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AMEROTYPHLOPS MONTANUM SP. NOV. (FIG. 11; SUPPORTING INFORMATION, FIG. S4) Z o o b a n k r e g i s t r a t i o n: u r n: l s i d: z o o b a n k. org:act: BDB85DE5-C88C-4894-9197-60C3200FEC73 Holotype: An adult female, MZUSP 20065, (field number MTR 16379), collected by Augustín Camacho, José Cassimiro, Mauro Teixeira Jr., Miguel T. Rodrigues, Renata C. Amaro and Renato Recoder 6 March 2009 from Parque Nacional Serra das Lontras (15° 11 ′ 46.32 ′′ S, 39° 20 ′ 54.24 ′′ W; c. 234 m a.s.l.), municipality of Arataca, state of Bahia, Brazil (Fig. 11; Supporting Information, Fig. S4). Diagnosis: This species is distinguished from all other South American congeneric species by a unique combination of the following of characters: (1) nasal suture incomplete; (2) rostral scale oval; (3) supralabial scales four; (4) infralabial scales three; (5) rows scales around the body 20/20/18; (6) mid-dorsal scales 220; (7) ventral scales 217; (8) rows of dorsal scales dark brown 11; (9) rows of ventral scales yellowish cream and immaculate 7–9; (10) caudal spine dark brown; (11) subcaudal scales 11; (12) TTL 216 mm; (13) TL 5.32 mm; (14) contact between the nasal process of premaxilla and vertical laminae of the nasals restricted to the anterodorsal portion, with the central and posteroventral portions not in contact, leaving a large canal between the olfactory chambers; (15) smallsized palatine fossa on the lateral side of the maxilla; (16) maxilla with a straight medial border; (17) ventral pterygoid process of palatine straight; (18) ratio between length of ventral pterygoid process of palatine and skull length 0.06; (19) angle between mandibular condyle articulation and the retroarticular process of the compound bone close to 90°; and (20) dorsal surface of dentary bone without evident foramina. Amerotyphlops montanum differs from A. costaricensis, A. lehneri, A. microstomus, A. stadelmani, A. tasymicris, A. tenuis, A. trinitatus and A. tycherus by having an incomplete nasal suture (vs. complete nasal suture); from A. arenensis, A. caetanoi, A. amoipira, A. minuisquamus, A. paucisquamus and A. yonenagae by having20/20/18rowsscalesaroundthebody (vs.18/16/14, 18/18/14, 20/18/14 or 20/18/ 15 in A. minuisquamus and 18/18/ 18 in A. arenensis, A. caetanoi, A. amoipira, A. paucisquamus and A. yonenagae); from A. reticulatus by having highly pigmented cephalic scales with a dark brown dorsum and dorsum tail brown (vs. yellow and few pigmented cephalic scales, dorsum brown or black and dorsum tail black with cream or yellow spot); and from A. brongermianus by having a larger interorbital relative width (INORB/HWE) 0.725 mm (vs. smaller interorbital relative width, between 0.526 –0.705 mm). Table 1 shows additional morphometric characters and scale patterns found in A. montanum and in a morphologically similar species distributed in southeastern Brazil (A. brongermianus). Description of the holotype: Adult female, TTL 216 mm, TL 5.32 mm, MBD/(SVL-HR) 0.034 mm and TL/SVL 39.60 mm. Head slightly depressed dorsoventrally, not wider than ‘neck’. Snout round in dorsal and ventral views. Rostral oval, longer than wide, narrow at anteroposterior region and wider at medial region; visible in dorsal view, extending ventrodorsally without reaching the imaginary transverse line between anterior borders of eyes. Rostral contacting nasal (anterior and posterior) dorsolaterally, and first supralabial and anterior nasal scales ventrally. Nasal suture incomplete, only partially dividing the anterior and posterior portions of nasal scale. Suture begins in the upper edge of second supralabial, passes through nostril, but fails to reach rostral. Anterior nasal in contact with first infralabial and upper edge of second infralabial. Posterior nasal longer than wide, contacting upper margin of second supralabial and preocular. Supralabials four, fourth twice longer than third. Infralabials three, third largest. Eye diameter 1.03 mm; eyes not visible in ventral view, located dorsolaterally, close to suture between preocular and ocular scales, completely covered by ocular scale. Ocular scales contacting frontal. Body cylindrical and robust. Midbody diameter 7.12 mm. Dorsal and ventral scales cycloid, wider than long, highly imbricated and arranged in diagonal series; scale rows around the body 20/20/18. Mid-dorsal scales 220. Ventral scales 217. Cloacal plate rounded, bordered anteriorly by four rows of scales and posteriorly by five rows of scales. Subcaudal scales 11, excluding the terminal spine. Terminal spine large, stout base and dark brown. Skull osteology ( N = 1; MZUSP 20065): The length of the skull is 8.08 mm and the width is 4.14 mm. The snout region has a globular enlarged-shape and highly consolidated. The snout articulates with the braincase by the nasal and prefrontal sutures and with the frontal bone. The anteroventral region of the premaxilla has a short backward process.The midsagittal lamina separates both sides of the premaxilla (Fig. 5). The lamina of the premaxilla is confluent with the mid-dorsal laminae of the nasals and with the mid-dorsal ridges of the vomeronasal cupola of the septomaxillae (Fig. 5). The lamina of the premaxilla and the nasal laminae are restricted to the anterodorsal portion, with the central and posteroventral portions not in contact, leaving a large canal between the olfactory chambers (Fig. 5A). The medial side of the maxilla has a shallow depression (or fossa), where lodges the maxillary process of the palatine. The palatine fossa is on the lateral side of the maxilla, in the region of the articular fossa. The palatine fossa