Geophis brachycephalus, Slevin, 1942: 474 (in part); Dunn, 1942: 4 (in part); Downs, 1967: 146 (in part); Savage, 2002: 604 (in part); Myers, 2003: 38 (in part); Solórzano, 2004: 276 (in part).

Geophis talamancae Lips & Savage, 1994: 410, fig. 1 (Type locality: Costa Rica: Puntarenas: Coto Brus, Sitio Las Tablas: Finca Jaguar, 1800 m; Holotype: LACM 147196, a subadult female); Savage, 2002: 602; Solórzano, 2004: 290, fig. 82.

Diagnostics: Unique within the Geophis brachycephalus complex in having the following combination of characters: (1) 118–124.9 ± 3.7–132 ventrals in male, 121–128.8 ± 4.4–139 in females; 35–38.1 ± 1.4–41 subcaudals in males, 23–33.4 ± 2.3–38 in females; 154–163.2 ± 4.0–171 total segmentals in males, 155– 161.7 ± 3.9–171 in females; (2) upper surfaces of body and tail uniform black or anterior body uniform black and rest of body black with pairs of red spots that are usually offset and sometimes fused to form elongate blotches; tail black above; (3) hemipenis slightly bilobed with short, robust capitulum that is about twice length of truncus on asulcate side (Myers, 2003).

Distribution: Tropical premontane wet forest and rainforest and lower montane rainforest on the Pacific slope of the Cordillera Talamanca-Barú in extreme south-western Costa Rica and adjacent western Panama, 1200–1800 m (Figs 14, 15).