Check List 11(4): e19274, doi: 10.15560/11.4.1675
Range extension and natural history observations of a rare Panamanian snake, Geophis bellus Myers, 2003 (Colubridae: Dipsadinae)
expand article infoLuis C. Elizondo Lara‡, Angel Sosa-Bartuano§, Patty Ruback|, Julie M. Ray
‡ Universidad de Panamá, Panama§ Sociedad Mastozoológica de Panamá, Panama| La MICA Biological Station, Panama¶ La MICA Biological Station; Towson University, United States of America

Corresponding author: Julie Ray ( teamsnakepanama@gmail.com )

© 2017 Luis Elizondo Lara, Angel Sosa-Bartuano, Patty Ruback, Julie Ray.
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Citation: Ray J, Elizondo Lara L, Ruback P, Sosa-Bartuano A (2015) Range extension and natural history observations of a rare Panamanian snake, Geophis bellus Myers, 2003 (Colubridae: Dipsadinae). Check List 11(4): 1675. https://doi.org/10.15560/11.4.1675
Open Access
Abstract
The fossorial snake Geophis bellus is a small Panamanian endemic previously known only from the holotype. Here we report additional specimens, which greatly expand the known range of the species ca. 200 km from the type locality into western Panama. Furthermore, we provide information on sexual dimorphism in some scalation counts and in body and tail size. Finally, we provide information on natural history, including activity period, habitat usage, and reproductive cycle. Such discoveries are important for the development of conservation plans for this species in Panamá.
Keywords
Veraguas; Colón; Coclé; reproduction