A remarkable new snake of the genus Tropidophis (Squamata: Tropidophiidae) from southern Hispaniola

Abstract

A new species of Tropidophis is described from the dry forest of the Barahona Peninsula, southwestern Dominican Republic, on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola. There, the new species is parapatric with T. haetianus, the only previously known Tropidophis on Hispaniola, but exhibits striking differences in scalation (much higher number of ventral scales), in other structural morphological traits (head and body proportions), and in dorsal and ventral coloration and pattern (e.g., fewer spot rows, and a patternless head and venter, etc.). The locality of this new species lies within an area where other vertebrate species have been recently discovered, underscoring the growing appreciation of the Barahona Peninsula as a diversity hotspot. Yet, this region also remains poorly studied and it is also highly imperiled due to ongoing anthropogenic change, justifying more conservation efforts.