taxonID	type	description	language	source
03E94345A52F4404FCDCE30504D85331.taxon	vernacular_names	Egyptian Hissing Sand Snake, Psammophis rayé, Schmuck-Sandrennnatter	en	Trape, Jean-François, Crochet, Pierre-André, Broadley, Donald G., Sourouille, Patricia, Mané, Youssouph, Burger, Marius, Böhme, Wolfgang, Saleh, Mostafa, Karan, Anna, Lanza, Benedetto, Mediannikov, Oleg (2019): On the Psammophis sibilans group (Serpentes, Lamprophiidae, Psammophiinae) north of 12 ° S, with the description of a new species from West Africa. Bonn zoological Bulletin 68 (1): 61-91, DOI: 10.20363/BZB-2019.68.1.061, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.20363/bzb-2019.68.1.061
03E94345A52F4404FCDCE30504D85331.taxon	description	Description. (325 specimens from Egypt and two specimens from Ethiopia examined) Nostril pierced between 2 nasals; preocular 1 (very rarely 2), in short contact with or separated from frontal; postoculars 2 (very rarely 3); temporals basically 2 + 2 + 3, but with frequent fusions; supralabials 8 (but often 9 in Upper Egypt), the 4 th & 5 th (or the 5 th & 6 th) entering orbit; infralabials usually 10 or 11 (rarely 9 or 12), the first 5 in contact with anterior sublinguals; dorsal scales in 17 - 17 - 13 rows; ventrals 154 – 178; cloacal divided; subcaudals 98 – 119 (lowest count 91 fide Anderson 1898, but tip of the tail probably mutilated). Brandstätter (1995, fig. 68 – 70) has published SEM micrographs of a dorsal scale of an Egyptian specimen. Dorsum brown, top of head often with a pale median stripe on the snout which either terminates at the frontal or continue up to two-thirds its length (Fig. 9), back of head often with pale transverse markings; labials immaculate yellow or with a few dark spots; dorsum plain (Fig. 10) or with a vertebral line with each scale yellow with black laterally or paler at base and pale dorsolateral stripes on scale rows 4 and 5 (Fig. 11); lower half of outer scale row and ventrals yellow; sometimes a pair of faint or broken black ventral hairlines. Size. Largest specimen: 1,445 mm (Flower 1933).	en	Trape, Jean-François, Crochet, Pierre-André, Broadley, Donald G., Sourouille, Patricia, Mané, Youssouph, Burger, Marius, Böhme, Wolfgang, Saleh, Mostafa, Karan, Anna, Lanza, Benedetto, Mediannikov, Oleg (2019): On the Psammophis sibilans group (Serpentes, Lamprophiidae, Psammophiinae) north of 12 ° S, with the description of a new species from West Africa. Bonn zoological Bulletin 68 (1): 61-91, DOI: 10.20363/BZB-2019.68.1.061, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.20363/bzb-2019.68.1.061
03E94345A52F4404FCDCE30504D85331.taxon	discussion	Remarks. Here we follow the usage established by Loveridge (1953) in treating “ Egypt ” as the type locality of P. sibilans. However, to fulfil the requirements of the code of Zoological Nomenclature, a proper restriction of type locality would require designation of a lectotype and, if the origin of the lectotype cannot be traced and / or its identity cannot be ascertained, application to the commission to set aside the type and designate a neotype in accordance with Article 75.5 of the Code. Further studies are needed to establish the distribution of P. sibilans in north-eastern Africa. Sequences from Ethiopia and Somalia published by Kelly et al. (2008) and one additional sequence from our specimens suggest that at least three cryptic species of the Psammophis sibilans group occur in the Horn of Africa.	en	Trape, Jean-François, Crochet, Pierre-André, Broadley, Donald G., Sourouille, Patricia, Mané, Youssouph, Burger, Marius, Böhme, Wolfgang, Saleh, Mostafa, Karan, Anna, Lanza, Benedetto, Mediannikov, Oleg (2019): On the Psammophis sibilans group (Serpentes, Lamprophiidae, Psammophiinae) north of 12 ° S, with the description of a new species from West Africa. Bonn zoological Bulletin 68 (1): 61-91, DOI: 10.20363/BZB-2019.68.1.061, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.20363/bzb-2019.68.1.061
