Stenostoma albifrons Wagler in Spix, 1824 as nomen dubium and recognition of the name Leptotyphlops tenellus Klauber, 1939 (Serpentes: Leptotyphlopidae)

2009·0.08 MB·English

by  Franco, F L

Short Communications
SALAMANDRA 45 4 239-244 Rheinbach, 20 November 2009 ISSN 0036-3375
Stenostoma albifrons Wagler in Spix, 1824
as nomen dubium and recognition of the name
Leptotyphlops tenellus Klauber, 1939
(Serpentes: Leptotyphlopidae)
Francisco L. Franco & Roberta R. Pinto
Abstract. We discuss the name Stenostoma albifrons Wagler in Spix, 824 (= Leptotyphlops albifrons),
attributed to widely distributed Neotropical worm snake populations and consider it a nomen dubium
reviewing literature. The current junior synonym Leptotyphlops tenellus Klauber, 939 is proposed as a
replacement name.
Key words. Squamata, Scolecophidia, taxonomy, Neotropics.
Stenostoma albifrons was described in a very signed to a name of unknown or doubtful
succinct description by Wagler in Spix, application. Many authors have agreed with
824 based on a single specimen from “Habi- the difficulty to relegate Leptotyphlops albi-
tat rarum in adjacentibus urbis Para”, in the frons (Wagler in Spix, 824) to any popu-
proximity of Belém, Para, Brazil. The name lation of Leptotyphlops species (Schmidt &
Stenostoma was preoccupied by Stenosto- Inger 95, Thomas 965, Orejas-Miranda
ma Latreille, 80 for a coleopteran ge- 967, Vanzolini 970, Wilson & Hahn 973,
nus (which is also the case for Stenostoma Cunha & Nascimento 978, 993, Vanzo-
Lamarck, 87, a molluscan genus). After lini et al. 980, Hoogmoed & Gruber 983,
invalidation of Stenostoma as a genus name, McDiarmid et al. 999, Tipton 2005). The
Fitzinger (843) attributed the name Lepto- difficulty in applying the name L. albifrons
typhlops, to all described species under the and its resulting taxonomic problems involv-
genus name Stenostoma, actually attributed ing all previously described species of the albi-
to Leptotyphlops albifrons. Additionally, oth- frons group, revealed that diagnostic char-
er generic names were proposed to describe acters for L. albifrons have been confusing
other species (i.e. Glauconia) coined after ac- and incorrectly used (Jan 859, Jan & Sor-
tually naming Leptotyphlops, for this discus- delli 86, Klauber 939, Smith & Laufe
sion see McDiarmid et al. (999). 945, Roze 952, Smith & List 958, Peters
The genus Leptotyphlops comprises 05 & Orejas-Miranda 970, Vanzolini 996).
species widely distributed on all continents, The description of Wagler in Spix (824), as
except Australia and Antarctica (cf. McDi- well as the illustration of the holotype, are lit-
armid et al. 999, Dixon & Vaughan 2003, tle informative and it is impossible to demon-
Passos et al. 2006, Broadley & Walach strate any diagnostic character for this nomi-
2007, Hedges 2008). Leptotyphlops albifrons nal species since no additional information
is actually known to range from Trinidad and on the holotype became available before its
Guyana south into Argentina (Orejas-Mi- destruction during the World War II (Smith
randa 967, McDiarmid et al. 999). & List 958, Hahn 980). Jan (859) exam-
According to the International Code of ined type specimens described by Wagler,
Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN 999: ), but provided no additional information con-
the status of a nomen dubium has to be as- cerning S. albifrons.
© 2009 Deutsche Gesellschaft für Herpetologie und Terrarienkunde e.V. (DGHT)
http://www.salamandra-journal.com 239
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This problem is especially evident when are at least 2.400 km distant from the type
we evaluate the status of Leptotyphlops tenel- locality of L. albifrons. However, the local-
lus Klauber, 939. The species was described ity pointed out by D’Orbigny (847) is about
based on a holotype and one paratype from 435 km distant from the type locality of Lep-
Kartabo, Mazaruni-Potaro, British Guiana, totyphlops striatulus Smith & Laufe, 945
and six paratypes from Trinidad and Tobago (“Yamachi, in the Southern Yungas, Bolivia”
Island (Mount Saint Benedict and El Dorado, = Yanacachi, Sur de Yungas, La Paz, Bolivia),
Saint George County) (Klauber 939). Some which ranges from Bolivia to northern Argen-
authors have proposed that L. tenellus dif- tina (McDiarmid et al. 999). Leptotyphlops
fers from L. albifrons by the presence of con- striatulus shares several diagnostic characters
tact between supraocular and first supralabi- with L. albifrons (e.g. absence of supraocu-
al scales instead of absence of contact in L. lar and first supralabial scales contact, body
albifrons (Klauber 939, Peters & Orejas- dorsally dark and striped, rostral and caudal
Miranda 970, Orejas-Miranda & Zug spine yellowish; (e.g. Smith & Laufe 945).