is small, with a diameter of 0.17 mm long (Fig. 5B). The medial border of the maxilla is straight (Fig. 6B). The ventral pterygoid process of the palatine is straight-shaped and ventrally directed (Fig. 7A). The retroarticular process projects in parallel to the horizontal plane of the articular. The angle between mandibular condyle articulation and the retroarticular process of the compound bone is close to 90° (Fig. 8A). The edentulous dentary is restricted to the distal end of the mandible, articulating mainly with the splenial. The dorsal side of the dentary is flat and without evident foramina (Fig. 9B). Coloration of the holotype in preserƲatiƲe: Dorsum (11/11/11 rows scales) dark brown, venter (9/9/7 rows scales) yellowish cream (Supporting Information, Fig. S4A, B). Dorsal portions of snout yellowish cream, with a dark brown spot, covering totally both rostral and nasal scales (Fig. 11A, B). Ventral portion of snout yellowish cream and few pigmented (Fig. 11C). Symphysial region yellowish cream and immaculate (Fig. 11C). Dorsal head scales (supraoculars, frontal, postfrontal, parietals and occipitals) and dorsal portions of lateral head scales (ocular, nasal and lower nasal) predominantly dark brown (Fig. 11A, B). Ventral portion of head scales (nasal and lower nasal) yellowish cream (Fig. 11A, C). Cloacal plate pale yellowish cream and terminal spine dark brown (Supporting Information, Fig. S4B). Etymology: The specific epithet is derived from the neutral form of Latin adjective ‘ montanus ’. It is a reference to the type locality, a high elevational forest, located on the slopes of a hill summit in the Brazilian state of Bahia. Distribution and habitat: Amerotyphlops montanum is known from the Parque Nacional Serra das Lontras, situated at 10 km from the municipality of Arataca, in state of Bahia, Brazil, and from Reserva Particular do Patrimônio Natural Serra do Teimoso, situated at 5 km from the municipality of Jussari, in state of Bahia, Brazil (Fig. 10B). These regions are known as part of the Serra das Lontras montane complex (Nacif et al., 2009), belonging to the Atlantic Forest morphoclimatic domain, in the Bahia Coastal forest ecoregion (Olson et al., 2001). The prevalent phytophysiognomy correspond to ombrophilous dense and semi-deciduous forests (Veloso et al., 1991;Amorim & epiphytes, with a well-established and preserved understory. The forest changes dramatically above 800 m, presenting stunted trees (10–15 m tall), covered with small bromeliads, heavy bryophyte and lichen growth (Veloso et al., 1991; Amorim & Matos, 2009; Reis & Fontoura, 2009). Additional data on the habitat of Serra das Lontras and Serra do Teimoso are, respectively, in Recoder et al. (2010) and Rodrigues et al. (2002). Remarks: In our phylogenetic analysis we included a sample from a specimen from the Reserva Particular do Patrimônio Natural Serra do Teimoso, from the municipality of Jussari, in the state of Bahia, Brazil. Unfortunately, we did not have access to review this specimen, but we have recognized its molecular relationships with A. montanum. The tissue sample is currently stored in the genetic resource collection of Instituto de Biociências da Universidade de São Paulo University (see Supporting Information, Table S2)., Published as part of Graboski, Roberta, Arredondo, Juan C., Grazziotin, Felipe G., Guerra-Fuentes, Ricardo Arturo, Da Silva, Ariane A. A., Prudente, Ana L. C., Pinto, Roberta R., Rodrigues, Miguel T., Bonatto, Sandro L. & Zaher, Hussam, 2023, Revealing the cryptic diversity of the widespread and poorly known South American blind snake genus Amerotyphlops (Typhlopidae: Scolecophidia) through integrative taxonomy, pp. 719-751 in Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 197 on pages 731-735, DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlac059, http://zenodo.org/record/7695978, {"references":["Nacif PGS, Costa OV, Araujo M, Santos PS. 2009. Geomorfodinamica da Regiao do Complexo de Serras das Lontras. In: SAVE Brasil, IESB, BirdLife, eds. Complexo de Serras das Lontras e Una, Bahia: Elementos naturais e aspectos de sua conserVacao. Sao Paulo: SAVE Brasil, 9 - 14.","Olson DM, Dinerstein E, Wikramanayake ED, Burgess ND, Powell GVN, Underwood EC, D'amico JA, Itoua I, Strand HE, Morrison JC, Loucks CJ, Allnutt TF, Ricketts TH, Kura Y, Lamoreux JF, Wettengel WW, Hedao P, Kassem KR. 2001. Terrestrial ecoregions of the world: a new map of life on earth. BioScience 51: 933 - 938. Doi: 10.1641 / 0006 - 3568 (2001) 051 [0933: TEOTWA] 2.0. CO; 2.","Veloso HP, Rangel Filho ALR, Lima JCA. 1991. Classificacao da Vegetacao brasileira, adaptada a um sistema uniVersal. Rio de Janeiro: Ministerio da Economia, Fazenda e Planejamento, Fundacao Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatistica, Diretoria de Geociencias, Departamento de Recursos Naturais e Estudos Ambientais.","Amorim AM, Matos FB. 2009. A vegetacao do complexo de Serra das Lontras. In: SAVE Brasil, IESB, BirdLife, eds. Complexo de Serras das Lontras e Una, Bahia: elementos naturais e aspectos de sua conserVacao. Sao Paulo: SAVE Brasil, 16 - 25.","Reis JRM, Fontoura T. 2009. Diversidade de bromelias epifitas na Reserva Particular do Patrimonio Natural Serra do Teimoso - Jussari, BA. Biota Neotropica 9: 73 - 79. Doi: 10.1590 / S 1676 - 06032009000100009.","Recoder RS, Junior MT, Cassimiro J, Camacho A, Rodrigues MT. 2010. A new species of Dendrophryniscus (Amphibia, Anura, Bufonidae) from the Atlantic rainforest of southern Bahia, Brazil. Zootaxa 2642: 36 - 44. Doi: 10.11646 / zootaxa. 2642.1.3."]}

