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We describe herein a new polychromatic species of the snake genus Atractus from the cloud forests of the northeastern Andes of Colombia. The new species is distinguished from all congeners by having an exclusive combination of phenotypic characters, such as: dorsal scale rows 17, loreal long, seven to ten maxillary teeth, ventrals 156–174 in females and 153–169 in males, subcaudals 20–30 in females and 23–30 in males, dorsum with variable coloration, changing from dark green to orange or red with a black nuchal band (three to four scales long) connected to a black vertebral line and two black dorsolateral continuous stripes from the occipital region to tip of the tail, venter with irregular black blotches, relatively small body size, small tail length in females and moderately long in males, hemipenis moderately bilobed, semicapitate and semicalyculate. We compared the new species with all congeners occurring along the Cordillera Oriental in Colombia, Sierra de Perijá in the Colombia/Venezuela frontier and Cordillera de Mérida in Venezuela. We discussed aspects related to polychromatism and its implication toward a robust taxonomy for the genus Atractus. Describimos una nueva especie de serpiente policromática del género Atractus para los bosques nublados del noreste de los Andes de Colombia. La nueva especie se distingue de todos los congéneres por tener una combinación exclusiva de caracteres fenotípicos, como: escamas dorsales en 17 hileras, loreales largas, siete a diez dientes maxilares, ventrales 156–174 en hembras y 153–169 en machos, subcaudales 20–30 en hembras y 23–30 en machos, dorso con coloración variable, cambiando de verde oscuro a naranja o rojo con una banda nucal negra (largo de tres o cuatro escamas) conectada a una línea vertebral negra y dos franjas continuas dorsolaterales negras desde la región occipital hasta la punta de la cola, superficie ventral del cuerpo con manchas irregulares negras, tamaño corporal relativamente pequeño, longitud de la cola pequeña en las hembras y moderadamente larga en los machos, hemipene moderadamente bilobado, semicapitado y semicaliculado. Comparamos las nuevas especies con todos los congéneres que ocurren a lo largo de la Cordillera Oriental en Colombia, Sierra de Perijá en la frontera de Colombia/Venezuela y la Cordillera de Mérida en Venezuela. Discutimos aspectos relacionados con el policromatismo y su implicación hacia una taxonomía sólida para el género Atractus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leptophis santamartensis, known only from Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia, is one of the more poorly known species of the genus Leptophis. The characters used for its diagnosis largely overlap with those of other Leptophis, mainly with Leptophis ahaetulla occidentalis, the only other Leptophis known to occur in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. A detailed comparison of L. a. occidentalis with the two known specimens of L. santamartensis leads to the conclusion that the latter should be relegated to the synonymy of the former. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We revised the taxonomic status of Atractus species occurring in the eastern slopes of Central Cordillera, Magdalena Valley, and west slopes of Eastern Cordillera of Colombia on the basis of morphological characters (meristics, morphometrics, color patterns, and hemipenes). A lectotype is designated for Atractus obtusirostris. Additional specimens of A. melanogaster are reported for the first time and a neotype is designated for the species. The status of A. werneri is restricted to include only specimens from the western slopes of the Eastern Cordillera. Three new species are described from the eastern slopes of the Central Cordillera. Additionally, we provided a key for species distributed from the eastern Central to the western Eastern Cordilleras of Colombia, and propose a new species group for Atractus based on the sharing of exclusive morphological features. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The taxonomic status of Atractus occipitoalbus is revised on the basis of concordance between quantitative and qualitative analyses of morphological characters (meristic, morphometric, color pattern, and hemipenis). Atractus duboisi and A. orcesi are herein resurrected based on the number of ventral and subcaudal scales, number of postocular scales, head shape in lateral view, relative tail length, distinct color patterns, and hemipenial morphology. Additionally, a new species, closely related to A. occipitoalbus, is described from the Andean piedmont of Colombia. The new species, represented by a single female, is diagnosed from the A. occipitoalbus female populations on the basis of number of subcaudals, number postocular scales, and dorsal and ventral color patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three new species of Atractus are described from the northern Cordillera Central of Colombia. The new species, previously confused with older names, are easily distinguished from any currently recognized Atractus by unique combinations of morphological characters. Additionally, we provide comments on the Atractus diversity and distribution pattern in the Colombian Andes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]