dark brown spots concentrated on the centre of ventral and subcaudals scales; dorsal ground colour creamish yellow uniformly scattered with black dots (one or two scales wide), arranged in three longitudinal series anteriorly to the level of 11 th ventral scale (Fig. 15A).

Juvenile colouration in preservative: Juveniles and sub-adults with dorsal ground colour creamish yellow with uniformly scattered small black dots (one or two scales long), frequently arranged in longitudinal series.

Colour in life: Dorsum of head uniform brown; supralabials creamish yellow, except for brown dorsal margins of third and fourth scales; infralabials and mental region creamish yellow; venter and tail creamish yellow; dorsal ground colour of body reddish brown to brown uniformly scattered with black dots (Fig. 13C).

Hemipenis morphology (everted organ n = 1): Retracted organ bifurcates and extends to the level of 10 th subcaudal. Hemipenis slightly bilobed, semicapitate, and slightly semicalyculate; lobes poorly distinct and restricted to distal portion of capitulum; lobes with lateral projections on the apices, well marked by lateral depressions on their bases, covered with spinulate calyces; spinulate calyces concentrated on lateral portions on both sides of capitulum; weakly defined capitulum located just above sulcus spermaticus bifurcation; capitular groove indistinct on sulcate side and clearly visible on asulcate side of hemipenis; intrasulcar region and asulcate side of capitulum covered with alary spines; median portion of capitulum thick compared to hemipenial body; capitulum similar in size to hemipenial body on sulcate side and smaller than hemipenial body on asulcate side; sulcus spermaticus bifurcates on the middle of the organ; branches of the sulcus spermaticus with centrifugal orientation, running to lobes projections; sulcus spermaticus margins stout and narrow, bordered with spinules from the base of organ to tips of lobes; hemipenial body similar in width to capitulum, covered with large hooked spines; basal naked pocket absent; basal portion of hemipenis with longitudinal plicae and disperse spinules (Fig. 14B).

Variation: Largest male SVL 248 mm, CL 37 mm; largest female SVL 312 mm, CL 30 mm; tail 11.4– 15.5% (x¯ = 13.4; SD= 1.2; n = 13) SVL in males, 8.1–10.4% (x¯ = 9.4; SD= 0.6; n = 11) SVL in females; 133– 144 (x¯ = 140.3; SD= 3.3; n = 14) ventrals in males, 154–160 (x¯ = 157.4; SD = 1.6; n = 11) in females; 20–25 (x¯ = 23.1; SD = 1.7; n = 14) subcaudals in males, 17–20 (x¯ = 18.9; SD = 1.1; n = 11) in females; 2 (n = 2), 3 (n = 24), or 4 (n = 1) preventrals; 3 (n = 3 sides) or 4 (n = 47 sides) first infralabials contacting chinshields; 1 (n = 2 sides) or 2 (n = 48 sides) postoculars; 1+2 (n = 45 sides) or 2+2 (n = 5 sides) temporals; 17 (n = 10), 16 (n = 7), or 15 (n = 8) anterior dorsal scale rows; 8–10 (x¯ = 8.7; SD = 0.6; n = 52 sides) dorsal scale rows level with the second subcaudal; 7 (n = 19) or 8 (n = 1) maxillary teeth; retracted hemipenis extends to the level of seventh (n = 1), eighth (n = 4) or nineth (n = 1) subcaudal.

Distribution: Initially known only fom Serra do Baturité Mountains in the state of Ceará on northeastern Brazil (Passos et al. 2007b), A. ronnie was reported recently from two other mountainous areas in the state of Ceará, the Ararípe (07º15’ S, 39º28’ W) and Ibiapaba (03°43’ S, 40°56’ W) plateaus (Loebmann et al. 2009). This species inhabits Lower Montane Rainforest above 600 m elevation (Fig. 4).

Remarks: Passos et al. (2007b) described A. ronnie based on 25 specimens and suggested this species was closely related to A. pantostictus. The close similarity between these two species is here reinforced based on the analysis of additional characters (see above), and consistent with the suggestion that these species are closely related to Amazonian A. altagratiae, A. insipidus, and A. punctiventris (Passos & Fernandes 2008).