Phenacosaurus neblininus , new species, was discovered during the 1984-1985 expedition to Cerro de la Neblina on the Venezuelan-Brazilian border. It was found at several highland camps (> 1600 m) but seems unaccountably rare, with only six specimens collected. The closest relative of this lizard may be another new species (Williams et al., MS) known from a single specimen from Chimanta Tepui -- some 600 km to the northeast of Neblina. Except for these two Venezuelan tepui species, Phenacosaurus has a strictly Andean distribution, from northwestern Venezuela to Peru.

American Museum Novitates↗

USGS1992

Rediscovery of the Central American Colubrid snake, Sibon argus, with comments on related species from the region

Sibon argus Cope, 1875, long known only from the holotype, is redescribed based on material from Costa Rica and Panama. It differs from the only other member of the genus having an ocellate dorsal pattern (S. longifrenis) in its attenuate habitus, enlarged blunt head, protuberant eyes, and high segmental counts (ventrals 181-201, subcaudals 112-121, total segmental counts 294-312). Sibon longifrenis of Atlantic slope Costa Rica and western Panama (ventrals 151-173, subcaudals 82-103, total segmental counts 231-275) is also redescribed. These species differ from all other Sibon in having an ocellate pattern and an enlarged penultimate supralabial bordering the orbit. The allied species, S. annulatus (Costa Rica and Panama) and S. dimidiatus (Mexico to southwestern Costa Rica), are shown to be distinct from S. argus and S. longifenis in scalation and coloration. Although allopatric, S. annulatus and S. dimidiatus differ from one another most strikingly in adult coloration, postmental character states, and ventral counts (x = 175.8 in annulatus and 193.6 in dimidiatus), and are regarded as valid species. Sibon annulatus occurs sympatrically with S. argus in Panama and with S. longifrenis in Costa Rica. Although S. argus and S. longifrenis occur in the same general area on the Atlantic slope of Costa Rica, they have not yet been taken at the same locality.

Copeia↗

USGS1992

Standard methods for measuring and monitoring biological diversity of amphibians

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Book chapter↗