HYPOTHETICAL LIST OF SPECIES

Listed below are thirteen species that have not been found in southern El Petén but that probably occur there.

Dermophis mexicanus mexicanus (Duméril and Bibron).—Natives at Chinajá know caecilians, which they call dos cabezas. This species has been taken in Tabasco and northern Chiapas. Its occurrence in southern El Petén is expected. Less likely, the caecilian known to the natives at Chinajá is Gymnopis oligozona, which is known from Finca Volcán on the southern slopes of the valley of the Río Cahabón in Alta Verapaz.

Gastrophryne elegans (Boulenger).—This small fossorial frog is known from Piedras Negras (Taylor and Smith, 1945:604), 12 miles east of Yaxha (Stuart, 1934:7), and Tikal (Stuart, 1958:18), all in northern and central El Petén. Two specimens in the collection of the University of Kansas are from 28 kilometers northeast of Campur, Alta Verapaz. Probably the species ranges throughout the forested lowlands of northern Alta Verapaz and El Petén.

Mabuya brachypoda Taylor.—The absence of this widespread lizard in our collections cannot be explained. Probably it occurs in southern El Petén, for it is known in northern and central El Petén and in Alta Verapaz.

Dendrophidion vinitor Smith.—This snake is known from Piedras Negras, El Petén and from various localities in Alta Verapaz; it is an inhabitant of humid forest and should occur in southern El Petén.

Elaphe triaspis mutabilis (Cope).—The subspecies E. triaspis mutabilis is known from Alta Verapaz and E. triaspis triaspis from the Yucatán Peninsula, British Honduras, and Uaxactún in northern El Petén. Because of the much higher degree of resemblance between the faunas of southern El Petén and Alta Verapaz as compared with southern El Petén and Yucatán, E. triaspis mutabilis would be expected to occur in southern El Petén.

Ninia diademata nietoi Burger and Werler.—This snake is known from Tikal and from Alta Verapaz; it is a small cryptophile that probably occurs in southern El Petén.

Oxyrhophus petola aequifasciatus Werner.—This snake, which probably is conspecific with Oxyrhophus baileyi in southern Veracruz, México, is known from Tikal, British Honduras, and Alta Verapaz; it is expected in southern El Petén.

Pliocercus elapoides salvini Müller.—This species is widespread in the Atlantic lowlands of southern México and northern Central America; the subspecies P. elapoides salvini occurs in Alta Verapaz and probably in southern El Petén.

Rhadinaea decorata decorata (Günther).—This is another small cryptophile that is widespread on the Atlantic lowlands from México to Panamá; it definitely is expected at places like Chinajá in southern El Petén.

Scaphiodontophis annulatus (Duméril and Bibron).—Three subspecies of Scaphiodontophis annulatus are recognized in northern Central America: S. annulatus annulatus from Alta Verapaz, S. annulatus hondurensis from northern Honduras, and S. annulatus carpicinctus from Piedras Negras and Tikal in El Petén and from British Honduras. This rare and highly variable species probably occurs in southern El Petén.

Tantilla schistosa schistosa (Bocourt).—This widespread species in Central America is known from several localities in Alta Verapaz and almost certainly occurs in southern El Petén.

Tropidodipsas sartori sartori Cope.—This fossorial species has been collected in northern El Petén and in Alta Verapaz. The natives at Chinajá described to me a coral having orange rings on a black body that likely was this species.

Micrurus elegans veraepacis Schmidt.—This species has been collected at various localities in Alta Verapaz and in Chiapas, inhabits areas like those in southern El Petén, and probably occurs there.