Apostolepis is a snake genus endemic to Cis-Andean South America, currently comprising 37 species (Entiauspe-Neto et al., 2020; Uetz et al., 2020). They are fossorial snakes belonging to the Family Dipsadidae, subfamily Xenodontinae and tribe Elapomorphini, with 32 species occurring in Brazil (Colli et al. 2019; Nogueira et al., 2019; Entiauspe-Neto et al., 2020). However, many species in this genus are only known from their holotype or a few additional specimens, as the genus is poorly represented in collections (Nogueira et al. 2012). Apostolepis goiasensis Prado, 1943 is endemic to Brazil, occurring in the Cerrado savannahs of Central Brazil (Nogueira et al., 2019). It was described from a specimen from Rio Verde, state of Goiás, Brazil, lost during a fire at the Instituto Butantan (Lema 2015). Lema (2003) redescribed the species based on a second specimen from the municipality of Uberlândia, state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Subsequently, new data was published on individuals from Ribas do Rio Pardo, state of Mato Grosso do Sul (Abes and Ferrarezzi, 2003); Luziânia, state of Goiás; Três Lagoas, state of Mato Grosso do Sul; and a specimen without known locality (Loebmann and Lema, 2012; Lema 2015). Other three records of the species are presented by Nogueira et al. (2019), for the Federal District (Brasília), state of Goiás (Uruaçu municipality) and state of São Paulo (Luiz Antônio municipality).

Apostolepis intermedia Koslowsky, 1898 is known from Brazil and Paraguay. This species was described based on a single specimen collected in Miranda, state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, whose holotype was lost (Albuquerque and Lema 2012). One second

specimen on the margins of Taquaruçu River, Anastácio municipality (ca. 66 km from the type-locality) was described by Albuquerque and Lema (2012). Other two specimens of Paraguay, from Reserva Natural Laguna Blanca, Departamento de San Pedro are presented by Entiauspe-Neto et al. (2014). Another record based on a field collected specimen is mentioned by Nogueira et al. (2019) for Emas National Park, Goiás, based on a field record in Vadujo et al. (2009) as Apostolepis aff. lineata. Due to the low number of individuals collected for both species, here we present new records for the Cerrado of the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Central Brazil and update their range and meristic variation.

Data collection was carried during faunal monitoring at Fazenda Barra do Moeda, from 2007-2020. The area is located in the municipality of Três Lagoas, in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Central Brazil (-21.0064°S -51.7969°W, WGS84). The farm is limited in its northeast part by the Moeda River, in the northwest by the MS-395 state highway and in the southeast by the Paraná River. This river is one of the most important rivers in the region and divides the states of Mato Grosso do Sul and São Paulo. The study area is a mosaic formed by different Cerrado savannah physiognomies, as well as deciduous and semi-deciduous forests in a matrix of Eucalyptus plantations. Semi-annual field campaigns were carried out from 2017 to 2018, using the methods of active search and pitfall traps (15 lines with five 60 L buckets each) for five days per campaign. Animals were collected under the license SISBIO 58551-1/2 and were deposited in the Herpetological Collection of the Butantan Institute, São Paulo state, Brazil.

In October 2017 (6-10) four individuals of Apostolepis were captured in pitfall traps: three A. intermedia and one A. goiasensis. In April 2018, another individual of A. goiasensis was also captured in pitfall traps. Four of these individuals (three A. intermedia and one A. goiasensis) were captured in stands with eucalyptus plantations and the other individual from A. goiasensis was captured in an area of “Cerradão”, a woodland form of dense Cerrado (Table 1).

Herpetology Notes, volume 14: 193-196 (2021) (published online on 26 January 2021)

New records of poorly known snakes of the genus Apostolepis (Dipsadidae, Elapomorphini) in Central Brazil

Fábio Maffei1,* and Cristiano de Campos Nogueira2

1 Universidade Estadual Paulista, Faculdade de Ciências, CEP17033-360, Bauru, São Paulo, Brazil.

2 Universidade de São Paulo, Departamento de Ecologia, Instituto de Biociências, CEP 05508-090, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.

* Corresponding author. E-mail:maffei.fabio@gmail.com

© 2020 by Herpetology Notes. Open Access by CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.