03E94345A52F4404FCDCE30504D85331.taxon	biology_ecology	Habitat. Cultivated and other vegetated areas along the Nile in Egypt and Sudan, woodland savanna in Ethiopia.	en	Trape, Jean-François, Crochet, Pierre-André, Broadley, Donald G., Sourouille, Patricia, Mané, Youssouph, Burger, Marius, Böhme, Wolfgang, Saleh, Mostafa, Karan, Anna, Lanza, Benedetto, Mediannikov, Oleg (2019): On the Psammophis sibilans group (Serpentes, Lamprophiidae, Psammophiinae) north of 12 ° S, with the description of a new species from West Africa. Bonn zoological Bulletin 68 (1): 61-91, DOI: 10.20363/BZB-2019.68.1.061, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.20363/bzb-2019.68.1.061
03E94345A52F4404FCDCE30504D85331.taxon	distribution	Distribution. Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia. Possibly extending in neighbouring areas of Eritrea and South Sudan. Figure 12 shows the geographic distribution of the P. sibilans specimens that we sequenced, and of other sequenced specimens of closely related species.	en	Trape, Jean-François, Crochet, Pierre-André, Broadley, Donald G., Sourouille, Patricia, Mané, Youssouph, Burger, Marius, Böhme, Wolfgang, Saleh, Mostafa, Karan, Anna, Lanza, Benedetto, Mediannikov, Oleg (2019): On the Psammophis sibilans group (Serpentes, Lamprophiidae, Psammophiinae) north of 12 ° S, with the description of a new species from West Africa. Bonn zoological Bulletin 68 (1): 61-91, DOI: 10.20363/BZB-2019.68.1.061, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.20363/bzb-2019.68.1.061
03E94345A52E4404FF75E4AB05BC51F8.taxon	vernacular_names	Rukwa Whip Snake, Psammophis du Rukwa, Rukwa-Sandrennnatter	en	Trape, Jean-François, Crochet, Pierre-André, Broadley, Donald G., Sourouille, Patricia, Mané, Youssouph, Burger, Marius, Böhme, Wolfgang, Saleh, Mostafa, Karan, Anna, Lanza, Benedetto, Mediannikov, Oleg (2019): On the Psammophis sibilans group (Serpentes, Lamprophiidae, Psammophiinae) north of 12 ° S, with the description of a new species from West Africa. Bonn zoological Bulletin 68 (1): 61-91, DOI: 10.20363/BZB-2019.68.1.061, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.20363/bzb-2019.68.1.061
03E94345A52E4404FF75E4AB05BC51F8.taxon	description	Description. (127 specimens examined) Nostril pierced between 2 nasals; preocular 1 (very rarely 2), in short contact with or separated from frontal; postoculars 2; temporals basically 2 + 2 + 3, but with frequent fusions; supralabials 8 (very rarely 9), the 4 th & 5 th (very rarely 5 th & 6 th) entering orbit; infralabials usually 11 (rarely 10 or 12), the first 5 (very rarely 4) in contact with anterior sublinguals; dorsal scales in 17 - 17 - 13 rows; ventrals 160 – 184 (Rukwa type series 165 – 177; populations East of 25 ° E 160 – 184; Chad 169 – 177; up to 192 for Somalia, but probably a cryptic species); cloacal divided; subcaudals 71 – 102 (Rukwa type series 83 – 96; populations East of 25 ° E 71 – 100, Chad 84 – 102 (n = 30). Brandstätter (1995, figs 63, 64) has published SEM micrographs of a dorsal scale of the holotype NMZB 4212. Top of head with a pale median stripe which forks and then borders the frontal, but the head may become uniform yellow-brown in large adults; labials immaculate or with large brown spots; dorsum dark or light brown, rarely uniform, most specimens with at least a vertebral chain, each scale in vertebral row paler at base. Some specimens have ill-defined pale dorsolateral stripes on scale rows 4 and 5, which fade out in some adults, but many other specimens, including large adults, have both well contrasted vertebral chain, with black pigment on each side of the scales of the vertebral row, and well contrasted pale dorsolateral stripes on scale rows 4 and 5 with black pigment on each side. Lower half of outer scale row and ends of ventrals yellowish, separated or not by a pair of brown or blackish ventral lines from a yellow mid-ventral band. Size. Largest specimen (TM 25301 – Kafukola, Rukwa, Tanzania) 1,090 + 388 = 1,478 mm.	en	Trape, Jean-François, Crochet, Pierre-André, Broadley, Donald G., Sourouille, Patricia, Mané, Youssouph, Burger, Marius, Böhme, Wolfgang, Saleh, Mostafa, Karan, Anna, Lanza, Benedetto, Mediannikov, Oleg (2019): On the Psammophis sibilans group (Serpentes, Lamprophiidae, Psammophiinae) north of 12 ° S, with the description of a new species from West Africa. Bonn zoological Bulletin 68 (1): 61-91, DOI: 10.20363/BZB-2019.68.1.061, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.20363/bzb-2019.68.1.061