AMEROTYPHLOPS CAETANOI SP. NOV. (FIG. 4; SUPPORTING INFORMATION, FIG. S3) Z o o b a n k r e g i s t r a t i o n: L S I D u r n:l s i d:z o o b a n k. org:act: BA5C7CBF-7391-4797-8CEC-DF201B294A73 Holotype: An adult female, MZUSP S-023380, (field number MTR 19921), collected by Ana C. Q. Carnaval, José C. Silva, Marco A. Sena, Mauro Teixeira Jr., Miguel T. Rodrigues, Renata C. Amaro and Renato Recoder on 15 December 2010 from Parque Nacional da Chapada Diamantina, on BR 144 Road, municipality Lençóis (12° 32 ′ 44.682 ′′ S, 41° 21 ′ 50.364 ′′ W; c. 493 m a.s.l.), state of Bahia, Brazil (Fig. 4; Supporting Information, Fig. S3). Diagnosis: This species is distinguished from all other congeneric species by the unique combination of the following of characters: (1) nasal suture incomplete; (2) rostral scale oval; (3) supralabial scales four; (4) infralabial scales three; (5) rows scales around the body 18/18/18; (6) mid-dorsal scales 212; (7) ventral scales 202; (8) rows of dorsal scales dark brown 13; (9) rows of ventral scales yellowish cream and immaculate 5; (10) caudal spine dark brown; (11) subcaudal scales 9; (12) TTL 176 mm; (13) TL 4.33 mm; (14) broad contact between the lamina of the premaxilla and the vertical laminae of the nasals, forming a continuous bony septum separating the olfactory chambers; (15) large palatine fossa on the lateral side of the maxilla; (16) maxilla with a straight medial border; (17) ventral pterygoid process of palatine straight; (18) ratio between length of ventral pterygoid process of palatine and skull length 0.25; (19) angle between mandibular condyle articulation and the retroarticular process of the compound bone close to 90°; and (20) dorsal surface of dentary bone with two evident foramina. The new species differs from Amerotyphlops costaricensis, A. lehneri, A. microstomus, A. stadelmani, A. tasymicris, A. tenuis, A. trinitatus and A. tycherus, by having an incomplete nasal suture (vs. complete nasal suture); from A. brongersmianus, A. reticulatus and A. minuisquamus by having 18/18/18 rows scales around the body (vs. 18/16/14, 18/18/14, 20/18/14 or 20/18/ 15 in A. minuisquamus; 20/20/18 or 20/20/ 20 in A. brongersmianus and A. reticulatus); from A. brongersmianus by having an angle close to 90° between mandibular condyle articulation and the retroarticular process of the compound bone (vs. an angle of 135°); from A. yonenagae by having less than 250 mid-dorsal scales (vs. more than 250 mid-dorsal); from A. amoipira by having highly pigmented cephalic scales with a dark brown dorsum (vs. few pigmented cephalic scales, creamy brown dorsum with a fine darker brown paravertebral line concentrated in the anterior part of the body); from A. paucisquamus by having a largest number of mid-dorsal, 212 (vs. fewer number of mid-dorsal, between 162 and 209); and from A. arenensis by having a smaller rostral width (RW1) at dorsal portion, 1.29 mm (vs. larger rostral width at dorsal portion (RW1), between 1.44 and 2.13 mm). Table 1 shows additional morphometric characters and scale patterns found in A. caetanoi and morphologically similar species distributed in southern and north-eastern Brazil. Description of the holotype: Adult female, TTL 176 mm, TL 4.33 mm, MBD/(SVL-HR) 0.036 mm, and TL/SVL 39.72 mm. Head slightly depressed dorsoventrally, not wider than ‘neck’. Snout round in dorsal and ventral views. Rostral oval, longer than wide, narrow at anteroposterior region and wider at medial region; visible in dorsal view, extending ventrodorsally without reaching the imaginary transverse line between anterior borders of eyes. Rostral contacting nasal (anterior and posterior) dorsolaterally, and first supralabial and anterior nasal scales ventrally. Nasal suture incomplete, only partially dividing the anterior and posterior portions of nasal scale. Suture begins in the upper edge of second supralabial, passes through nostril, but fails to reach rostral. Anterior nasal in contact with first infralabial and upper edge of second infralabial. Posterior nasal longer than wide, contacting upper margin of second supralabial and preocular. Supralabials four, fourth twice longer than third. Infralabials three, third largest. Eye diameter 0.56 mm; eyes not visible in ventral view, located dorsolaterally, close to suture between preocular and ocular scales, completely covered by ocular scale. Ocular scales contacting frontal. Body cylindrical and robust. Midbody diameter 6.21 mm. Dorsal and ventral scales cycloid, wider than long, highly imbricated and arranged in diagonal series; scale rows around the body 18/18/18. Mid-dorsal scales 212. Ventral scales 202. Cloacal plate rounded, bordered anteriorly by four rows of scales and posteriorly by five rows of scales. Subcaudal scales nine, excluding the terminal spine. Terminal spine large, stout base and dark brown. Abbreviations: ED, eye diameter; HR, head radius; HWE, head width; IN, internasal distance; INORB, interorbital distance; RL, rostral length; RW1, rostral width; MBD, midbody diameter. Skull osteology ( N = 1; MZUSP S-023380): The length of the skull is 6.15 mm, the width is 2.92 mm. The snout region has a globular enlarged-shape and highly consolidated. The snout articulates with the braincase by the nasal and prefrontal sutures and with the frontal bone. The anteroventral region of the premaxilla has a short backward process. The midsagittal lamina separates both sides of the premaxilla (Fig. 5). The lamina of the premaxilla is confluent with the mid-dorsal laminae of the nasals and with the mid-dorsal ridges of the vomeronasal cupola of the septomaxillae (Fig. 5). The lamina of the premaxilla and the nasal laminae are in contact, forming a continuous bony septum separating the