Part 2

Dum['e]ril (1853: 453) described Elaphis deppei from a specimen in the Leiden Museum from "Mexico." This specimen, according to the type description, has 233 ventrals and 67 caudals. In 1863 Jan described Pituophis deppei var. pholidostictus, also with "Mexico" as the type locality. Subsequent authors (see synonymy of P. deppei deppei in Stull, 1940: 25) have treated pholidostictus as a synonym of deppei. Smith and Taylor (1950: 334) restricted the type localities of deppei and pholidostictus to San Juan Teotihuac['a]n, M['e]xico. Cope (1860: 369) described Arizona jani on the basis of a specimen in the United States National Museum from Buena Vista, Coahuila. Stull (1932: 2, 1940: 42), Smith (1944: 145) and Smith and Taylor (1945: 107) considered jani as a northern subspecies of Pituophis deppei. Arizona lineaticollis was described by Cope (1861: 300); the type, which originally was in the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia and is now lost, was said to have come from Jalapa, Veracruz. This locality probably is in error. Smith (1943: 460) placed lineaticollis as a southern subspecies of deppei. Schmidt and Shannon (1947: 79) described Pituophis deppei brevilineata on the basis of five specimens from Tanc['i]taro, Michoac['a]n, and Stuart (1954: 172) described Pituophis deppei gibsoni from seven specimens from Departamento Chimaltenango, Guatemala. Thus, at present five subspecies of Pituophis deppei are recognized.

CHARACTERS STUDIED

Snakes currently assigned to Pituophis deppei differ from other members of the genus by possessing two instead of four prefrontal plates. The subspecies of P. deppei have been defined on characters of coloration and scutellation.

Scutellation.--The only scale characters utilized in the present study are the numbers of ventrals and caudals. The number of ventrals varies in the total sample from 210 to 246 (Table 1); usually the variation in one locality is no more than 15. Number of caudals varies from 52 to 72. There is slight sexual dimorphism in the number of ventrals and somewhat greater differences in the number of caudals.

TABLE 1.--Variation in the Numbers of Ventrals and Caudals in Four Subspecies of Pituophis.

==============================+====================+================== SUBSPECIES | Ventrals | Caudals +---------+---------+---------+--------- | Range | Mean | Range | Mean ------------------------------+---------+---------+---------+--------- deppei deppei | | | | 34 | 210-231 | 220.4 | 53-69 | 61.5 16 | 209-232 | 218.2 | 52-61 | 57.2 | | | | deppei jani | | | | 12 | 215-235 | 225.1 | 56-68 | 62.6 3 | 228-231 | 229.0 | 52-60 | 56.0 | | | | lineaticollis lineaticollis | | | | 13 | 231-258 | 239.5 | 54-72 | 64.9 9 | 229-249 | 241.3 | 55-68 | 60.6 | | | | lineaticollis gibsoni | | | | 2 | 234 | 234.0 | 61-65 | 63.0 4 | 241-246 | 243.7 | 57-63 | 59.0 ------------------------------+---------+---------+---------+---------

Coloration.--The dorsal ground color is tan or straw; the dorsal pattern consists basically of dark middorsal blotches and dark lateral intercalary spots. Number of blotches, color of blotches posteriorly, width of pale interspaces between anterior blotches, and color of lateral intercalary spots vary considerably geographically. In some populations (lineaticollis and gibsoni) the anterior blotches are divided medially forming either a pair of dark stripes on the anterior part of the body or a series of paired spots. Details of coloration are described in the following accounts.

ACCOUNTS OF THE SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES

Study of Pituophis deppei (auctorum) revealed the presence of sympatric populations of two distinct species of Pituophis differing from each other in scutellation and coloration. The nomenclature resulting from the required rearrangement necessitates the recognition of 1) deppei as a species, 2) jani as a subspecies of deppei, 3) lineaticollis (with brevilineata as a synonym) as a species distinct from deppei, and 4) gibsoni as a subspecies of lineaticollis. Known geographic distributions of these named taxa are shown in Figure 1.

=Pituophis deppei deppei= Dum['e]ril

Elaphis deppei Dum['e]ril, Mem. Acad. Inst. France, vol. 23, p. 453, 1853; Dum['e]ril and Bibron, Erp['e]tologie g['e]n['e]rale, vol. 7, p. 268, February 25, 1854.