03E94345A52E4404FF75E4AB05BC51F8.taxon	discussion	Remarks. According to Broadley (1966) P. rukwae was a subspecies of P. sibilans distinguished by consistent ventral pattern of a pair of black lateral hairlines similar to that found in P. subtaeniatus. However our series of specimens from Chad show that many specimens lack black lateral hairlines.	en	Trape, Jean-François, Crochet, Pierre-André, Broadley, Donald G., Sourouille, Patricia, Mané, Youssouph, Burger, Marius, Böhme, Wolfgang, Saleh, Mostafa, Karan, Anna, Lanza, Benedetto, Mediannikov, Oleg (2019): On the Psammophis sibilans group (Serpentes, Lamprophiidae, Psammophiinae) north of 12 ° S, with the description of a new species from West Africa. Bonn zoological Bulletin 68 (1): 61-91, DOI: 10.20363/BZB-2019.68.1.061, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.20363/bzb-2019.68.1.061
03E94345A52E4404FF75E4AB05BC51F8.taxon	biology_ecology	Habitat. Flood plains and grasslands seem to be the preferred habitats in eastern Africa. In Chad this species is common in all types of savannas.	en	Trape, Jean-François, Crochet, Pierre-André, Broadley, Donald G., Sourouille, Patricia, Mané, Youssouph, Burger, Marius, Böhme, Wolfgang, Saleh, Mostafa, Karan, Anna, Lanza, Benedetto, Mediannikov, Oleg (2019): On the Psammophis sibilans group (Serpentes, Lamprophiidae, Psammophiinae) north of 12 ° S, with the description of a new species from West Africa. Bonn zoological Bulletin 68 (1): 61-91, DOI: 10.20363/BZB-2019.68.1.061, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.20363/bzb-2019.68.1.061
03E94345A52E4404FF75E4AB05BC51F8.taxon	distribution	Distribution. East Africa from the Rukwa valley in Tanzania, north through Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, South Sudan and Sudan, then the western populations extend from the Central African Republic and Chad west to northern Cameroon.	en	Trape, Jean-François, Crochet, Pierre-André, Broadley, Donald G., Sourouille, Patricia, Mané, Youssouph, Burger, Marius, Böhme, Wolfgang, Saleh, Mostafa, Karan, Anna, Lanza, Benedetto, Mediannikov, Oleg (2019): On the Psammophis sibilans group (Serpentes, Lamprophiidae, Psammophiinae) north of 12 ° S, with the description of a new species from West Africa. Bonn zoological Bulletin 68 (1): 61-91, DOI: 10.20363/BZB-2019.68.1.061, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.20363/bzb-2019.68.1.061
03E94345A52C4408FF75E1CF04EF520B.taxon	description	West-African Whip Snake, Psammophis ouest-africain, Westafrikanische Sandrennnatter	en	Trape, Jean-François, Crochet, Pierre-André, Broadley, Donald G., Sourouille, Patricia, Mané, Youssouph, Burger, Marius, Böhme, Wolfgang, Saleh, Mostafa, Karan, Anna, Lanza, Benedetto, Mediannikov, Oleg (2019): On the Psammophis sibilans group (Serpentes, Lamprophiidae, Psammophiinae) north of 12 ° S, with the description of a new species from West Africa. Bonn zoological Bulletin 68 (1): 61-91, DOI: 10.20363/BZB-2019.68.1.061, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.20363/bzb-2019.68.1.061
03E94345A52C4408FF75E1CF04EF520B.taxon	materials_examined	Holotype. MNHN 2018.0013 (formerly IRD 7631. S, a male from Dakar Hann, Senegal (14 ° 43 ’ N, 17 ° 26 ’ W) collected by J. - F. Trape on December 10 th, 2005 (Figs. 13 & 14).	en	Trape, Jean-François, Crochet, Pierre-André, Broadley, Donald G., Sourouille, Patricia, Mané, Youssouph, Burger, Marius, Böhme, Wolfgang, Saleh, Mostafa, Karan, Anna, Lanza, Benedetto, Mediannikov, Oleg (2019): On the Psammophis sibilans group (Serpentes, Lamprophiidae, Psammophiinae) north of 12 ° S, with the description of a new species from West Africa. Bonn zoological Bulletin 68 (1): 61-91, DOI: 10.20363/BZB-2019.68.1.061, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.20363/bzb-2019.68.1.061