olfactory chambers (Fig. 5B). The medial side of the maxilla has a shallow depression (or fossa), where lodges the maxillary process of the palatine. The palatine fossa is on the lateral side of the maxilla, in the region of the articular fossa. The palatine fossa is large with a diameter of 0.25 mm long (Fig. 6A). The medial border of the maxilla is straight (Fig. 6A). The ventral pterygoid process of the palatine is straight and ventrally directed (Fig. 7A). The retroarticular process projects in parallel to the horizontal plane of the articular. The angle between mandibular condyle articulation and the retroarticular process of the compound bone is close to 90° (Fig. 8A). The edentulous dentary is restricted to the distal end of the mandible, articulating mainly with the splenial. The dorsal side of the dentary is flat and pierced by two foramina (Fig. 9A). Coloration of the holotype in preserƲatiƲe: Dorsum (13/13/13 row scales) dark brown (Supporting Information, Fig. S3A), venter (5/5/5 rows scales) yellowish cream (Supporting Information, Fig. S3B). Dorsal portions of snout yellowish cream, with a dark brown spot, covering both rostral and nasal scales (two-thirds of snout) (Fig. 4A, B). Ventral portions of snout yellowish cream and few pigmented (Fig. 4C). Symphysial region yellowish cream and immaculate (Fig. 4C). Dorsal head scales (supraoculars, frontal, postfrontal, parietals and occipitals) dark brown. Dorsal portions of lateral head scales (ocular, nasal and lower nasal) and ventral portions yellowish cream with dark brown spots. Cloacal plate pale yellowish cream and terminal spine dark brown (Fig. 4A–C). Etymology: The name is a homage to Brazilian composer, singer and political activist Caetano Emanuel Viana Telles Veloso, better known as Caetano Veloso. Caetano is one of the most famous Brazilians born in the state of Bahia (in 1942), the same state in which the new species occurs. He became known for his participation in the Brazilian musical movement ‘ Tropicalismo ’ that encompassed theatre, poetry and music in the 1960s, at the beginning of the Brazilian military dictatorship. Veloso is also a well-known conservationist, acting to give voice to the preservation of the Brazilian natural environments and to indigenous resilience. Distribution and habitat: Amerotyphlops caetanoi is known only from Parque Nacional da Chapada Diamantina, in the BR 144 Road, situated at 2 km from the municipality of Lençóis, state of Bahia, Brazil (Fig. 10B). This region is one of the largest upland Atlantic dry forest enclaves of the east-central Bahia state (Veloso et al., 1991). The phytophysiognomy corresponds to a submontane seasonal semi-deciduous forest (Couto et al., 2011; Braz et al., 2013), ranging from 400 to 600 m a.s.l., with an annual average of temperature and rainfall of 20 °C and 100 mm, respectively (Funch et al., 2009). This area presents a non-continuous canopy, consisting of tall trees (approximately 10–16 m), and a subcanopy, consisting of medium-height trees (approximately 6–9 m), with a well-established and preserved understory (Couto et al., 2011).

AMEROTYPHLOPS ILLUSORIUM SP. NOV. (FIG. 14; SUPPORTING INFORMATION, FIGS S7, S 8) Z o o b a n k r e g i s t r a t i o n: u r n: l s i d: z o o b a n k. org:act: AF7FA356-4412-4C70-AA6D-8C4D24D81966 Holotype: An adult female, MZUSP 18787, (field number MTR 13542), collected by Miguel T. Rodrigues and collaborators on 26 March 2007 from Fazenda Nova Alegria (16° 31 ′ 50.7 ′′ S, 39° 07 ′ 06.7 ′′ W, c. 30 m a.s.l.), municipality of Trancoso, state of Bahia, Brazil (Fig. 14; Supporting Information, Fig. S7). Paratypes: Two male specimens, MNRJ 19614 and MNRJ 19613, collected by Tiago S. Soares between 6 and 15 June 2010 from Praia de Porto Seguro, municipality of Trancoso, state of Bahia, Brazil (Supporting Information, Fig. S8A–D). Diagnosis: This species is distinguished from all other South American congeneric species by the unique combination of the following of characters: (1) nasal suture incomplete; (2) rostral scale oval; (3) supralabial scales four; (4) infralabial scales three; (5) rows scales around the body 20/20/18; (6) mid-dorsal scales 221–230; (7) ventral scales 210–219; (8) rows of dorsal scales dark brown 13–15; (9) rows of ventral scales yellowish cream and immaculate five to seven; (10) caudal spine dark brown; (11) subcaudal scales ten to 12; (12) maximum TTL 229 mm; (13) maximum TL 6 mm; (14) nasal process of premaxilla contacting the vertical laminae of the nasals in the anterodorsal and posteroventral portions, with the central portion not in contact, leaving a large round canal between the olfactory chambers; (15) large palatine fossa on the lateral side of the maxilla; (16) maxilla with a straight medial border; (17) ventral pterygoid process of palatine straight; (18) ratio between length of ventral pterygoid process of palatine and skull length 0.06; (19) angle between mandibular condyle articulation and the retroarticular process of the compound bone close to 90°; and (20) dorsal surface of dentary bone with one to two evident foramina. Amerotyphlops illusorium differs from A. costaricensis, A. lehneri, A. microstomus, A. stadelmani, A. tasymicris, A. tenuis, A. trinitatus and A. tycherus by having an incomplete nasal suture (vs. complete nasal suture); from A. arenensis, A. caetanoi, A. amoipira, A. minuisquamus, A. paucisquamus and A. yonenagae by having 20/20/18 rows scales around the body (vs. 18/16/14, 18/18/14, 20/18/14 or 20/18/ 15 in A. minuisquamus and 18/18/ 18 in A. arenensis, A. caetanoi, A. amoipira, A. paucisquamus and A. yonenagae); from A. reticulatus by having highly