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Sul states, Brazil

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CEP 78060-900. Cuiaba, MT, Brazil.

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Corresponding author. E-mail: serpentesbr@gmail.com

The Dipsadid snake Rhachidelus brazili Boulenger,
1908 belongs to a monotypic genus of the Pseudoboini
tribe (Peters and Orejas-Miranda 1986; Zaher 1999). It
is distinguished by more than 24 dorsal scales around
midbody, enlarged vertebral scales, uniformly dark brown
or black dorsum, predominantly dark venter, (Peters and
Orejas-Miranda 1986; Cei 1993; Giraudo 2001) and by
its relatively robust body compared to other Pseudoboini
species.

Bibliographic records for Rhachidelus brazili include
northeastern Argentina (Missiones; Peters and Orejas-
Miranda 1986; Cei 1993; Giraudo 2001; Giraudo and
Scrocchi 2002), southeastern Paraguay (Motte et al. 2009)
and Brazil (Peters and Orejas-Miranda 1986) from Distrito
Federal (Nogueira 2001; Franca and Araujo 2007; Frang¢a
et al. 2008), Goias (Fernandes and Passos 2002; Franca
and Araujo 2007; Moreira et al. 2009; Valdujo et al. 2009),
Sao Paulo (Boulenger 1908; Lizaso 1984; Sawaya et al.
2008), Parana (Moura-Leite et al. 1996), Minas Gerais
(Silveira 2004), Rio Grande do Sul (Lema 1994) and Mato
Grosso do Sul (Amaral 1978). Rhachidelus brazili has not
been reported from Mato Grosso.

Herein we report three new records and a distribution
map for Rhachidelus brazili in the states of Mato Grosso
and Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil (Figure 1), extending the
known geographical distribution of the species to ca. 713
km northwestern from the nearest record in Brazil at
Parque Nacional das Emas in the state of Goias (Valdujo
et al. 2009). Voucher specimens were obtained from
donations of local people and collaborators or collected
by the authors in the field (IBAMA permits number:
02001.007079/2010-03), and are housed in the Colecao
Zoolégica de Vertebrados do Instituto de Biociéncias da
Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, Cuiaba (UFMT-R): 1

Check List | Volume 7 | Issue 6 | 2011

Chek List

Journal of species lists and distribution

Rhachidelus brazili Boulenger, 1908 (Squamata:
Serpentes: Dipsadidae): New records, range extension
and distribution map in Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do

Luana A. G. Arruda, Robson W. Avila?, Drausio H. Morais? and Ricardo A. Kawashita-Ribeiro **”
Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, Instituto de Biociéncias, Colecao Zoolégica de Vertebrados. Avenida Fernando Corréa da Costa, 2367.

Universidade Regional do Cariri, Centro de Ciéncias Biologicas e da Sade, Departamento de Ciéncias Biolégicas, Campus do Pimenta. Rua Cel.
Antonio Luiz, 1161, Bairro do Pimenta. CEP 63105-100, Crato, CE, Brazil.

Universidade Estadual Paulista, Instituto de Biociéncias, Departamento de Parasitologia, Programa de Pés-Graduacao em Ciéncias Bioldégicas.
Distrito de Rubiao Junior s/n. CEP 18618-000. Botucatu, SP, Brazil.

Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, Instituto de Biociéncias, Departamento de Ecologia, Programa de Pés-Graduacao em Ecologia e
Conservacao da Biodiversidade. Avenida Fernando Corréa da Costa, 2367. CEP 78060-900. Cuiaba, MT, Brazil.

ABSTRACT: The present study reports new records of the Dipsadid snake Rhachidelus brazili Boulenger, 1908, from Mato
Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul states, Brazil. Our data extend the known geographical distribution ca. 713 km to the
northwest and constitute the first record in the Upper Paraguay sub-basin.

- Cuiaba, Mato Grosso (15°35’ S, 56°05’ W) UFMT-R
5465; 2 - Vale de Sao Domingos, Mato Grosso (14°57’
S, 59°02’ W) UFMT-R 9385 (Figure 2); 3 - Sonora, Mato
Grosso do Sul (17°34’ S, 54°45’ W) UFMT-R 1913.

