The Sulawesi Black Racer, Coluber (Ptyas) dipsas, and a Remarkable Ectoparasitic Aggregation

Abstract

Twelve specimens of the Sulawesi black racer, Coluber (Ptyas) dipsas, have been reported in the literature; none of these is from American collections. Morphology and relationships of the snake, based on a fresh specimen, are discussed. Thirteen ticks of two species, Amblyomma cordiferum and A. helvolum (Ixodidae), and the beetle Aplosonyx nigripennis (Chrysomelidae) were recovered from an old wound site on a 1465-mm female Coluber dipsas from Minahasa, Sulawesi Utara, Indonesia. Both tick species are new island and new host records. There have been no specific plant hosts reported to date for this beetle, of a phytophagous family.