pigmented cephalic scales with a dark brown dorsum and dorsum tail brown (vs. yellow and few pigmented cephalic scales, dorsum brown or black and dorsum tail black with cream or yellow spot); from A. montanum by having a smaller rostral width (RW1) at the dorsal portion, between 1.22 and 1.54 mm (vs. a larger rostral width at the dorsal portion 1.88 mm); from A. martis by having a largest number of mid-dorsal scales, between 221 and 230 (vs. fewer number of mid-dorsal scales, between 208 and 217); and from A. brongermianus by having the ventral portion of the pterygoid process of palatine straight (vs. ventral pterygoid process of palatine curved). Table 1 shows additional morphometric characters and scale patterns found in A. illusorium and morphologically similar species distributed in southern and north-eastern Brazil. Description of the holotype: Adult female, TTL 229 mm, TL 6 mm, MBD/(SVL-HR) 0.037 mm and TL/SVL 37.16 mm. Head slightly depressed dorsoventrally, not wider than ‘neck’. Snout round in dorsal and ventral views. Rostral oval, longer than wide, narrow at anteroposterior region and wider at medial region; visible in dorsal view, extending ventrodorsally without reaching the imaginary transverse line between anterior borders of eyes. Rostral contacting nasal (anterior and posterior) dorsolaterally and first supralabial and anterior nasal scales ventrally. Nasal suture incomplete, only partially dividing the anterior and posterior portions of nasal scale. Suture begins in the upper edge of second supralabial, passes through nostril, but fails to reach rostral. Anterior nasal in contact with first infralabial and upper edge of second infralabial. Posterior nasal longer than wide, contacting upper margin of second supralabial and preocular. Supralabials four, fourth twice longer than third. Infralabials three, third largest. Eye diameter 0.77 mm; eyes not visible in ventral view, located dorsolaterally, close to suture between preocular and ocular scales, completely covered by ocular scale. Ocular scales contacting frontal. Body cylindrical and robust. Midbody diameter 8.28 mm. Dorsal and ventral scales cycloid, wider than long, highly imbricated and arranged in diagonal series; scale rows around the body 20/20/18. Mid-dorsal scales 221. Ventral scales 218. Cloacal plate rounded, bordered anteriorly by three rows of scales and posteriorly by five rows of scales. Subcaudal scales ten, excluding the terminal spine. Terminal spine large, stout base and dark brown. Skull osteology ( N = 2; MZUSP 18787 and MNRJ 19613): Length of the skull 7.03–8.22 mm, and skull width 3.46–3.99 mm. The snout region has a globular enlarged-shape and highly consolidated. The snout articulates with the braincase by the nasal and prefrontal sutures and with the frontal bone. The anteroventral region of the premaxilla has a short backward process. The midsagittal lamina separates both sides of the premaxilla (Fig. 5). The lamina of the premaxilla is confluent with the mid-dorsal laminae of the nasals and with the mid-dorsal ridges of the vomeronasal cupola of the septomaxillae (Fig. 5). The nasal process of premaxilla contacting the vertical laminae of the nasals in the anterodorsal and posteroventral portions, with the central portion not in contact, leaving a large round canal between the olfactory chambers (Fig. 5A). The medial side of the maxilla has a shallow depression (or fossa), where lodges the maxillary process of the palatine. The palatine fossa is on the lateral side of the maxilla, in the region of the articular fossa. The palatine fossa is large (Fig. 6A), with diameters between 0.24 and 0.29 mm long. The medial border of the maxilla is straight-shaped (Fig. 6A). The pterygoid process of the palatine is straight-shaped and ventrally directed (Fig. 7A). The retroarticular process projects in parallel to the horizontal plane of the articular. The angle between mandibular condyle articulation and the retroarticular process of the compound bone is close to 90° (Fig. 8A). The edentulous dentary is restricted to the distal end of the mandible, articulating mainly with the splenial. The dorsal side of the dentary is flat and pierced by one or two foramina (Fig. 9A). Coloration of the holotype in preserƲatiƲe: Dorsum (13/13/13 rows scales) dark brown, venter (7/7/5 rows scales) yellowish cream (Fig. S7A, B). Dorsal portions of snout yellowish cream, with a dark brown spot, covering both rostral and nasal scales (Fig. 14A, B). Ventral portion of snout yellowish cream and immaculate (Fig. 14C). Symphysial region yellowish cream and immaculate (Fig. 14C). Dorsal head scales (supraoculars, frontal, postfrontal, parietals and occipitals) and dorsal portions of lateral head scales (ocular, nasal, and lower nasal) predominantly dark brown (Fig. 14A, B) and ventral portions yellowish cream (Fig. 14C). Cloacal plate pale yellowish cream and terminal spine dark brown (Fig. S7B). Variation of paratypes: Number of subcaudal scales 11–12 (mean = 11.5, SD = 0.7, N = 2). Tail length 2.58– 3.0 % of TTL (N = 2). Largest male with 207 mm TTL. MBD 4.91–5.11 mm (mean = 5.01, SD = 0.13, N = 2); number of mid-dorsal scales 226–230 (mean = 228.0, SD = 2.82, N = 2); number of ventral scales 210–219 (mean = 214.0, SD = 6.36, N = 2); and number of scale rows around the body 20/20/18. The colour patterns of the paratypes are similar to that found in the holotype (Supporting Information, Fig. S8A–D). Etymology: The specific epithet is derived from the Latin adjective illusorius, illusory or ironic, in reference to the external morphology that challenges its identification when compared to Amerotyphlops