The Amphibians and Reptiles of Michoacan, Mexico Part 22

Philadelphia, 13:300, December 28, 1861.--Southern Mexican Plateau. Type locality restricted to 24 kilometers northwest of Oaxaca, Oaxaca, Mexico, by Duellman (1960b:607).

_Pituophis lineaticollis lineaticollis_, Duellman, Univ.

Kansas Publ. Mus. Nat. Hist., 10:607, May 2, 1960.

Acuaro de las Lleguas; Dos Aguas (3); Morelia; Tancitaro (5).

This species reaches the northern limits of its range in the Sierra de Coalcoman and on the Mexican Plateau in Michoacan. On the plateau it has been collected in mesquite gra.s.sland at elevations between 1500 and 2000 meters. In the Sierra de Coalcoman individuals were found in open pine-oak forest at 2100 meters elevation and in a meadow surrounded by pine-oak forest at 2300 meters.

~Pseudoficimia frontalis~ (Cope)

_Toluca frontalis_ Cope, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 16:167, September 30, 1864.--Colima, Colima, Mexico.

_Pseudoficimia frontalis_, Gunther, Biologia Centrali-Americana, Reptilia, p. 96, May, 1893.

Apatzingan; Coalcoman (6); El Sabino (2).

Most specimens were found beneath rocks in gra.s.sy areas near the upper limits of the arid scrub forest, both in the Sierra de Coalcoman and on the southern slopes of the Cordillera Volcanica; all are from elevations of less than 1100 meters. One specimen was found on a road at night near Apatzingan. This species has been found in similar habitats near Huajintlan, Guerrero, and in arid scrub forest at lower elevations in Colima. It is unknown from the coast of Michoacan.

~Pseudoficimia pulcherrima~ Taylor and Smith

_Pseudoficimia pulcherrima_ Taylor and Smith, Univ. Kansas Sci. Bull., 28:246, May 15, 1942.--Huajintlan, Guerrero, Mexico.

Apatzingan.

This specimen (CNHM 39208) was reported by Schmidt and Shannon (1947:81); they stated that it was a paratype of _P. pulcherrima_.

However, Taylor and Smith (1942a:246) did not mention the specimen; aside from the type (EHT-HMS 5497), the only other specimen they designated as belonging to the type series was UMMZ 85711 from Chilpancingo, Guerrero.

The taxonomic validity of _Pseudoficimia pulcherrima_ remains doubtful, for only minor characters distinguish it from _P. frontalis_.

Furthermore, all known specimens of _P. pulcherrima_ are from within the geographic range of _P. frontalis_.

~Rhadinaea hesperia hesperia~ Bailey

_Rhadinaea hesperia_ Bailey, Occ. Pap. Mus. Zool. Univ.

Michigan, 412:8, May 6, 1940.--Omilteme and Sierra de Burro, Guerrero. Type locality restricted to Omilteme, Guerrero, Mexico, by Smith and Taylor (1950a:332).

_Rhadinaea hesperia hesperia_, Smith, Proc. Biol. Soc.

Was.h.i.+ngton, 55:185, December 31, 1942.

Arteaga (3); Coalcoman; El Sabino (2); Uruapan; Volcan Jorullo (2).

One specimen from Volcan Jorullo (UMMZ 104494), three from Arteaga (UMMZ 119281), and one from Uruapan (UMMZ 92342) are typical of the subspecies _R. h. hesperia_ in possessing a lateral cream-colored line on the sixth and parts of the fifth and seventh dorsal scale rows and in lacking a dark line on the second scale row. The specimens from El Sabino (EHT-HMS 5441 and UIMNH 18933) and one from Coalcoman (UMMZ 104502) have the cream-colored line on the sixth and adjacent parts of the fifth and seventh scale rows and have a dark line on the second scale row. Another individual from Volcan Jorullo (UMMZ 104682) has cream-colored lines like the others, but it possesses two lateral dark lines, one on the second scale row, and one on the third.

Smith (1942d:186) diagnosed _Rhadinaea hesperia hesperioides_ as differing from the nominal subspecies in having the cream-colored line on the fourth and fifth scale rows and in possessing a dark line on the second scale row. The specimens seen all have the lateral cream-colored line centered on the sixth scale row, as is characteristic of _R. h.

hesperia_. Although many of the specimens also possess a dark line on the second scale row, these specimens are here a.s.signed to _R. h.

hesperia_. Additional specimens are necessary to define accurately the subspecies and their ranges. Peters (1954:29) a.s.signed the specimens from Coalcoman to _R. h. hesperioides_.

