. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard College. Zoology; Zoology. 94 Bulletin Museum of Comparative Zoology, Vol. 158, No. 3 BMNH (Rio Saloya, Pi- chincha Province, Ecuador. Female, 187 nun SVL). The dorsal pattern consists of regular, solid dark bands on pale ground color (no lightening of any dorsal bands). Bands are widest at midflank and narrow toward the ventrals and (less so) toward the vertebral scale row. Anterior bands are about 4 dorsal scale rows wide at their broadest point (the first band is 5 rows), narrowing to about 3 rows by midbody and continu
. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard College. Zoology; Zoology. 94 Bulletin Museum of Comparative Zoology, Vol. 158, No. 3 BMNH (Rio Saloya, Pi- chincha Province, Ecuador. Female, 187 nun SVL). The dorsal pattern consists of regular, solid dark bands on pale ground color (no lightening of any dorsal bands). Bands are widest at midflank and narrow toward the ventrals and (less so) toward the vertebral scale row. Anterior bands are about 4 dorsal scale rows wide at their broadest point (the first band is 5 rows), narrowing to about 3 rows by midbody and continuing thus to the vent. Ventrallv, the bands narrow to 3 scale rows wide on the anterior bodv, and to 2 rows wide on the posterior body; thev encroach onto the outer edges of the ventrals. The top of the head dowii to upper edg- es of supralabials is solid dark gray with a few scattered very indistinct irregular paler areas. Supralabials are about 50% covered with dark markings, which is not espeeiallv concentrated along sutures lines. Infrala- bials are mostlv dark. An indistinct pale collar about 2 scales wide is between the dark head cap and the first neck blotch. Ventral scutes are pale, with a pair of squarish blotches on the outer edges of most; the aligned blotches form irregular (and interrupted) series of broad lines on each side of the venter. Small juveniles of Dipsas elegans with solid dorsal bands might be confused with juveniles of D. oreas, which also have solid bands. However, D. elegans typically has many more bands than D. oreas (compare Figs. 11, 12, 17), and the head patterns of the two species also provide differential characteristics. The top of the head in ju- venile specimens of D. elegans is patterned with dark gray (Pblackish in life) mottling Figure 11. Juvenile patterns in Top to bottom: USNM 210961, 1 ince, Ecuador); USNM 210939, 1 ince, Ecuador); USNM 210938, 1 ince, Ecuador). The two smaller show no perceptible lightening bands, whereas the lighteni
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