Toxicodryas blandingii ( Hallowell, 1844 )

Sánchez-Vialas, Alberto, Calvo-Revuelta, Marta & Riva, Ignacio De La, 2022, Synopsis of the terrestrial Reptiles of Equatorial Guinea, Zootaxa 5202 (1), pp. 1-197 : 89

Toxicodryas blandingii ( Hallowell, 1844)

Figure 22A

Dipsas blandingii Hallowell, 1844: 170 . Type locality: “ Liberia, West Africa ”.

Triglyphodon fuscum Duméril, Bibron & Duméril 1854: 1101 . Type locality: “ Grand-Bassam , sur la Côte d’Ivoire (Guinée)”, Ivory Coast.

Dipsas fasciata Fischer, 1856: 84 . Type locality: “Peki (West-Afrika)”, Ghana.

Dipsas valida Fischer, 1856: 87 . Type locality: “ Edina (Grand Bassa County, West-Afrika)”, Liberia.

Dipsas globiceps Fischer, 1856: 89 . Type locality: “ Edina (Grand Bassa County, Liberia, West-Afrika)”.

Toxicodryas blandingii ( Hallowell, 1844) : Hallowell 1857: 60.

Dipsas fischeri Jan in Duméril, 1859: 212. Type locality: non provided.

Triglyphodon fuscum var. obscurum Duméril, 1861: 211 . Type locality: “Côte d’Or”, Ghana.

Dipsas regalis Jan, 1871: 3 in Jan & Sordelli (1870–1881). Type locality: “Côte d’Or”, Ghana .

Dipsas globiceps var. tumboensis Müller, 1885: 688 . Type locality: “Tumbo-Insel”, Guinea.

Boiga blandingi occidentalis Stucki-Stirn, 1979: 377 . Type locality: “Besongabang” Cameroon.

Boiga blandingi subfulva Stucki-Stirn, 1979: 381 . Type locality: Cameroon.

Distribution. It ranges from Senegal to western Democratic Republic of the Congo (west of the confluence of the Congo and Ubangi Rivers) ( Greenbaum et al. 2021). In Equatorial Guinea it has been recorded in Bioko at Bococo ( Mertens 1941) and San Carlos ( Mertens 1964a; Greenbaum et al. 2021), and in Río Muni at Monte Alén National Park ( Lasso et al. 2002) ( Map 24B ).

Comments. Populations located at the East of the confluence between Congo and Ubangi Rivers (not in Equatorial Guinea), formerly considered as Toxicodryas blandingii , have been recently separated from T. blandingii and described as T. vexator Greenbaum, Allen, Vaughan, Pauwels, Wallach, Kusamba, Muninga, Mwenebatu , Mali, Badjedjea, Penner, Rödel, Rivera, Sterkhova, Johnson, Tapoandjou & Brown, 2021 ( Greenbaum et al. 2021). The examined specimen EBD 18673 contained a bird in its stomach.

Specimens examined. Eleven specimens. Equatorial Guinea: without specific locality ( MNCN 23819 ) , October 1987 ( EBD 27797) . Bioko : without specific locality ( MNCN 22315 , MNCN 22555 ) ; Riaba (= Concepción) ( EBD 31727) . Río Muni: San Joaquín de Ndyiacom , 1990 ( EBD 31493–31494 , EBD 31503) ; Nsung , 22 km from Bata, 05 June 1984 ( EBD 18363) ; from Bata to Movo, Km 7, 06 June 1984 ( EBD 18673) ; from Bata to Movo, Km 7, 16 June 1984 ( EBD 18359) .

Figures

FIGURE 22. From left to right: lateral, dorsal and ventral views of the head of: Toxicodryas blandingii (A) (MNCN 23819), Grayia caesar (B) (EBD 20945), and Grayia ornata (C) (EBD 24950). Photos: AS-V.

MAPS 24 A–C. Distribution maps for Equatorial Guinean records of (A) Toxicodryas adamanteus (question mark represents an imprecise record); (B) Toxicodryas blandingii; (C) Grayia caesar (question mark represents an imprecise record).