2009年8月25日 星期二

亞馬遜以南及尼格羅河以西產翡翠蚺(=翡翠蟒)應正名為Corallus batesii, 而真正的C. caninus則跼限於圭亞那地盾區域

文獻來源: Henderson RW, Passos P, Feitosa D. 2009. Geographic variation in the emerald treeboa, Corallus caninus (Squamata: Boidae). Copeia 2009(3): 572-582.

Abstract
The arboreal boa Corallus caninus is widely distributed across northern South America (the Guianas and Amazonia). We examined geographic variation based on examination of 192 specimens from throughout the range, and revised its taxonomy on the basis of quantitative and qualitative analyses of morphological characters (meristics, morphometrics, and color patterns). Based on the high number of lateral blotches on the body and the high number of scales across the snout, populations south of the Rio Amazonas and west of the Rio Negro are identified as a species (or, potentially, a species complex) separate from C. caninus, and the name Corallus batesii is resurrected for those populations. The distribution of Corallus caninus is restricted to the Guiana Shield (north of the Rio Amazonas and east of the Rio Negro).