Phalotris Explained

Phalotris is a genus of snakes of the subfamily Dipsadinae. All species of the genus Phalotris are found in South America. The specific name, mertensi, is in honor of German herpetologist Robert Mertens.^[1] The specific name, normanscotti, is in honor of Norman Scott, Jr., in recognition of his contribution to the knowledge of the herpetofauna of Paraguay.^[2]

Venom

The venom of this genus was poorly characterized, due to the low amount produced by Colubridae, a more detailed characterization of particularly interesting proteins could only be viable by obtaining recombinant proteins, but there is a report of an accident by a Phalotris, which resulted in headache, local and oral mucosa hemorrhage, edema and renal failure. Another accident report occurred with a 37-year-old biologist, whose symptoms were immediate local pain, bleeding and edema, a few hours later there was headache, systemic hemorrhage, fever, myalgia and dark urine. A study of the venom of Phalotris mertensi showed a myotoxic action 3 times greater than Bothrops jararaca.^{[3] [4]}

Species

The following 19 species are recognized as being valid.^[5]

• Phalotris bilineatus (Duméril, Bibron, G. & Duméril, 1854) - Dumeril's diadem snake
• Phalotris concolor Ferrarezzi, 1993
• Phalotris cuyanus (Cei, 1984)
• Phalotris illustrator Scrocchi, Giraudo, & Nenda, 2022
• Phalotris labiomaculatus de Lema, 2002
• Phalotris lativittatus Ferrarezzi, 1993
• Phalotris lemniscatus (A.M.C. Duméril, Bibron & A.H.A. Duméril, 1854) - Duméril's diadem snake, Pampeana black headed snake
• Phalotris matogrossensis de Lema, D'Agostini & Cappellari, 2005 - Mato Grosso burrowing snake
• Phalotris mertensi (Hoge, 1955)
• Phalotris multipunctatus Puorto & Ferrarezzi, 1993
• Phalotris nasutus (Gomes, 1915)
• Phalotris nigrilatus Ferrarezzi, 1993
• Phalotris normanscotti Cabral & Cacciali, 2015 - Chaco burrowing snake
• Phalotris reticulatus (W. Peters, 1860)
• Phalotris sansebastiani Jansen & G. Köhler, 2008
• Phalotris shawnella Smith, Brouard & Cacciali, 2022^[6]
• Phalotris spegazzinii (Boulenger, 1913)
• Phalotris suspectus (Amaral, 1924) - Dumeril's diadem snake
• Phalotris tricolor (A.M.C. Duméril, Bibron & A.H.A. Duméril, 1854) - tricolored burrowing snake

Nota bene

A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Phalotris.

Further reading

• Cope ED (1862). "Observations upon certain Cyprinoid fish in Pennsylvania; on Elapomorphus, Sympholis, and Coniophanes ". Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 13: 522–524. (Phalotris, new genus, p. 524).
• Cacciali, P., Mee, G., Plettenberg Laing, A., Krause, D., Mclaughlin, C., Montgomery, R. and Smith, P. (2020). "Morphological Re-Examination of the Endemic Paraguayan Snake Phalotris nigrilatus Ferrarezzi, 1993 (Serpentes: Colubridae: Elapomorphini), with Notes on Its Ecology and Conservation Status." Current Herpetology, 39(1), 28–37. www.herpco.com

Notes and References

1. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (Phalotris mertensi, p. 176).
2. "Phalotris normanscotti ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
3. Web site: O27-Envenomation by Phalotris trilineatus in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. A case report . 2021-10-03 . www.jvat.org.br.
4. Web site: Trends in the Evolution of Snake Toxins Underscored by an Integrative Omics Approach to Profile the Venom of the Colubrid Phalotris mertensi .
5. .
6. Smith . Paul . Brouard . Jean-Paul. Cacciali . Pier . 2022-03-07 . A new species of Phalotris (Serpentes, Colubridae, Elapomorphini) from Paraguay . Zoosystematics and Evolution . 98 . 1 . 77–85 . 10.3897/zse.98.61064 . 2022-05-23. free .