Echinanthera (Cope, 1894)

Luna, Igor Veronese de, Ugalde, Miguel Relvas, Guimarães, Mariana Rocha Santos, Hoffmann, Kauann, Citeli, Nathalie, Kiefer, Mara Cintia & Hamdan, Breno, 2025, Fig. 3 in Positive association between PTN polymorphisms and schizophrenia in Northeast Chinese Han population., Zoological Studies 64 (20), pp. 141-149 : 7

Echinanthera (Cope, 1894)

1. Live specimens with medium-dorsal line degraded to points on the rear portion of the body; preserved specimens with sequence of dark spots along the paravertebral and vertebral surfaces ..... 2

- Live specimens with medium-dorsal line wavy; preserved specimens with dorsum usually darkened without spots along the paravertebral and vertebral surfaces ........................................... 3

2. The nuchal lateral stripe gathers to the lateral body’s stripe, making a strong and continuous stripe from the lateral of the head until the tail tip, decreasing in intensity backwards ( Fig 4a ) ........ ........................................ Echinanthera cephalostriata ( Fig. 20h )

- The nuchal lateral stripe does not gather to the lateral body’s stripe, giving origin to dark marks isolated one from another by groups of light scales, making a discontinuous stripe from the lateral of the head until the tail tip ................................................. ......................................... Echinanthera melanostigma ( Fig. 21b )

3. Pair of light spots on the occipital region absent; supracephalic colouration is darker than the body, extending to the middle of the dorsum; dark dorsal band that contrasts with the paravertebral ground colour, at least on the neck; dorsum with light dots, forming an interrupted line along the trunk; anterior part of the dark pleural band usually regularly edged; pair of light spots on the occipital region absent ............................................................. ............................................ Echinanthera cyanopleura ( Fig. 21a )

- Pair of light spots on the occipital region present; supracephalic colouration the same as the ground dorsal colour; dorsum without dark vertebral line and pair of small and light dots on the basal portion of the scales, with dark middorsal band on the neck, usually with irregular borders ( Fig. 4b ) ........................................ ................................................. Echinanthera undulata ( Fig. 21c )

Figures

Fig. 4. Lateral view of the body of preserved specimen of Echinanthera cephalostriata (a) showing straight stripe pattern, and dorsal view of the body of preserved specimen of Echinanthera undulata (b) showing wavy stripe pattern and ocelli in the head.

Fig. 20. Representative Dipsadidae Snakes of Rio de Janeiro: a, Dipsas albifrons from Ubatuba/SP; b, Dipsas alternans from Ubatuba/SP; c, Dipsas indica from Rio de Janeiro/RJ; d, Dipsas neuwiedi from Rio de Janeiro/RJ; e, Dipsas sazimai from Rio Janeiro State; f, Dipsas variegata from Brasil; g, Amnisiophis amoenus from Rio de Janeiro State; h, Echinanthera cephalostriata from Nova Friburgo/RJ. RJ = Rio de Janeiro, SP = São Paulo. Photos by Breno Hamdan (d, e, h), Davor Vrcibradic (f), Marcelo Ribeiro Duarte (a, b), Marco Antônio de Freitas (e), Rodrigo Castellari Gonzalez (c).

Fig. 21. Representative Dipsadidae Snakes of Rio de Janeiro: a, Echinanthera cyanopleura from Santa Cruz da Serra/SC; b, Echinanthera melanostigma from Mangaratiba/RJ; c, Echinanthera undulata from Mangaratiba/RJ; d, Elapomorphus quinquelineatus from Mangaratiba/RJ; e, Erythrolamprus aesculapii dyad pattern from Três Rios/RJ; f, Erythrolamprus aesculapii monad pattern from Juiz de Fora/MG; g, Erythrolamprus almadensis juvenile from Salvador/BA; h, Erythrolamprus almadensis adult from Salvador/BA. BA = Bahia, RJ = Rio de Janeiro, MG = Minas Gerais, SC = Santa Catarina. Photos by Breno Hamdan (e, f), Igor Veronese de Luna (c), Marco Antônio de Freitas (g, h), Miguel Relvas Ugalde (b, d), Pedro Henrique Bernardo (a).