New records of Diploglossus monotropis ( Kuhl , 1820 ) ( Squamata : Anguidae ) from Urabá and Magdalena River valley , Colombia , with an updated geographic distribution map

Based on recent records, published data, and review of specimens deposited in scientific collections, we present an updated map of the geographic distribution of Diploglossus monotropis in Colombia. Our data show that this species has a wide geographical distribution, including the Pacific versant of the Cordillera Occidental, the inter-Andean valley of the Magdalena River, and the Caribbean lowlands of northern Colombia.

The skink-like lizards of the genus Diploglossus Wiegmann, 1834 (known as galliwasps) comprise 17 species inhabiting Central (including the Greater and Lesser Antilles) and South America (Uetz and Hošek 2015).These lizards are characterized by having elongate bodies and small but well-developed limbs, large head shields, and small uniform cycloid body scales (Savage 2002;Vitt and Caldwell 2014).Two Diploglossus species occur in Colombia: the Dotted Galliwasp, D. mille punctatus O'Shaughnessy, 1874, an endemic species restricted to the Malpelo island in the Pacific Ocean, and the Kuhl´s Galliwasp, D. monotropis (Kuhl, 1820) (Dunn 1944;Castaño-Mora et al. 2004).
Diploglossus monotropis is a moderate to large-sized secretive diurnal lizard distributed from Nicaragua to Colombia and Ecuador (Dunn 1944;Myers 1973;Ríos et al. 2011;Savage 2002).It may be identified by sheathed claws; a frontonasal and paired prefrontals; nasal in contact with rostral; large nostril in extreme posterior part of nasal; positioning of postnasal scales somewhat variable, usually two postnasals, or one postnasal and a small posterior supranasal (= upper postnasal); striated dorsal and lateral scales with a distinct median keel.It is brilliantly colored in life, with a bold dorsal pattern of alternating broad, black-edged dark bands and narrow light interspaces, orange to bright red venter and flanks, and orange iris.Juveniles and females are vividly banded as well, but the venter is yellow in small specimens and gradually turns orange in adult females (Myers 1973;Savage 2002; Figure 1).
Herein, we update the geographic distribution of Diploglossus monotropis in Colombia, adding new locality records of this species, based both on specimens deposited in scientific collections and recent observations.Among the recent records, we include the easternmost record in Colombia.In addition, we correct a record attributed to D. monotropis, which actually corresponds to a different (07.7779°N, 076.6706°W; ca. 30 m) was found in leaf litter in disturbed forest.On 25 April 2013, a juvenile female (133.7 mm SVL, MHN-UCa 0230) from Norcasia, Caldas (05.6644°N, 074.7802°W; 180 m), was found active at 22:07 hours on the ground in leaf litter, and approximately 30 cm from a small stream.On 29 April and 6 May 2014 respectively, a male (198 mm SVL, UIS-R-2716) and a female (UIS-R-2717), were collected in Betulia, Santander (07.0580°N, 073.3904°W; 444 m); the male was active among rocks in an abandoned cacao plantation, and the female was active on the ground in leaf litter, near a dry creek.These specimens represent the easternmost records in Colombia, ca.188 km northeast of the nearest known record of this species in Muzo, Boyacá (Medem 1968;Ayala 1986; Table 1).On 22-23 June 2014 in Samaná, Caldas (05.4990°N, 074.9079°W; 510 m), one adult male (155 mm SVL; The four recent records are as follows (Figure 3; Table 1): on 19 February 2013, a juvenile male (132.6 mm SVL, MHUA-R 12662; Figure 1A) from Carepa, Antioquia   2009), included D. monotropis (based on the specimen CZUT-A 00051) in the list of reptiles of the Department of Tolima.However, this specimen is actually an unidentified species of Leposoma (family Gymnophthalmidae).Furthermore, that specimen was collected in a locality above 1,660 m (Quebrada Laureles, vereda Laureles, Ibague municipality), which is outside the known elevational range of D. monotropis.
These data indicate that D. monotropis has a wide distribution in Colombia.The occurrence of this species in the five biogeographic provinces could also support the biogeographic similarity between provinces, as has been discussed by other authors based on shared vertebrate faunas (e.g., Müller 1973;Hernández-Camacho 1992;Acosta-Galvis et al. 2006;Gutiérrez-C. and Arredondo-S. 2007;Moreno-Arias et al. 2008;Rojas-Morales 2012), particularly between the provinces of Cauca, Chocó-Darien, Magdalena and Western Ecuador (all considered as within the Pacific province, sensu Cabrera and Willink 1973).
Finally, the occurrence of this species and others such as Hyalinobatrachium fleischmanni (Boettger, 1893) and Typhlonectes natans (Fischer, 1880), both in the northernmost region of Guajira province and the northwestern region of Magdalena province (Acosta-Galvis 2012; Tapley and Acosta-Galvis 2010), suggest the possible presence of the species in the distributional gap between these two regions; future sampling is required to determine this.
Fig. 1B) and two juveniles (63.6 mm and 95 mm SVL [MHN-UCa 246]) were observed.These individuals were found active at night (between 19:00 and 21:00 hours) on the ground in leaf litter, 150-180 cm from a small stream.The specimens MHUA-R 12662 and MHN-UCa 0230 were examined during a revision of museum specimens in the herpetological collections of the MHUA and the taxon.The museum acronyms of the reviewed Colombian natural history collections are as follows: CZUT (Colección Zoológica Universidad del Tolima, Ibague, Tolima); ICN (Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Cundinamarca); IAvH (Instituto Alexander von Humboldt, Villa de Leyva, Boyacá); MHN-UCa (Museo de Historia Natural Universidad de Caldas, Manizales, Caldas); MHUA (Museo de Herpetología Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Antioquia); MLS (Museo de La Salle, Universidad de la Salle, Bogotá, Cundinamarca); and UIS (Colección de Herpetología Universidad Industrial de Santander, Bucaramanga, Santander).The new records comprise five old unpublished museum records and four recent records from 2013-2014.Five records are from the Pacific versant of Cordillera Occidental (Chocó-Darién province sensu Morrone 2014) and the other four records are from the Río Magdalena valley (Magdalena province sensu Morrone 2014).Species identification was based on the diagnosis described above.