In life the specimens from Arteaga had bright cream-colored temporal stripes and dorsolateral stripes on the anterior part of the body. The chin and anterior one-sixth of the belly was white; posteriorly the venter was bright orange-red.

In Michoacan this snake has been found in tropical semi-deciduous forest, arid scrub forest, and pine-oak forest at elevations from 850 to 1500 meters.

~Rhadinaea laureata~ (Gunther)

_Dromicus laureatus_ Gunther, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 4, 1:419, 1868.--Mexico City.

_Rhadinaea laureata_, Boulenger, Catalogue Snakes... British Museum, 2, p. 179, September 23, 1894.

Capacuaro; Carapan (8); Cheran (3); Paracho (2); Patzcuaro; Tancitaro (10).

This snake is abundant in the Cordillera Volcanica, but it is unknown in the mountains to the northeast of Morelia or in the Sierra de Coalcoman.

Most specimens were found beneath volcanic rocks imbedded in the ashy soil in pine forest between 1800 and 2300 meters.

~Rhadinaea taeniata~ (Peters)

_Dromicus taeniatus_ Peters, Monats. Akad. Wiss. Berlin, p.

275, 1863.--Mexico.

_Rhadinaea taeniata_, Bailey, Occ. Pap. Mus. Zool. Univ.

Michigan, 412:14, May 6, 1940.

Tancitaro (2).

This species, which is known only from a small region in the mountains of Jalisco and central Michoacan, is represented by two specimens (CNHM 37130 and 39030) collected at Tancitaro (see Schmidt and Shannon, 1947:80).

~Salvadora bairdi~ Jan

_Salvadora Bairdii_ Jan. Icon. gener. ophid., livr. 2, pl.

3, fig. 2, 1860.--Mexico. Type locality restricted to Acambaro, Guanajuato, Mexico, by Smith and Taylor (1950a:330).

Barranca Seca; Carapan; Cerro San Andres; Cojumatlan (2); Jiquilpan; Morelia; Patzcuaro (4); Quiroga; Sahuayo (2); Tacicuaro (12); Tancitaro (56); Uruapan (2); Zacapu (2); between Zitacuaro and Tuxpan (3).

This species is abundant on the Mexican plateau, where it inhabits the more gra.s.sy areas in the mesquite gra.s.sland and cutover land in the pine forests from 1550 to 2500 meters. Davis and Dixon (1957:21) described a specimen from Zacapu as having two dark paravertebral stripes diverging on the temporals and extending through the eye onto the loreal, a characteristic of _Salvadora lineata_. On the basis of this specimen, Davis and Dixon suggested that _Salvadora bairdi_ and _S. lineata_ were subspecifically related. The examination of the large number of specimens from Michoacan has revealed this kind of coloration in only one other specimen, an individual from Tacicuaro, in which the stripes diverge, but do not extend through the eye onto the loreal. Data on scutellation for the large series from Tancitaro were given by Schmidt and Shannon (1947:78), and for the series from Tacicuaro by Smith (1943:466).

~Salvadora mexicana~ (Dumeril, Bibron, and Dumeril)

_Zamenis mexica.n.u.s_ Dumeril, Bibron, and Dumeril, Erpetologie generale, 7 (pt. 1), p. 695, 1854.--Cape Corrientes, Jalisco, Mexico.

_Salvadora mexicana_ Gunther, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 3, 12:349, 1863.

Apatzingan (12); Capirio (2); El Sabino (5); Huetamo; La Placita; La Playa (4); Lombardia; Nueva Italia; Ojos de Agua de San Telmo; Oropeo; Rio Cancita, 14 km. E of Apatzingan; Santa Ana.

This is one of the most abundant snakes in the arid lowlands of the Tepalcatepec Valley; observations indicate that it probably is equally abundant on the coastal lowlands. Near Apatzingan as many as five of these snakes have been seen in one-half hour. The snakes seem to be equally abundant and active in the dry season and in the rainy season.

Most individuals were seen on the ground, but two were found in low trees. On several occasions _Salvadora mexicana_ was observed in pursuit of lizards on the ground. Captured individuals regurgitated _Cnemidophorus costatus zweifeli_, _Cnemidophorus deppei infernalis_, _Sceloporus horridus oligoporus_, _Sceloporus pyrocephalus_, and _Urosaurus gadowi_.