File:Bulletin (1971-) (20423235775).jpg

Title: Bulletin
Identifier: bulletin7073sout (find matches)
Year: 1971- (1970s)
Authors: Southern California Academy of Sciences
Subjects: Science; Natural history; Natural history
Publisher: Los Angeles, Calif. : The Academy
Contributing Library: New York Botanical Garden, LuEsther T. Mertz Library
Digitizing Sponsor: The LuEsther T Mertz Library, the New York Botanical Garden

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140 BULLETIN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OE SCIENCES VOLUME 71
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Figure I. Distribution in Honduras of population samples utilized in this study. See text for description of samples A-K. Population F (1 specimen).—From one locality in the valley of the Rio Tinto at an elevation of about 430 m in tropical lowland rainforest (Tropical Moist Forest formation of Holdridge. 1962). Population G (3 specimens).—From localities on the Mosquito Coast near sea level in lowland pine savanna (Tropical Moist Forest formation of Hold- ridge. 1962). Population H (4 specimens).—From localities near Lake Yojoa at elevations from 700 to 750 m in disturbed or undisturbed broadleaf evergreen forest (Subtropical Wet Forest formation of Holdridge, 1962). Population I (1 specimen).—From one locality in the Valle de Comayagua at an elevation of 580 m in open thorn forest (Tropical Arid Forest formation of Holdridge, 1962). Population J (7 specimens).—From localities in or near the Valle de Yeguare at elevations from 800 to 1000 m in mixed scrub forest (Subtropical Dry Forest formation of Holdridge, 1962). Population K (1 specimen).—From one locality in the Pacific lowlands at an elevation near sea level in dense scrub forest (Tropical Dry Forest formation of Holdridge, 1962). ANALYSIS OF VARIATION Snakes of the genus Micntrus are notorious for the small number of external distinguishing fea- tures. Dorsal scale row number and the condition of the head scales and the anal plate arc all invariant. Diagnoses of the subspecies of Micrurus nigrocinctus have utilized the following characters: numbers of ventrals, position of the nuchal band, numbers of black body bands, presence or absence of yellow bands, and condition of the black tipping on the scales of the red bands. It is the variation in these characters as well as the variation in the number of subcaudals and the size of the black head cap in the Honduran specimens with which we are here concerned. Scutellation.—Coral snakes are highly sexually dimorphic in ventral and subcaudal numbers, with females having the greater number of ventrals and males the greater number of subcaudals. In Honduras, there appears to be a tendency for both males and females from the southern portion of the country to have higher numbers of ventrals, although this trend is not well documented (Table 1). Variation in subcaudal number is limited and exhibits no discernible pattern (Table 1). Black body band number.—The number of black body bands in Micrurus nigrocinctus over the entire range of the species varies from 10 to 29. The range of Honduran specimens is almost the same, 11 to 29. Variation in black band number appears to be of no geographic signifi- cance. Both the highest and lowest ring numbers occur in the department of Atlantida in northern Table 1. Variation in ventrals and subcaudals in Honduran Micrurus nigrocinctus. Population statistics are arranged as follows: range (mean) sample size. Ventrals Subcaudals Population Mates Females Males Females A B C D E F G H I J K 190-203(198.4)9 191-206(196.8)13 193-202(198.6)5 198 190-201(195.5)2 203 200-202(201.0)2 208 201 191-206(200.0)4 207 208-220(213.0)13 206-217(210.4)9 206-217(212.5)8 208 210 211 215-218(216.5)2 218-224(220.6)3 47-51(49.6)8 46-52(49.3)8 45-51(47.0)5 45 49-51(50.0)2 46 54-56(55.0)2 50 46 42-50(47.5)4 51 34-42(37.6)12 34-39(36.4)9 32-39(36.8)6 36 37 36-39(37.7)3 34-43(38.0)3

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