974). This character was considered vari- Duméril & Bibron (844) attributed to
able by Jan & Sordelli (86) in a descrip- D’Orbigny (847) the citation of L. albifrons
tion and illustration of Stenostoma albifrons from Buenos Aires province, which accord-
var. albipuncta (see below) and subsequently ing to Kretzschmar (2006) referds to Lep-
by Boulenger (893), Thomas (965) and totyphlops albipunctus (Jan, 86). Without
Hoogmoed & Gruber (983). Based on this evidence that Duméril & Bibron (844) had
variation, L. tenellus has been considered as examined the holotype of Stenostoma albi-
a subspecies of L. albifrons (i.e. L. albifrons frons or any specimen close to the type local-
tenella; Roze 952) or a junior synonym of L. ity, it is plausible that their description was
albifrons (Thomas 965, Hoogmoed & Gru- based on specimens collected by D’Orbigny.
ber 983). According to Thomas (965) and Additionally, the text of D’Orbigny was pub-
Hoogmoed & Gruber (983), disregard- lished in 847 but the plates were published
ing the contact of supraocular and first su- on earlier dates between 835 and 844 (Van-
pralabial scales, L. tenellus would be the only zolini 977).
Leptotyphlops species occurring in the east- Jan & Sordelli (86, livr. 2, pl. VI, fig.
ern Amazon basin that shares morphologi- ) and Jan (864) illustrated and described
cal characters with L. albifrons (basically the Stenostoma albifrons without contact of the
pattern with dorsal lines and the pale rostral supraocular and first supralabial scales, re-
and terminal areas). Even after the synonymy spectively, from Lima, Peru, and Tucumán,
(Hoogmoed & Gruber 983), many authors Argentina. Jan & Sordelli (86, livr. 2, pl. V,
have considered L. tenellus a valid species fig. ) also illustrated a specimen of Stenosto-
(Chippaux 986, Lancini 986, Pérez-San- ma albifrons var. albipuncta (= L. albipunctus;
tos & Moreno 988, 99, Zimmerman & Peters & Orejas-Miranda 970) present-
Rodrigues 990, Schwartz & Henderson ing such scales in contact, probably the same
99, Kornacker 999, Tipton 2005). specimen figured from Tucumán, Argentina.
Duméril & Bibron (844) were the first Such variation encouraged disregarding this
authors to cite absence of contact between character by subsequent authors in diagnos-
scales in L. albifrons, which was not men- ing new species. Boulenger (893) consid-
tioned in the original description. D’Orbigny ered as synonyms of L. albifrons many spe-
(847) illustrated a species identified as Steno- cies that are presently considered full species:
stoma albifrons in which the supraocular and Leptotyphlops undescimstriatus (Schlegel,
first supralabial contact were absent from 839), Leptotyphlops melanotermus (Cope,
Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Samaipata and San 862), or ones synonymous with other spe-
José de Chiquitos, Bolivia. These localities cies. We conclude that absence of supraocu-
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lar and first supralabial contact scales cannot A taxonomic revision of striped Leptoty-
be considered as a diagnostic character of phlops is urgently needed to clarify the tax-
Wagler’s population. onomic status of the many forms related to
Smith & List (958) suggested a topotype L. albifrons and to judge on the names cur-
neotype designation to provide the stabili- rently synonymized with L. albifrons: L. albi-
zation of the name Leptotyphlops albifrons. punctus, Leptotyphlops australis Freiberg &
Wagler in Spix (824) reported as the type Orejas-Miranda, 968, Leptotyphlops biline-
locality “Habitat rarum in adjacentibus urbis atus (Schlegel, 839), Leptotyphlops colla-
Para”, in the proximity of Belém, Para, Bra- ris Hoogmoed, 977, Leptotyphlops columbi
zil. Cunha & Nascimento (978, 993) and Klauber, 939, Leptotyphlops diaplocius
Ávila-Pires (2005) recorded Leptotyphlops Orejas-Miranda, 969, Leptotyphlops gou-
macrolepis (Peters, 857) and Leptotyphlops dotii (Duméril & Bibron, 844), L. melano-
septemstriatus (Schneider, 80) in the East termus, Leptotyphlops melanurus Schmidt &
of Pará municipality, but no specimen corre- Walker, 943, Leptotyphlops munoai Ore-
sponding to L. albifrons or L. tenellus was re- jas-Miranda, 96, Leptotyphlops peruvia-
ported. Because of this, Cunha & Nascimen- nus Orejas-Miranda, 969, Leptotyphlops
to (993) suggested that the type locality of L. pyrites Thomas, 965, L. striatulus, Leptoty-
albifrons could be wrong. Orejas-Miranda phlops subcrotillus Klauber, 939, L. tenellus,
(967) reported topotypes of L. albifrons that Leptotyphlops tesselatus (Tschudi, 845), Lep-
were identified as L. tenellus, but this author totyphlops vellardi Laurent, 984 and Lepto-
only analyzed specimens examined by Bai- typhlops weyrauchi Orejas-Miranda, 964
ley & Carvalho (946) from states of Mato (Boulenger 893, Orejas-Miranda 967,
Grosso, Amazonas and Pará, although speci- Peters & Orejas-Miranda 970, Hoog-
mens from Pará were almost .050 km distant moed 977, Rodrigues & Puorto 994, Mc-
from the L. albifrons type locality (Cuminá Diarmid et al. 999).