brongersmianus. Distribution and habitat: Amerotyphlops illusorium is known from Fazenda Nova Alegria, situated at 6 km from the municipality of Trancoso, in the state of Bahia, Brazil (Fig. 10B). This region is considered as part of the Atlantic Forest morphoclimatic domain, in the Bahia Coastal forest ecoregion, along the northeastern coast of Brazil (Olson et al., 2001) The prevalent phytophysiognomy in Trancoso presenting a restinga and ombrophilous dense lowland forests (Veloso et al., 1991; Rizzini, 1997; Assis et al., 2011), with an elevational gradient ranging from sea level to 50 m a.s.l., with an annual average of temperature of 24.4 °C and rainfall between 1300 and 1600 mm, respectively (Veloso et al., 1991; Rizzini, 1997; Assis et al., 2011; Santos, 2013). This region has several different levels of successional vegetation, with areas close to the sandplain with herbaceous, shrubs and arboreous forest and areas at the beginning of piedmont, with lowland forests, with medium height trees (approximately 20 m), with epiphytes and herbaceous understory (Santos, 2013)., Published as part of Graboski, Roberta, Arredondo, Juan C., Grazziotin, Felipe G., Guerra-Fuentes, Ricardo Arturo, Da Silva, Ariane A. A., Prudente, Ana L. C., Pinto, Roberta R., Rodrigues, Miguel T., Bonatto, Sandro L. & Zaher, Hussam, 2023, Revealing the cryptic diversity of the widespread and poorly known South American blind snake genus Amerotyphlops (Typhlopidae: Scolecophidia) through integrative taxonomy, pp. 719-751 in Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 197 on pages 738-740, DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlac059, http://zenodo.org/record/7695978, {"references":["Olson DM, Dinerstein E, Wikramanayake ED, Burgess ND, Powell GVN, Underwood EC, D'amico JA, Itoua I, Strand HE, Morrison JC, Loucks CJ, Allnutt TF, Ricketts TH, Kura Y, Lamoreux JF, Wettengel WW, Hedao P, Kassem KR. 2001. Terrestrial ecoregions of the world: a new map of life on earth. BioScience 51: 933 - 938. Doi: 10.1641 / 0006 - 3568 (2001) 051 [0933: TEOTWA] 2.0. CO; 2.","Veloso HP, Rangel Filho ALR, Lima JCA. 1991. Classificacao da Vegetacao brasileira, adaptada a um sistema uniVersal. Rio de Janeiro: Ministerio da Economia, Fazenda e Planejamento, Fundacao Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatistica, Diretoria de Geociencias, Departamento de Recursos Naturais e Estudos Ambientais.","Rizzini CT. 1997. Tratado de fitogeografia do Brasil: aspectos ecologicos, sociologicos e floristicos. Rio de Janeiro: Ambito Cultural.","Assis MA, Prata EMB, Pedroni F, Sanchez M, Eisenlohr PV, Martins FR, Santos FAM, Tamashiro JY, Alves LF, Vieira SA, Piccolo MC, Martins SC, Camargo PB, Carmo JB, Simoes E, Martinelli LA, Joly CA. 2011. Florestas de restinga e de terras baixas na planicie costeira do sudeste do Brasil: vegetacao e heterogeneidade ambiental. Biota Neotropica 11: 103 - 121. Doi: 10.1590 / S 1676 - 06032011000200012.","Santos VDJ. 2013. Restingas do estado da Bahia: riqueza, diVersidade e estrutura. Unpublished DPhil, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco."]}

Ontogenetic shifts in the snake heart topography are mostly associated with their life habits and physiological adaptations due to modifications of complex functional-adaptative and developmental constraints. However, such studies are incipient for scolecophidians, and the presence of shifts putatively related to physiological mechanisms are still unexplored for this group. We aimed to evaluate the presence of topological shifts in heart position and the allometry of heart/chambers total length in Amerotyphlops brongersmianus. Our results indicate that there is a craniad ontogenetic shift of the heart position related to total length increase. Heart total length and their chambers also grow isometrically in relation to head and total body length. We discuss the possible functional and evolutionary perspectives of our results with comparison to data available for alethinophidan snakes. We hypothesize the anterior displacement of organs possibly remains as an ancestral state to compensate reproductive constraints imposed by the ancestral scolecoid miniaturized body.

Ofiofagia es un habito alimenticio comun en serpientes, sin embargo, hay pocos registros de este comportamiento para el genero Bothrops . En el presente trabajo reportamos el primer caso de depredacion de Bothrops moojeni en Amerotyphlops brongersmianus . Nuestro registro refuerza el conocimiento del habito generalista de Bothrops moojeni e indica una dieta oportunista de esta especie.

Amerotyphlops. costaricensis is difficult to observe in the field and is considered a rare species. There are fewer than ten individuals deposited in museum collections, representing roughly one population in both Nicaragua and Costa Rica, and three in Honduras. Recently, we found two specimens of A. costaricensis in Costa Rica that to date represent the southernmost localities of the species, extending its distribution to a new mountain range. We found the new specimens in the surroundings of the towns of Cervantes, Cantón Alvarado, and Cachí, Cantón Paraíso, both of which are located in the province of Cartago, Costa Rica . UCR::Vicerrectoría de Investigación::Unidades de Investigación::Ciencias Básicas::Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Ecología Tropical (CIBET)

En este escrito se presenta una nueva localidad de la serpiente ciega yucateca Amerotyphlops microstomus (Cope, 1866) en el municipio de Dzemul, Yucatán, México, siendo el registro más septentrional para esta especie e incrementando su rango de distribución 32. 4 km del registro más cercano.