03E94345A52C4408FF75E1CF04EF520B.taxon	diagnosis	Diagnosis. Distinguishable from other species of the P. sibilans group by the combination of the following characters: 17 scale rows around midbody, 156 – 185 ventrals, 96 – 120 subcaudals (rarely less than 100), cloacal divided, 5 infralabials in contact with anterior sublinguals (very rarely 4). Dorsum pale brown, dark brown or greenish-brown, rarely uniform, usually a vertebral chain with the scale of vertebral row paler at base, but this chain often restricted to part of the dorsum, ill-defined and occasionally totally absent; pale dorsolateral stripes on the 4 th row of dorsals, but often ill-defined or absent; top of head with a pale median stripe on the snout which forks when reaching the frontal and then borders the frontal, but often ill defined or absent in adults. Genetically diagnosable through possession of unique mitochondrial haplotypes. Psammophis afroccidentalis sp. nov. can be distinguished from P. rukwae by a higher number of subcaudals (P. rukwae 70 – 100, exceptionnaly up to 105), from P. sibilans by major differences in mitochondrial haplotypes, a pale median stripe that borders the frontal (not bordering the frontal in P. sibilans) and a more uniform dorsal colouration in most specimens, from P. schokari and P. aegyptius by a lower number of subralabials (8 versus 9) and a different head pattern, and from P. sudanensis, P. phillipsi, P. occidentalis, P. mossambicus, P. leopardinus, P. zambiensis and P. subtaeniatus by a higher number of infralabials in contact with the anterior sublinguals (5 versus 4) and by different head and dorsal patterns.	en	Trape, Jean-François, Crochet, Pierre-André, Broadley, Donald G., Sourouille, Patricia, Mané, Youssouph, Burger, Marius, Böhme, Wolfgang, Saleh, Mostafa, Karan, Anna, Lanza, Benedetto, Mediannikov, Oleg (2019): On the Psammophis sibilans group (Serpentes, Lamprophiidae, Psammophiinae) north of 12 ° S, with the description of a new species from West Africa. Bonn zoological Bulletin 68 (1): 61-91, DOI: 10.20363/BZB-2019.68.1.061, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.20363/bzb-2019.68.1.061
03E94345A52C4408FF75E1CF04EF520B.taxon	description	Description of holotype. A male specimen, snoutvent length 745 mm, tail length 345 mm, total length 1090 mm, ratio total length: tail length 3.16. Supralabials 8 / 8 supralabials, 4 th & 5 th entering orbit (Fig. 15); 11 / 11 infralabials, first 5 contact anterior sublinguals; 1 / 1 preocular contacting frontal; 2 / 2 postoculars; 2 / 2 anterior temporals (the lower one on right side divided); 2 + 3 / 2 + 3 posterior temporals. Scale rows 17 around hood, 17 around midbody, 13 one head length ahead of the vent, all smooth and oblique. Dorsal scales smooth, oblique. Vertebral row not enlarged. Ventrals 168 (Dowling: 167), subcaudals 104, all divided, cloacal divided. Top of head with a pale median stripe on the snout which forks and then borders the frontal; labials pale brown and yellowish. Dorsum uniform brown except pale dorsolateral stripes on scale rows 4 and adjacent parts of rows 3 and 5. No vertebral chain. Belly yellowish, limit with dorsal colouration on the first row of dorsals; traces of broken brown hairlines on part of the ventrals. Etymology. The name is derived from the contraction of Africa and occidentalis, the region of Africa where this species is distributed. Variation. (924 specimens examined) Nostril pierced between 2 nasals; preocular 1, in contact with or separated from frontal; postoculars 2; temporals basically 2 + 2 + 3 with occasional fusions or divisions, supralabials 8, the 4 th & 5 th entering orbit; infralabials usually 11 (rarely 9 or 10), the first 5 (very rarely 4, 2 % of specimens only) in contact with anterior sublinguals; dorsal scales in 17 - 17 - 13 rows; ventrals 156 - 165.9 - 180 in males; 160 - 173.2 - 185 in females, cloacal divided; subcaudals 98 - 108.0 - 121 in males, 96 - 106.2 - 120 in females. Colouration variable (Figs 4, 5, 16, 17). Top of head pale brown with a pale median stripe on the snout which forks and then borders the frontal, but