Fábio Maffei & Cristiano de Campos Nogueira194

The specimens of A. goiasensis were identified according to Lema (2003) and Loebmann and Lema (2012), the latter allowing colour comparisons in life. The dorsum is salmon reddish with three narrow black longitudinal bands that disappear on the tail (Fig. 1A). The vertebral stripe is the sharpest. The terminal portion of the tail is black with a white tip. The belly is uniform (immaculate) white, except near the end of the tail which has black scales (Fig. 1B). The number of ventral scales (214 and 220) is below that presented by Lema

(2003) (233-237). The number of subcaudals (27 and 28) is within the reported range for the species (25-33).

The specimen collected from A. intermedia was identified according to Albuquerque and Lema (2012). The individual has five dark bands on the dorsal region of the body, with the paravertebral bands being narrower (Fig. 2A). Brown dorsum, not red as in A. dimidiata, and immaculate belly. The black caudal band completely covers the end of the tail, except for the cream terminal scale (Fig. 2B). The number of ventrals

1

Table 1. Individuals of Apostolepis collected in Três Lagoas, Mato Grosso do Sul state, Brazil. SVL: Snout-vent length; TL: Tail length. IBSP: Butantan Institute, São Paulo.

Species Data Scales Length (mm)

Sex Number Anal Subcaudal (pairs)

Dorsal Ventral SVL TL

A. goiasensis 09/10/2017 Divided 27 15/15/15 214 375 39 M IBSP 90238

A. goiasensis 08/04/2018 Divided 28 15/15/15 220 445 45 F IBSP 90239

A. intermedia 06/10/2017 Entire 38 15/15/15 230 348 44 F IBSP 90237

A. intermedia 09/10/2017 - - - - - - - not collected

A. intermedia 09/10/2017 - - - - - - - not collected

Table 1. Individuals of Apostolepis collected in Três Lagoas, Mato Grosso do Sul state, Brazil. SVL: Snout-vent length; TL: Tail length. IBSP: Butantan Institute, São Paulo.

Figure 1. Snakes of genus Apostolepis collected in Três Lagoas, Mato Grosso do Sul state, Brazil. (A) Male of A. goiasensis (IBSP 90238); (B) Ventral detail of head and tail of the specimen; (C) Female of A. intermedia (IBSP 90237); (D) Ventral detail of head and tail of the specimen. Photographs by Fábio Maffei.

(230) is greater than the known variation (211-217; Albuquerque and Lema 2012) for males, and below that presented by Entiauspe-Neto et al. (2014) for females (241-242). The number of subcaudals (38) also differs from the variation (33-37 for males; 28-31 for females). For both species, the male’s total length is smaller than the female, agreeing with the sexual dimorphism in Apostolepis (e.g. Lema and Renner, 1998).

Although the genus is widespread in Cis-andean South America, most species inhabit open landscapes like the Cerrado, the Caatinga and the Pantanal (Nogueira et al. 2019). The state of Mato Grosso do Sul (Central-West Brazil) has 113 species of snakes, eight of them of the genus Apostolepis: A. ambiniger (Peters, 1869), A. assimilis (Reinhardt, 1861), A. cf. christineae, A. dimidiata (Jan, 1862), A. intermedia, A. goiasensis, A. aff. nigroterminata 1 e A. aff. nigroterminata 2, these last two are still new to science in the process of description (Ferreira et al. 2017). Apostolepis goiasensis has already been registered in Ribas do Rio Pardo and Três Lagoas (Abes and Ferrarezzi, 2003). Apostolepis intermedia has records in Miranda and Anastácio municipalities (Albuquerque and Lema, 2012). For this species, this present record fills a gap in the state and extends its

known distribution 400 km east from the closest know locality in the municipality of Anastácio (Fig. 2).

The two species recorded here occur predominantly in Cerrado areas. This biome is a biodiversity hotspot (Mittermeier et al. 2011) and is under strong anthropic pressure, being the most threatened savannah in the world (Strassburg et al., 2017). The rarity of records of both species shows that we still know little about the snake fauna of central Brazil, and highlights the need for new data from forest formations such as Cerradão.

Acknowledgements. Thanks to Suzano S.A. for supporting fieldwork; Filipe Serrano and Paulo R. Machado-Filho for their support in tipping the material. Paulo Antas on behalf of FUNATURA for field logistics.

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New records of poorly known snakes of the genus Apostolepis in Central Brazil

Figure 2. New records (squares) of Apostolepis in Três Lagoas, Mato Grosso do Sul state, Brazil. Literature records (circles) in the Cerrado biome (yellow polygon) and circle with dots the type-localities.

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Accepted by Andrew Durso

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