Amerotyphlops brongersmianus (Vanzolini, 1976) Record. Table 2 The Brongersma’s Worm Snake was distinguished by a combination of features, including size (TL ca 33 cm), rounded dorsal and lateral head profiles, typical scale pattern, with oval rostral and preocular scales contacting the second and third supralabial scales; the eyes are small with distinct pupils. This snake is reddish brown with dark dorsal lines reaching to the black and yellowish venter. We found 1 individual that was partially smashed by vehicle traffic and identified it through comparison to museum specimens (e.g. ZUFMS-REP00197, REP00198)., Published as part of Fischer, Wagner, Faria de Godoi, Raquel & Conceição Paranhos Filho, Antonio, 2018, Roadkill records of reptiles and birds in Cerrado and Pantanal landscapes, pp. 845-876 in Check List 14 (5) on page 865, DOI: 10.15560/14.5.845

Amerotyphlops arenensis sp. nov. Fig. 1 Holotype. An adult male, MZUSP 20042, collected by Gentil P. Filho on 19 th November 2008 from the Reserva Ecológica Mata do Pau Ferro (06° 58 ' 12 '' S, 35 ° 42 ' 15 '' W; ca. 600 m), municipality of Areia, state of Paraíba, Brazil. Paratypes. Eighteen specimens all collected in the type locality by Gentil P. Filho. MZUSP 20037 – 38 collected in 16 th October 2008, MZUSP 20039 collected in 17 th October 2008, MZUSP 20040 – 41 collected in 19 th November 2008, MZUSP 20136 collected in 19 th November 2008, MZUSP 20043 – 45 collected in 17 th December 2008, MZUSP 20046 collected in 18 th December 2008, MZUSP 20047 and MZUSP 21273 collected in 21 st January 2009, MZUSP 20048 collected in 28 th February 2009, MZUSP 20049 – 50 and MZUSP 21274 collected in 27 th March 2009, MZUSP 20051 collected in 23 rd April 2009, and MZUSP 20052 collected in 21 st May 2009. Diagnosis. Amerotyphlops arenensis is distinguished from all other South American species by the following combination of characters: nasal suture incomplete; rostral scale oval; supralabial scales four; infralabial scales three; rows scales around the body 18 / 18 / 18; middorsal scales 204 to 225; rows of dorsal scales dark brown 12–13 th; rows of ventral scales yellowish cream and immaculate 4–5; caudal spine dark brown; subcaudal scales 8–10 in female and 11–13 for males; and maximum TTL 233 mm. The new species differs from Amerotyphlops lehneri by having an incomplete nasal suture (vs. complete nasal suture); from A. brongersmianus, A. reticulatus, and A. minuisquamus by having 18 / 18 / 18 rows scales around the body (vs. 18 / 16 /14, 18/ 18 /14, 20/ 18 / 14 or 20 / 18 / 15 in A. minuisquamus; 20 / 20 / 18 or 20 / 20 / 20 in A. brongersmianus and A. reticulatus); from A. yonenagae by having less than 250 middorsal scales (vs. more than 250 middorsal); from A. amoipira by having highly pigmented cephalic scales with a dark brown dorsum (vs. few pigmented cephalic scales, creamish brown dorsum with a fine darker brown paravertebral line concentrated in the anterior part of the body) and from A. paucisquamus by having a largest number of middorsal, between 204–225 (vs. fewer number of middorsal, between 162–209). Description of the holotype. Adult male, TTL 191 mm, TL 7 mm, TTL/MBD 28.08, and TTL/TL 27.28. Head slightly depressed dorsoventrally, not distinct from neck. Snout round in dorsal and ventral views. Rostral oval, longer than wide, narrow at anteroposterior region and wider at medial region; visible in dorsal view, extending ventrodorsally without reaching the imaginary transverse line between anterior borders of eyes. Rostral contacting nasal (anterior and posterior) dorsolaterally, and first supralabial and anterior nasal scales ventrally. Nasal suture incomplete, only partially dividing the anterior and posterior portions of nasal scale. Suture begins in the upper edge of second supralabial, pass through nostril, but fails to reach rostral. Anterior nasal in contact with first infralabial and upper edge of second infralabial. Posterior nasal longer than wide, contacting upper margin of second supralabial and preocular. Supralabials four, fourth twice longer than third supralabial. Infralabials three, third largest. Eye diameter 0.91 mm; eyes not visible in ventral view, located dorsolaterally, close to suture between preocular and ocular scales, completely covered by ocular scale. Ocular scales contacting frontal. Body cylindrical and robust. Midbody diameter 6.80 mm. Dorsal and ventral scales cycloid, wider than long, highly imbricated and arranged in diagonal series; scale rows around the body 18 / 18 / 18. Middorsal scales 213. Cloacal plate rounded, bordered anteriorly by three rows of scales and posteriorly by five rows of scales. Subcaudal scales 13, excluding the terminal spine. Terminal spine large, stout base and dark brown. Coloration of the holotype in life. Dorsum (12–13 rows of scales) dark brown, venter (4–5 rows of scales) light cream. Dorsal and ventral portions of snout pinkish, with a few dark brown spots, covering both rostral and nasal scales (only in the upper half of snout). Symphysial region pinkish and immaculate. Dorsal head scales (supraoculars, frontal, posfrontal, parietals, and occipitals) and dorsal portions of lateral head scales (ocular, nasal, and lower nasal) predominantly dark brown, and ventral portions pinkish. Cloacal plate light cream and terminal spine dark brown. After six years preserved in 70 % ethanol, the coloration of the holotype remained mostly the same. All regions in light cream and pinkish changed to yellowish cream (Fig. 2). Variation. The ANOVA revealed secondary sexual dimorphism only for the number of subcaudal scales (F= 63.43, p p N= 11) in males and 8–10 (mean = 9.2, SD= 0.70, N= 8) in females. Tail length 4.42–6.77 % of TTL (N= 10) in males and 3.71–4.91 % of TTL (N= 8) in females. Largest female and male with 233 mm TTL and 5.23 mm of TL (MZUSP 20043) and 215 mm of TTL and 7.19 of TL (MZUSP 20044), respectively. MBD 5.41–8.04 (mean = 7.21, SD= 0.77, N= 10) in males and 5.85–9 (mean = 8; SD = 1.12; N = 8) in females; number of middorsal scales 204–221 (mean = 214.1, SD= 4.70, N= 11) in males and 207–225 (mean = 217.25, SD= 7.10, N = 8) in females. The color patterns of the paratypes are similar to that found in the holotype. However, two individuals (11 %) lack dark spots in their rostral scale while the remaining individuals (88 %) retain dark spots in their rostral scale. Table 1 shows additional morphometric characters and scale patterns found in the new species and in two morphologically similar species distributed in the Northeastern Brazil (A. amoipira and A. paucisquamus). Etymology. The specific epithet is derived from the Latin name “arena”, a reference to the name of the type locality of the new species, the municipality of Areia. Distribution and habitat. Amerotyphlops arenensis is only known from the Reserva Ecológica Mata do Pau Ferro (REMPF), situated at 5 km from the municipality of Areia, state of Paraíba, Brazil (Fig. 3). This region is considered one of the largest upland forest fragments of the state of Paraíba (about 600 hectares). The prevalent phytophysiognomy in the REMPF correspond to a sub-montane seasonal semi-decidual forest (Fig. 4) (Barbosa et al. 2004), ranging from 400–600 meters above sea level, with an annual average of temperature and rainfall of 22 ° C and 1.400 mm, respectively (Mayo & Fevereiro 1981). The REMPF has several different levels of successional forests, presenting in some parts a high and dense forest with large height trees (approximately 35 meters), with a well-defined canopy structure, woodland and understory well established and preserved (Barbosa et al. 2004). All specimens were captured with the aid of pitfall traps into the most preserved forest.