the head often becomes uniform brown in adults; labials immaculate or with brown spots; dorsum from light brown to dark brown; a vertebral chain rarely absent but often ill-defined, with most scale in vertebral row paler at base and rarely black edged; pale dorsolateral stripes on scale row 4 either well contrasted, ill-defined or absent; belly light yellowish, often immaculate but occasionally with hairlines. Size. Largest intact specimen (IRD 3538. S – Matam, Senegal) 1,145 + 460 = 1,505 mm, but largest SVL = 1,260 mm in two specimens with truncated tails (IRD 3345. S – Jalalawy, Senegal, and IRD 3345. S – Matam, Senegal).	en	Trape, Jean-François, Crochet, Pierre-André, Broadley, Donald G., Sourouille, Patricia, Mané, Youssouph, Burger, Marius, Böhme, Wolfgang, Saleh, Mostafa, Karan, Anna, Lanza, Benedetto, Mediannikov, Oleg (2019): On the Psammophis sibilans group (Serpentes, Lamprophiidae, Psammophiinae) north of 12 ° S, with the description of a new species from West Africa. Bonn zoological Bulletin 68 (1): 61-91, DOI: 10.20363/BZB-2019.68.1.061, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.20363/bzb-2019.68.1.061
03E94345A52C4408FF75E1CF04EF520B.taxon	discussion	Remarks. There are limited molecular differences between a mainly western group of specimens (Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Guinea, Ivory Coast and one of the two specimens from Niger) and those from Burkina Faso, Benin, Niger, and Mao in Chad. They are not correlated to differences in colour patterns nor in meristic data. Habitat. Sahel and Sudan savanna in West Africa. Penetrates in Guinea savanna and relict populations in sahelo-saharan wetlands.	en	Trape, Jean-François, Crochet, Pierre-André, Broadley, Donald G., Sourouille, Patricia, Mané, Youssouph, Burger, Marius, Böhme, Wolfgang, Saleh, Mostafa, Karan, Anna, Lanza, Benedetto, Mediannikov, Oleg (2019): On the Psammophis sibilans group (Serpentes, Lamprophiidae, Psammophiinae) north of 12 ° S, with the description of a new species from West Africa. Bonn zoological Bulletin 68 (1): 61-91, DOI: 10.20363/BZB-2019.68.1.061, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.20363/bzb-2019.68.1.061
03E94345A52C4408FF75E1CF04EF520B.taxon	distribution	Distribution. Mauritania (northernmost record: Tidra island 19 ° 44 ’ N, 16 ° 24 ’ W), Senegal, Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Guinea, Mali (northenmost record: Tinjemban 16 ° 44 ’ N, 02 ° 50 ’ W and along the Niger River), Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Niger (northernmost record: Azzel 17 ° 03 ’ N, 08 ° 03 ’ E), Nigeria and Chad (Mao). Possibly a relict population in southern Algeria (ZFMK 29365 from 200 km north of Tamanrasset, a damaged specimen previously assigned to P. rukwae by Böhme 1986 and to P. sibilans by Hughes 2012).	en	Trape, Jean-François, Crochet, Pierre-André, Broadley, Donald G., Sourouille, Patricia, Mané, Youssouph, Burger, Marius, Böhme, Wolfgang, Saleh, Mostafa, Karan, Anna, Lanza, Benedetto, Mediannikov, Oleg (2019): On the Psammophis sibilans group (Serpentes, Lamprophiidae, Psammophiinae) north of 12 ° S, with the description of a new species from West Africa. Bonn zoological Bulletin 68 (1): 61-91, DOI: 10.20363/BZB-2019.68.1.061, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.20363/bzb-2019.68.1.061
03E94345A5224408FF75E7FE050253A6.taxon	vernacular_names	Eastern Stripe-bellied Sand Snake, Psammophis oriental, Östliche Sandrennnatter	en	Trape, Jean-François, Crochet, Pierre-André, Broadley, Donald G., Sourouille, Patricia, Mané, Youssouph, Burger, Marius, Böhme, Wolfgang, Saleh, Mostafa, Karan, Anna, Lanza, Benedetto, Mediannikov, Oleg (2019): On the Psammophis sibilans group (Serpentes, Lamprophiidae, Psammophiinae) north of 12 ° S, with the description of a new species from West Africa. Bonn zoological Bulletin 68 (1): 61-91, DOI: 10.20363/BZB-2019.68.1.061, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.20363/bzb-2019.68.1.061
