A new species of Atractus is described from Serra de Baturité, an Atlantic Forest enclave in the semiarid Caatinga of the state of Ceará, northeastern Brazil. The new species is distinguished from all congeners by the combination of 17 dorsal scale rows at midbody, long loreal, two postoculars, seven upper and lower labials, first four infralabials in contact with chinshields, seven maxillary teeth, moderate body and tail sizes, slightly bilobed and semicapitate hemipenis with lateral-tip projections, light dorsal color pattern uniformly scattered with small dark brown dots, and ventral color pattern uniformly creamish white. The new species shares most of the external morphology and hemipenis characters with A. pantostictus, differing from this taxon by general color pattern and number of subcaudal scales.
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28 December 2007
A New Species of Atractus (Serpentes: Dipsadinae) from a Relictual Forest in Northeastern Brazil
Paulo Passos,
Daniel S. Fernandes,
Diva M. Borges-Nojosa
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