Pituophis deppei, Jan, Elenco sistematico degli ofidi, p. 59, 1863; G[:u]nther, Biologia Centrali-Americana, Reptilia, p. 124, February, 1894.

Elaphis pleurostictus Dum['e]ril, Mem. Acad. Inst. France, vol. 23, p. 453, 1853 [Type.--Museum d'Histoire Naturelle Paris, No. 6616; type locality--"Monte Video" (restricted to San Juan Teotihuac['a]n, M['e]xico, by Smith and Taylor, 1950: 334)].

Pituophis pleurostictus, Jan, Elenco sistematico degli ofidi, p. 59, 1863.

Pituophis deppei, var. pholidostictus Jan, Elenco sistematico degli ofidi, p. 59, 1863 [Type.--Zoologisches Museum Berlin, No. 1738; type locality.--"Mexico" (restricted to San Juan Teotihuac['a]n, M['e]xico, by Smith and Taylor, 1950: 334)].

Pituophis deppei deppei, Stull, Occas. Papers Mus. Zool. Univ. Michigan, no. 250, p. 1, October 12, 1932; Bull. U. S. Natl. Mus. 175, p. 25, April 23, 1940; Smith and Taylor, U. S. Natl. Mus., no. 187, p. 107, 1945.

Type.--Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Historie, Leiden, No. ???, obtained by Ferdinand Deppe. The type locality was originally given as "Mexico"; this was restricted to San Juan Teotihuac['a]n, state of M['e]xico, by Smith and Taylor (1950: 334).

Diagnosis.--This subspecies is characterized by the presence of solid body-blotches and lateral intercalary spots, dorsal interspaces less than five scales in length, and the absence of paired stripes or rows of blotches, on the anterior part of the body. There are 209 to 232 ventrals and 52 to 62 caudals. The body-blotches number 27 to 49. In adults the anterior and posterior body-blotches are black; the lateral intercalary spots are solid black. In many individuals black dashes connect the adjacent corners of the dorsal body-blotches (Pl. 45, Fig. 1). In juveniles the anterior, dorsal body-blotches are black, whereas those at the midbody and posteriorly are brown.

Variation.--Geographically, scutellation varies only slightly. Comparison of specimens from the northern part of the Mexican Plateau (Chihuahua, Coahuila, and Durango--5 specimens), the central part of the plateau (Aguascalientes, San Luis Potos['i], and Zacatecas--13 specimens), the southern part of the plateau (Guanajuato, Jalisco, M['e]xico, and Michoac['a]n--18 specimens), and Puebla and southern Veracruz (12 specimens) shows the average number of ventrals for these samples to be, respectively, 221.6, 216.7, 221.3, and 220.0. The average number of dorsal body-blotches for the same samples are, respectively, 36.6, 37.7, 38.4, and 34.6. Only in the southernmost sample is there a noticeable difference in the number of blotches.

The specimen from P['a]rajo Verde, Veracruz, was considered to be an intergrade between P. deppei and P. lineaticollis by Smith (1943: 461), who stated that, although the snake had 231 ventrals and dark lateral streaks as does deppei, it had light-centered dorsal blotches and stripes on the neck as does lineaticollis. This specimen (USNM 110892) has a high number of ventrals for deppei; one from Jalisco has 232, and one each from Guanajuato and Veracruz have 229. The blotches posteriorly are lighter than those anteriorly and are slightly lighter in the center than at the periphery. Two anterior blotches are divided medially and narrowly connected by black streaks. Although these are somewhat suggestive of the pattern of lineaticollis, they are more nearly like that of deppei. Four other specimens from the same area are typically deppei. There is some doubt as to the actual provenance of the snake stated to have come from P['a]rajo Verde, for, according to Smith (1943: 460), the snake had been tied to a truck and dragged halfway down the slopes of the Cumbres de Acultzingo, where he found it. He surmised that it probably was dragged no farther than the settlement, P['a]rajo Verde, at the Cumbres de Acultzingo.

Fugler and Webb (1956: 171) commented on the uniformly brown dorsum of a specimen (KU 39564) from 16 miles east and 18 miles north of Ocampo, Coahuila. It has a higher number of ventrals (242) and caudals (88) than is known for deppei. It is, without a doubt, a Pituophis. It is not Pituophis catenifer, as attested to by the presence of only two prefrontals. The high number of ventrals and caudals, together with the uniform dark brown dorsum, provide a combination of characters indicating that this specimen may represent an undescribed species in the deppei group of Pituophis.