03E94345A5224408FF75E7FE050253A6.taxon	description	Description. (147 specimens examined) Nostril pierced between 2 nasals; preocular 1 (very rarely 2), in short contact with or separated from frontal; postoculars 2; temporals basically 2 + 2 + 3, but with frequent fusions; supralabials 8 (very rarely 7 or 9), the 4 th & 5 th (rarely 3 rd & 4 th, 4 th, 5 th & 6 th or 5 th & 6 th) entering orbit; infralabials usually 10 (rarely 9 or 11), the first 4 (very rarely 3 or 5) in contact with anterior sublinguals; dorsal scales in 17 - 17 - 13 rows; ventrals 148 – 170; cloacal divided; subcaudals 95 – 117. Brandstätter (1995, figs 74 – 75) has published SEM micrographs of a dorsal scale of NMZB 23336 from Mutare, Zimbabwe. Dorsum dark brown, top of head uniform; each scale in vertebral row paler at base, an ill-defined pale dorso-lateral stripe on scale row 4 and 5; a dark stripe across rostral, anterior nasal and upper portions of supralabials 1 – 4; labials white speckled with black; lower half of outer scale row and ends of ventrals white, separated by a pair of well defined black ventral lines from a yellow mid-ventral band. Size. Largest male (NMZB 11267 – Mafia Island, Tanzania) 790 + 395 = 1,185 mm; largest female (USNM 72471 – Dodoma, Tanzania) 730 = 350 = 1,080 mm.	en	Trape, Jean-François, Crochet, Pierre-André, Broadley, Donald G., Sourouille, Patricia, Mané, Youssouph, Burger, Marius, Böhme, Wolfgang, Saleh, Mostafa, Karan, Anna, Lanza, Benedetto, Mediannikov, Oleg (2019): On the Psammophis sibilans group (Serpentes, Lamprophiidae, Psammophiinae) north of 12 ° S, with the description of a new species from West Africa. Bonn zoological Bulletin 68 (1): 61-91, DOI: 10.20363/BZB-2019.68.1.061, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.20363/bzb-2019.68.1.061
03E94345A5224408FF75E7FE050253A6.taxon	discussion	Remarks. This form was originally assigned to P. subtaeniatus sudanensis (Loveridge, 1940; Broadley, 1966), but was later described from Morogoro, Tanzania, where it is sympatric with P. sudanensis.	en	Trape, Jean-François, Crochet, Pierre-André, Broadley, Donald G., Sourouille, Patricia, Mané, Youssouph, Burger, Marius, Böhme, Wolfgang, Saleh, Mostafa, Karan, Anna, Lanza, Benedetto, Mediannikov, Oleg (2019): On the Psammophis sibilans group (Serpentes, Lamprophiidae, Psammophiinae) north of 12 ° S, with the description of a new species from West Africa. Bonn zoological Bulletin 68 (1): 61-91, DOI: 10.20363/BZB-2019.68.1.061, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.20363/bzb-2019.68.1.061
03E94345A5224408FF75E7FE050253A6.taxon	biology_ecology	Habitat. Dry savannas on the east coast from Kenya south to about Latitude 23 ° S in Mozambique, sometimes sympatric with P. subtaeniatus in southeastern Zimbabwe.	en	Trape, Jean-François, Crochet, Pierre-André, Broadley, Donald G., Sourouille, Patricia, Mané, Youssouph, Burger, Marius, Böhme, Wolfgang, Saleh, Mostafa, Karan, Anna, Lanza, Benedetto, Mediannikov, Oleg (2019): On the Psammophis sibilans group (Serpentes, Lamprophiidae, Psammophiinae) north of 12 ° S, with the description of a new species from West Africa. Bonn zoological Bulletin 68 (1): 61-91, DOI: 10.20363/BZB-2019.68.1.061, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.20363/bzb-2019.68.1.061
03E94345A5224408FF75E7FE050253A6.taxon	distribution	Distribution. East Africa from coastal Kenya, south through Tanzania, Malawi, eastern Zimbabwe and Mozambique to the Bazaruto archipelago and adjacent mainland.	en	Trape, Jean-François, Crochet, Pierre-André, Broadley, Donald G., Sourouille, Patricia, Mané, Youssouph, Burger, Marius, Böhme, Wolfgang, Saleh, Mostafa, Karan, Anna, Lanza, Benedetto, Mediannikov, Oleg (2019): On the Psammophis sibilans group (Serpentes, Lamprophiidae, Psammophiinae) north of 12 ° S, with the description of a new species from West Africa. Bonn zoological Bulletin 68 (1): 61-91, DOI: 10.20363/BZB-2019.68.1.061, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.20363/bzb-2019.68.1.061