River, Serra do Tumucumaque). Hoogmoed We conclude it is impossible to assign the
& Gruber (983) assigned the absence of L. name S. albifrons to any Leptotyphlops spe-
albifrons (or L. tenellus) in eastern of Pará to cies due to the lack of morphological infor-
deficiency of sampling, and pointed out that mation and destruction of the holotype. The
Hoogmoed (977) analyzed many speci- name albifrons includes many problems and
mens of L. tenellus from Brazilian Amazo- conceals identification errors. In such a case,
nia. However, the specimens examined were keeping the name albifrons (for nomenclatu-
from Mato Grosso, Rondônia, Amazonas, ral stability) does not contribute to herpeto-
Pará and Amapá, in which the Pará specimen logical knowledge but rather perpetuates tax-
was the same recorded by Bailey & Carval- onomic problems because it was attributed
ho (946) and Orejas-Miranda (967). We to so many different populations that it may
conclude that it is impossible at this time to have no significance at all. Therefore, we pro-
designate a neotype for L. albifrons, not only pose the designation of Stenostoma albifrons
by the absence of any specimen from the type Wagler in Spix, 824 (= Leptotyphlops albi-
locality that could be related to L. albifrons, frons) as a nomen dubium and the revalida-
but by the difficulty in diagnosing the spe- tion of Leptotyphlops tenellus Klauber, 939,
cies, due to deficient information in the orig- currently a junior synonym, as defined in the
inal description and subsequent destruction original description of Klauber (939) and
of the holotype. later by Hoogmoed (977).
The absence of any diagnostic characters Additionally, an operational fact is that by
in L. albifrons has led to the misidentifica- suppressing the name albifrons from further
tion of specimens, causing an overestima- usage, curators will be motivated to verify the
tion of the geographic range of this species. identification of their specimens previously
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identified as L. albifrons in collections. Doing (Serpentes: Leptotyphlopidae). – Texas
so would encourage the much needed taxo- Journal of Science, 55(): 3-24.
nomic revision of the Leptotyphlops albifrons D’Orbigny, A. (847): Voyage dans l´Amérique
species group. Méridionale (le Brésil, la République orientale
de l´Uruguay, la République Argentine, la Pat-
agonie, la République du Chili, la République
Acknowledgements de Bolivia, la République du Pérou) exécuté
pendant les années 826, 827, 828, 829, 830,
We are thankful Marcelo Ribeiro Duarte (In- 83, 832 et 833, par Alcides D’Orbigny. – Ath-
stituto Butantan), Paulo Passos and Ulisses ens: Facsimile reprint by the SSAR, 975.
Caramaschi (Museu Nacional, UFRJ), Mari- Duméril, A. M. C. & G. Bibron (844): Erpe-
nus S. Hoogmoed (Museu Paraense Emílio Goe- tologie Générale ou Histoire Naturelle Com-
ldi) and Van Wallach (Museum of Comparative plete des Reptiles. Vol. 6. – Paris: Libr. Ency-
Zoology) for valuable comments on the manu- clopédique Roret.
script. Roberta R. Pinto also thanks to CNPq
Fitzinger, L. (843): Systema Reptilium. Fascicu-
and FAPERJ for financial support.
lus primus, Amblygossae. – Viena: Braumüller
et Seidel.
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Manuscript received: 15 November 2008
Authors’ addresses: Francisco L. Franco, Laboratório de Herpetologia, Instituto Butantan, Av. Vital
Brazil, 1500, Butantã, 05503-900, São Paulo, Brazil, E-Mail: fl[email protected]; Roberta R.
Pinto, Departamento de Vertebrados, Museu Nacional/UFRJ, Quinta da Boa Vista, São Cristóvão,
20940-040, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, E-Mail: [email protected].
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