PROCEEDINGS OF THE BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON 111(2):410-417. 1998. A new species of Geophis of the sieboldi group (Reptilia: Squamata: Colubridae) from northern Honduras Larry David Wilson, James R. McCranie, and Kenneth L. Williams (LDW) Department of Biology, Miami-Dade Community College, Kendall Campus, Miami, Florida 33176, U.S.A.; (JRM) 10770 SW 164th Street, Miami, Florida 33157, U.S.A.; (KLW) Department of Biology, Northwestern State University of Louisiana, Natchitoches, Louisiana 71497, U.S.A. Abstract. — A new species of Geophis from northern Honduras is described. It is a member of the sieboldi group, the largest and most geographically ex-tensive of the seven species groups currently recognized in the genus. With the inclusion of this species, the sieboldi group now contains 15 species, which range from Michoacan, Mexico, to Colombia. The new species can be distin-guished from the other members of the sieboldi group by the combined pres-ence of 15 rows of smooth scales throughout the body, six supralabials, one supraocular, one postocular, dark gray dorsum with reddish-orange markings, and a white venter with a gray band on the anterior edge of each scale. The new species seems to be most closely related to G. brachycephalus. The snake genus Geophis is a prominent component of the Middle American herpe-tofauna. Currently, 41 species are recog-nized in seven species groups (chalybeus, championi, dubius, latifrontalis, omilteman-us, semidoliatus, and sieboldi groups), which are distributed from Tamaulipas and Chihuahua, Mexico, to northwestern Co-lombia. Downs (1967) revised the genus and the following papers add to our knowl-edge of its species: Bogert & Porter (1966), Smith & Holland (1969), Dixon & Thomas (1974), Campbell & Murphy (1977), Webb (1977), Savage (1981), Campbell et al. (1983), Restrepo & Wright (1987), Perez-Higareda & Smith (1988), Smith & Chiszar (1992), Lips & Savage (1994). Field work in the region of Cerro Texiguat, a wildlife refuge situated in the departments of Atlan-tida and Yoro in northern Honduras, has produced a single specimen of the sieboldi group that represents a new species, which we name below. Methods For ease of comparison, the methods of this paper essentially follow those of Lips & Savage (1994). The numbers in paren-theses following capitalized color names in the section on coloration in life refer to the color codes in Smithe (1975). Systematics Geophis damiani, new species Figs. 1, 2 Holotype. — National Museum of Natural History (USNM) 498356, an adult male from 2.5 airline km NNE La Fortuna (15°26'N, 87°18'W), 1750 m elev., Depart-mento de Yoro, Honduras, collected 26 Jul 1995 by D. Almendarez, J. R. McCranie, K. L. Williams, and L. D. Wilson. Original number LDW 10505. Diagnosis. — This new taxon is a member of the sieboldi group, based on Downs' (1967:137-145) characterization (see Rela-tionships) and its further explication by Lips & Savage (1994:413-414). This group of 14 species (Downs 1967, Campbell & Murphy 1977, Restrepo & Wright 1987, Smith & Chiszar 1992, Lips & Savage 1994) ranges from the southern edge of the
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