03E94345A5224408FF75E5A504C150E3.taxon	vernacular_names	Western Stripe-bellied Sand Snake, Psammophis à ventre ligné, Gelbbauch-Sandrennnatter	en	Trape, Jean-François, Crochet, Pierre-André, Broadley, Donald G., Sourouille, Patricia, Mané, Youssouph, Burger, Marius, Böhme, Wolfgang, Saleh, Mostafa, Karan, Anna, Lanza, Benedetto, Mediannikov, Oleg (2019): On the Psammophis sibilans group (Serpentes, Lamprophiidae, Psammophiinae) north of 12 ° S, with the description of a new species from West Africa. Bonn zoological Bulletin 68 (1): 61-91, DOI: 10.20363/BZB-2019.68.1.061, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.20363/bzb-2019.68.1.061
03E94345A5224408FF75E5A504C150E3.taxon	materials_examined	One specimen examined by DGB from north of Latitude 12 ° S, MBL 1772 from Rio Bengo near Luanda in Angola (8 ° 43 ’ S, 13 ° 24 ’ E), one of the syntypes of P. bocagii destroyed by fire in the Museu Bocage. Full data for this taxon have been published in Broadley (2002).	en	Trape, Jean-François, Crochet, Pierre-André, Broadley, Donald G., Sourouille, Patricia, Mané, Youssouph, Burger, Marius, Böhme, Wolfgang, Saleh, Mostafa, Karan, Anna, Lanza, Benedetto, Mediannikov, Oleg (2019): On the Psammophis sibilans group (Serpentes, Lamprophiidae, Psammophiinae) north of 12 ° S, with the description of a new species from West Africa. Bonn zoological Bulletin 68 (1): 61-91, DOI: 10.20363/BZB-2019.68.1.061, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.20363/bzb-2019.68.1.061
03E94345A522440BFCF8E7390274529E.taxon	vernacular_names	Northern Stripe-bellied Sand Snake, Psammophis soudanien, Sudanesische Sandrennnatter	en	Trape, Jean-François, Crochet, Pierre-André, Broadley, Donald G., Sourouille, Patricia, Mané, Youssouph, Burger, Marius, Böhme, Wolfgang, Saleh, Mostafa, Karan, Anna, Lanza, Benedetto, Mediannikov, Oleg (2019): On the Psammophis sibilans group (Serpentes, Lamprophiidae, Psammophiinae) north of 12 ° S, with the description of a new species from West Africa. Bonn zoological Bulletin 68 (1): 61-91, DOI: 10.20363/BZB-2019.68.1.061, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.20363/bzb-2019.68.1.061
03E94345A522440BFCF8E7390274529E.taxon	description	Description. (114 specimens examined) Nostril pierced between 2 nasals; preocular 1, in short contact with or separated from frontal; postoculars 2 (very rarely 1 or 3); temporals basically 2 + 2 + 3, but with frequent fusions; supralabials 8 (very rarely 7 or 9), the 4 th & 5 th (rarely 3 rd & 4 th or 4 th, 5 th & 6 th) entering orbit; infralabials usually 10 (rarely 9 or 11), the first 4 (very rarely 3 or 5) in contact with anterior sublinguals; dorsal scales in 17 - 17 - 13 rows; ventrals 150 – 180; cloacal divided (entire in type of leucogaster); subcaudals 93 – 122. Dorsum dark brown, top of head with a black-bordered pale median stripe extending far back on the frontal before forking (Fig. 18), transverse pale markings on back of head; labials immaculate white or speckled with black; vertebral stripe ill-defined in the east, strongly marked in the west, broadening on the nape; pale dorsolateral stripes on scale rows 4 and 5; lower half of outer scale row and ends of ventrals whitish, often separated by a pair of well defined black ventral lines (occasionally ill-defined or absent in West and Central Africa) from a yellow mid-ventral band. Size. Largest male (MCZ 53449 – Torit, South Sudan) 820 + 390 = 1210 mm; largest female (FMNH 58389 – Torit, South Sudan) 920 + 405 = 1325 mm.	en	Trape, Jean-François, Crochet, Pierre-André, Broadley, Donald G., Sourouille, Patricia, Mané, Youssouph, Burger, Marius, Böhme, Wolfgang, Saleh, Mostafa, Karan, Anna, Lanza, Benedetto, Mediannikov, Oleg (2019): On the Psammophis sibilans group (Serpentes, Lamprophiidae, Psammophiinae) north of 12 ° S, with the description of a new species from West Africa. Bonn zoological Bulletin 68 (1): 61-91, DOI: 10.20363/BZB-2019.68.1.061, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.20363/bzb-2019.68.1.061
