A NEW SPECIES OF RHADINAEA (COLUBRIDAE) FROM A CLOUD FOREST IN NORTHERN HONDURAS

A new species of Rhadinaea is described from a cloud forest locality in northern Honduras. This new species is a member of the godmani species group and is distinguished from other members by the presence of 17 dorsal scale rows, 164 ventrals, 17 maxillary teeth, a brown dorsum with a dark stripe on adjacent portions of rows 3 and 4, a dark vertebral stripe, and a red venter. Cladistic analysis suggests that it belongs to a clade including R. godmani and R. hempsteadae and is more closely related to R. hempsteadae than any other extant species.