65°00" W 60°00' W 55°00" W 50°00" W 40°00' W

45°00' W

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FIGURE 1. Geographic distribution map of Rhachidelus brazili in Brazil.
Triangles represent the new records, and circles bibliographical records:
1 - Vale de Sao Domingos, Mato Grosso (this paper); 2 - Cuiaba, Mato
Grosso (this paper); 3 - Sonora, Mato Grosso do Sul (this paper); 4 -
Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul (Amaral 1978); 5 - Parque Nacional
das Emas, Goias (Valdujo et al. 2009); 6 - Serra da Mesa, Goias (Moreira
et al. 2009); 7 - Sao Joao da Alianga, Tocantins (Fernandes and Passos
2002); 8 - Fercal, Distrito Federal (Franca and Araujo 2007); 9 - Distrito
Federal (Franc¢a and Aratjo 2007; Franca et al. 2008; Nogueira 2001);
10 - Alexania, Goias (Fran¢a and Araujo 2007); 11 - Jodo Pinheiro, Minas
Gerais (Silveira 2004); 12 - UHE Agua Vermelha, Sado Paulo (Lisazo
1984); 13 - Itirapina, Sdo Paulo (Sawaya et al. 2008); 14 - Sao Paulo, Sao
Paulo (Boulenger 1908); 15 - Astorga, Parana (Moura-Leite et al. 1996);
16 - Maringa, Parana (Moura-Leite et al. 1996); 17 - Cruzeiro do Oeste,
Parana (Moura-Leite et al. 1996); 18 - Toledo, Parana (Moura-Leite et al.
1996); 19 - Gravatai, Rio Grande do Sul (Lema 1994).

854

Arruda et al. | New records of Rhachidelus brazili in Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil

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FIGURE 2. A juvenile Rhachidelus brazili (UFMT-R 9385) collected in Vale
de Sao Domingos, Mato Grosso, Brazil. Photo by R. W. Avila.

The new records are in the plateaus of Pantanal in the
Upper Paraguay sub-basin, constituting the first records
of the species in the region, although Amaral has reported
the occurrence of the species in the municipality of Campo
Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul (in the past Mato Grosso;
Amaral 1978) this locality is in the Parana sub-basin. The
municipalities of Sonora and Cuiaba are in the Cerrado
biome and Vale de Sao Domingos is in a transitional area
between Cerrado and Amazonian biomes.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: We thanks Marco André de Carvalho for access
to the Colecao Zooldégica de Vertebrados - UFMT under his care, Thiago
Semedo for English review, Emiliane G. Pereira from BIODINAMICA Rio
Engenharia Consultiva Ltda for providing field information, and Ross
MacCulloch and Renato S. Bérnils for providing helpful comments on
the manuscript and for having kindly provided bibliographic material.
L.A.G. Arruda thanks CNPq for financial support (Edital MCT/CNPq/
MEC/CAPES/FNDCT - Acdo Transversal/FAPs n° 47/2010 - SISBIOTA
BRASIL). R.A. Kawashita-Ribeiro thanks NIEFA - Nucleo Interdisciplinar
de Estudos Faunisticos (FAPEMAT process 447441/2009).

LITERATURE CITED

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Melhoramentos 248 p.

Boulenger, G.A. 1908. On a new genus of snake from Brazil. Annals and
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Cei, J.M. 1993. Reptiles Del noroeste, nordeste y este de La Argentina:
herpetofauna de las selvas subtropicales, Puna y Pampas. Museo
Regionale di Scienze Naturali Torino, Monografie 14: 1-949.

Check List | Volume 7 | Issue 6 | 2011

Fernandes, D.S. and P. Passos. 2002. Rhachidelus brazili. Herpetological
Review 33(2): 150.

Franga, E.G.R. and A.B. Aratijo. 2007. Are there co-occurrence patterns
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Francga, EG.R., D.O. Mesquita, C.C. Nogueira and A.FB. Aratijo. 2008.
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Lema, T. 1994. Lista comentada dos répteis ocorrentes no Rio Grande do
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Lizaso, N.M. 1984. Fauna acarolégica ectoparasita de serpentes nao
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the American Museum of Natural History, New York (240): 1-168.

RECEIVED: October 2011

REVISED: November 2011

ACCEPTED: November 2011

PUBLISHED ONLINE: December 2011
EDITORIAL RESPONSIBILITY: Ross MacCulloch

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