Amerotyphlops Hedges, Marion, Lipp, Marin & Vidal, 2014 Type species. Typhlops brongersmianus Vanzolini, 1976 (= T. brongersmai; Vanzolini, 1972) Species content. Amerotyphlops amoipira, Am. brongersmianus, Am. costaricensis, Am. lehneri, Am. microstomus, Am. minuisquamus, Am. paucisquamus, Am. reticulatus, Am. stadelmani, Am. tasymicris, Am. tenuis, Am. trinitatus, Am. tycherus, and Am. yonenagae. Diagnosis. Amerotyphlops can be distinguished from all other typhlopoids by the following combination of characters: small- to large-sized (total length 38���522 mm), stout- to slender-bodied (length/width ratio 16���77 but average 20���50) snakes with 16���22 scale rows (with or without reduction), 169���566 total middorsals, and short to long tail (0.7���4.3 % total length) with 5���15 subcaudals (length/width ratio 0.8���1.6). Dorsal and lateral head profiles rounded, narrow to moderate oval rostral (0.22���0.56 head width), preocular in contact with second and third supralabials, eye small with distinct pupil or faint eyespot, T-III SIP, and postoculars 1���3. Lateral tongue papillae absent; left lung absent, tracheal lung paucicameral (with 13���37 pockets) or multicameral (with 16���39 chambers and foramina), cardiac lung unicameral, paucicameral (with 1���7 pockets) or multicameral (with 2���9 chambers) and right lung unicameral, paucicameral (with 3 pockets) or multicameral (with 2���5 chambers); testes unsegmented; hemipenis eversible, lacking retrocloacal sacs, and rectal caecum small (0.9���4.6 % SVL). Coloration yellowishbrown to black dorsally (sometimes uniform or else in the form of darker lines over a light background), usually with immaculate yellow venter, snout and tail often bright yellow, sometimes with a light rostral spot or yellow or white tail ring. Phylogenetic definition. Includes the MRCA of Amerotyphlops brongersmianus and Am. reticulatus and all descendants thereof, and all species more closely related to Am. reticulatus than to the type species of the 15 other typhlopid genera listed here. Etymology. From the geographic distribution of the group in the continental Americas. Distribution. Latin America, from Mexico to northern Argentina. Remarks. Includes the primarily South American continental radiation of typhlopid blindsnakes. These are morphologically and biogeographically distinct from the West Indian radiation (see below)., Published as part of Pyron, Robert Alexander & Wallach, Van, 2014, Systematics of the blindsnakes (Serpentes: Scolecophidia: Typhlopoidea) based on molecular and morphological evidence, pp. 1-81 in Zootaxa 3829 (1) on pages 45-46, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3829.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/286556, {"references":["Hedges, S. B., Marion, A. B., Lipp, K. M., Marin, J. & Vidal, N. (2014) A taxonomic framework for typhlopid snakes from the Caribbean and other regions (Reptilia, Squamata). Caribbean Herpetology, 49, 1 - 61.","Vanzolini, P. E. (1976) Typhlops brongersmianus, a new name for Typhlops brongersmai Vanzolini, 1972, preoccupied (Serpentes, Typhlopidae). Papeis Avulsos de Zoologia, 29, 247.","Vanzolini, P. E. (1972) Typhlops brongersmai spec. nov. from the coast of Bahia, Brasil (Serpentes, Typhlopidae). Zoologische Mededelingen, 47, 27 - 29."]}

We describe a new species of Amerotyphlops from an upland forest enclave in the state of Paraiba, Northeastern Brazil. The new species is distinguished from the other seven South American species of Amerotyphlops by the combination of the following characters: nasal suture incomplete; rostral scale oval and yellowish cream with some dark brown spots; four supralabial scales; three infralabial scales; rows of scales around the body 18/18/18; middorsal scales from 204 to 225; dorsum with twelve to thirteen rows of scales dark brown and belly with four to five rows of scales immaculate yellowish cream; caudal spine dark brown; subcaudal scales 8–10 in female and 11–13 in males; maximum total length 233 mm. The new species is morphologically similar to A. amoipira and A. paucisquamus , sharing 18/18/18 rows of scales around the body and a small overlap of counts of middorsal scales.