A new species of Erythrolamprus from the oceanic island of Tobago (Squamata, Dipsadidae)

Abstract

Tobago is a small island on the southeast edge of the Caribbean Plate with a continental flora and fauna. Using DNA sequences from Genbank, new sequences, and morphological data from the snakes Erythrolamprus epinephalus, E. melanotus, E. reginae, and E. zweifeli, the species status of specimens of a Tobago snake previously considered to be Erythrolamprus reginae was assessed. Erythrolamprus zweifeli, long considered a subspecies of E. reginae, was found to be a northern Venezuela-Trinidad endemic and the sister to E. reginae. The trans-Andean species E. epinephalus is shown to be non-monophyletic while the Costa Rican lineage of E. epinephalus is weakly supported as the sister to the Tobago population. The Tobago Erythrolamprus is described as a distinct taxon based upon five specimens from four localities in lower montane rainforest. Much of the new species range includes the Main Ridge Forest Reserve of Tobago, the oldest protected forest in the Western Hemisphere. All known locations fall within a 400-ha area, and its total geographic distribution is likely to be less than 4,566 ha. The restricted distribution of this new snake makes it a likely candidate for threatened status. The new species also becomes another biogeographic link between northern Venezuela and Tobago.