Distribution.--Southern Chihuahua and southern Coahuila southward on the western and central parts of the Mexican Plateau to the Valley of M['e]xico and to southeastern Puebla and adjacent Veracruz.

Specimens examined.--Total of 63, as follows: Aguascalientes: 16 km. N of Aguascalientes, UIMNH 27149; 17 km. E of Aguascalientes, UIMNH 36222; 5 km. SW of Aguascalientes, KU 29495; Cavillito, UIMNH 28134; 11 km. N of Rincon de Romos, UIMNH 40359-60; 2 km. N of San Francisco de los Romos, UIMNH 27569. Chihuahua: USNM 8321 (2 specimens); Semachique, CNHM 11825. Coahuila: Castanuelas, MCZ 407. Distrito Federal: Lago Xochimilco, UIMNH 18709; Pedregal, UMMZ 99790. Durango: Coyotes, CNHM 1497; Hacienda Magdalena, USNM 46365; Llano Grande, UMMZ 113634. Guanajuato: USNM 16442; Acambaro, KU 45003; Irapuato, UIMNH 35055. Jalisco: Atemajac, USNM 46385; Guadalajara, USNM 24969; 5 km. SE of Guadalajara, KU 29508; Jamay, AMNH 19848-9, 19851-2; 3 km. WNW of Lagos de Moreno, KU 27727; 5 km. NW of Sayula, UMMZ 101933. M['e]xico: Atzocozlco, AMNH 19850; Chalco, USNM 110889; San Juan Teotihuac['a]n, EHT-HMS 5378, 5383, MCZ 16051. Michoac['a]n: 6 km. E of Carapan, AMNH 69940; 3 km. W of Carapan, UMMZ 114598; 14 km. W of Morelia, UMMZ 104969; Tacambaro, USNM 46557; Tac['i]cuaro, USNM 110888; 11 km. W of Zacapu, UMMZ 104968. Puebla: Alseseca, UIMNH 36221; Atlixco, USNM 46433; Puebla, AMNH 19856; 30 km. N of Puebla, USNM 110887; Tecamachalco, UMMZ 88688; 16 km. SSE of Tecamachalco, UMMZ 114597; Tehuacan, UMMZ 88687; 22 km. N of Tehuacan, EHT-HMS 5377. San Luis Potos['i]: USNM 46554; 26 km. SW of San Luis Potos['i], UIMNH 28133. Veracruz: 3 km. W of Acultzingo, KU 23978; Cumbres de Acultzingo, UIMNH 36224, 36226, UMMZ 114596; P['a]rajo Verde, USNM 110892; questionably from Potrero Viejo, UMMZ 89358-9. Zacatecas: 16 km. E of Somberete, UIMNH 27147; 1 km. SW of Tiburcio, KU 33599; 3 km. ESE of Troncoso, KU 29494; 10 km. W of Villa de Arriaga (San Luis Potos['i]), UIMNH 27151; 24 km. NW of Zacatecas, UIMNH 6393; 13 km. SE of Zacatecas, UIMNH 27148; 26 km. SE of Zacatecas, UIMNH 27568.

=Pituophis deppei jani= Cope

Arizona jani Cope, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, p. 369, 1860.

Pituophis deppei jani, Stull, Occas. Papers Mus. Zool. Univ. Michigan, no. 250, p. 2, October 12, 1932, Bull. U. S. Natl. Mus., no. 175, p. 42, April 23, 1940; Smith, Zool. Ser. Field Mus. Nat. Hist., vol. 29, p. 145, February 29, 1944; Smith and Taylor, Bull. U. S. Natl. Mus., no. 187, p. 107, 1940.

Type.--United States National Museum, No. 1522, from Buena Vista, Coahuila, obtained by Lieutenant Darius N. Couch.

Diagnosis.--This subspecies is characterized by solid body-blotches that are black anteriorly and brown posteriorly, anterior dorsal interspaces six or more scales in length, and the absence of dark stripes or rows of spots on the anterior part of the body. There are 215 to 235 ventrals, 52 to 68 caudals, and 21 to 31 dorsal body-blotches. The position of the lateral intercalary spots and lateral streaks are the same as in deppei deppei.