''Geophis dunni'' is a species of enigmatic snake in the family

Colubridae Colubridae (, commonly known as colubrids , from la, coluber, 'snake') is a family of snakes. With 249 genera, it is the largest snake family. The earliest species of the family date back to the Oligocene epoch. Colubrid snakes are found on ever ...

. The species is presumably endemic to Nicaragua and is only known from a single specimen discovered in 1932. (''Geophis dunni'', new species). This specimen, the holotype, was discovered by

Karl Patterson Schmidt Karl Patterson Schmidt (June 19, 1890 – September 26, 1957) was an American herpetologist. Family Schmidt was the son of George W. Schmidt and Margaret Patterson Schmidt. George W. Schmidt was a German professor, who, at the time of Karl ...

in the stomach of a Central American coral snake, and no additional specimen has been seen since. The holotype has a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of , a tail length of , and a total length of . It is part of the ''

Geophis sieboldi ''Geophis sieboldi'', also known as Siebold's earth snake, is a snake of the colubrid family. It is found in Mexico. References Geophis Snakes of North America Reptiles of Mexico Endemic fauna of Mexico Taxa named by Giorgio Jan Rep ...

'' species group according to Floyd Leslie Downs. This species was named by Schmidt after fellow herpetologist Emmett Reid Dunn Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Geophis dunni'', p. 77). "in allusion to his important contributions to our knowledge of this group of snakes". This species is little known for several reasons. Snakes of the genus ''

Geophis ''Geophis'' is a genus of snakes in the subfamily Dipsadinae of the family Colubridae of the superfamily Colubroidea. Species in the genus ''Geophis'' are commonly referred to as Latin American earth snakes (Spanish: ''culebra minera'' or ' ...

'' are

fossorial A fossorial () animal is one adapted to digging which lives primarily, but not solely, underground. Some examples are badgers, naked mole-rats, clams, meerkats, and mole salamanders, as well as many beetles, wasps, and bees. Prehistoric eviden ...

and

nocturnal Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatures generally have highly developed sens ...

, and as such are rarely observed in their natural habitat even by those actively searching for them. Also, the snakes of this genus form extensive species complexes in which the only way to tell them apart is by slight differences. For example, ''Geophis dunni'' differs from other species by having 17

dorsal scale In snakes, the dorsal scales are the longitudinal series of plates that encircle the body, but do not include the ventral scales. Campbell JA, Lamar WW (2004). ''The Venomous Reptiles of the Western Hemisphere''. Ithaca and London: Comstock Publis ...

rows, 8

infralabial scales In reptiles, the sublabial scales, also called lower-labials or infralabials, are those scales that border the mouth opening along the lower jaw. They do not include the median scaleWright AH, Wright AA. 1957. ''Handbook of Snakes''. Comstock Publis ...

, and 140 ventral scales. Additionally, the type locality given by Schmidt is very vague, only being " Matagalpa, Nicaragua". Matagalpa is both a city and a municipality, and no data for elevation or habitat type were specified either. However, Downs would mark a location in north Nicaragua at an elevation of as being the type locality of this snake, but this location is exactly the city of Matagalpa and has been questioned by other papers on its accuracy. As of 2022, ''Geophis dunni'' remains "data deficient" until another individual is collected and a habitat is identified. Geophis Dunni-Downs-1967

Reproduction

''G. dunni'' is

oviparous Oviparous animals are animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive method of most fish, amphibians, most reptiles, and all pterosaurs, dinosaurs (including birds), and ...

References

Colubrids Snakes of Central America Reptiles of Nicaragua Endemic fauna of Nicaragua Taxa named by Karl Patterson Schmidt Reptiles described in 1932 Species known from a single specimen {{snake-stub