03E94345A522440BFCF8E7390274529E.taxon	discussion	Remarks. The type of P. leucogaster from Ghana appears to be a highly aberrant specimen of P. sudanensis. Populations from Chad are probably similar genetically to those in Kordofan, the type locality, which is close geographically and ecologically. The sequences of P. sudanensis from Tanzania and Kenya of Kelly et al. (2008) belong to a distinct clade, suggesting that they may belong to a cryptic species. However, the pattern of a Kenyan specimen illustrated by Spawls et al. (2002) is similar to those of our specimens from West Africa and Chad (Fig 19). Some rare specimens from Chad are uniformly beige dorsally (e. g. IRD 2871. N and 2884. N).	en	Trape, Jean-François, Crochet, Pierre-André, Broadley, Donald G., Sourouille, Patricia, Mané, Youssouph, Burger, Marius, Böhme, Wolfgang, Saleh, Mostafa, Karan, Anna, Lanza, Benedetto, Mediannikov, Oleg (2019): On the Psammophis sibilans group (Serpentes, Lamprophiidae, Psammophiinae) north of 12 ° S, with the description of a new species from West Africa. Bonn zoological Bulletin 68 (1): 61-91, DOI: 10.20363/BZB-2019.68.1.061, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.20363/bzb-2019.68.1.061
03E94345A522440BFCF8E7390274529E.taxon	biology_ecology	Habitat. In eastern Africa, coastal thicket, moist and dry savanna and high grassland, from sea level to 2,700 m (Spawls et al. 2002). In Chad it was the most common colubrid snake that JFT collected in almost all moist and dry savanna areas of the country (17 % of 1,010 colubrids collected between 7 ° N and 14 ° N). In West Africa, it is a very rare species: only three specimens out of 9,000 snakes in Senegal, all in the Sahel north of 14 ° N (Trape & Mané unpublished), one specimen out of 1,714 in Niger (Trape & Mané 2015), none out of 4,906 in Guinea (Trape & Baldé 2014), and none out of 5,224 in Mali (Trape & Mané 2017). A single specimen of P. sudanensis was present in Roman’s collection of 5,000 snakes from Burkina Faso (Trape 2005). Psammophis sudanensis reports from Sangaredi area (Guinea) by Chirio (2012) and from southern Benin by Ullenbruch et al. (2010, see Figs 16 & 17 p. 44) are in fact attributable to specimens belonging to the lineated phase of P. afroccidentalis sp. nov.	en	Trape, Jean-François, Crochet, Pierre-André, Broadley, Donald G., Sourouille, Patricia, Mané, Youssouph, Burger, Marius, Böhme, Wolfgang, Saleh, Mostafa, Karan, Anna, Lanza, Benedetto, Mediannikov, Oleg (2019): On the Psammophis sibilans group (Serpentes, Lamprophiidae, Psammophiinae) north of 12 ° S, with the description of a new species from West Africa. Bonn zoological Bulletin 68 (1): 61-91, DOI: 10.20363/BZB-2019.68.1.061, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.20363/bzb-2019.68.1.061
03E94345A522440BFCF8E7390274529E.taxon	distribution	Distribution. East Africa from southern Sudan, south through eastern Uganda and Kenya to northern Tanzania, west through the Central African Republic, Cameroon, Nigeria, Niger, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Senegal. Sympatric with P. orientalis at Morogoro in Tanzania, with P. rukwae in Chad and Cameroon, and with P. afroccidentalis sp. nov. in West Africa.	en	Trape, Jean-François, Crochet, Pierre-André, Broadley, Donald G., Sourouille, Patricia, Mané, Youssouph, Burger, Marius, Böhme, Wolfgang, Saleh, Mostafa, Karan, Anna, Lanza, Benedetto, Mediannikov, Oleg (2019): On the Psammophis sibilans group (Serpentes, Lamprophiidae, Psammophiinae) north of 12 ° S, with the description of a new species from West Africa. Bonn zoological Bulletin 68 (1): 61-91, DOI: 10.20363/BZB-2019.68.1.061, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.20363/bzb-2019.68.1.061
03E94345A521440DFCDDE5D007B55791.taxon	vernacular_names	Phillips’ Whip Snake, Psammophis de Phillips, Phillips-Sandrennnatter	en	Trape, Jean-François, Crochet, Pierre-André, Broadley, Donald G., Sourouille, Patricia, Mané, Youssouph, Burger, Marius, Böhme, Wolfgang, Saleh, Mostafa, Karan, Anna, Lanza, Benedetto, Mediannikov, Oleg (2019): On the Psammophis sibilans group (Serpentes, Lamprophiidae, Psammophiinae) north of 12 ° S, with the description of a new species from West Africa. Bonn zoological Bulletin 68 (1): 61-91, DOI: 10.20363/BZB-2019.68.1.061, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.20363/bzb-2019.68.1.061
03E94345A521440DFCDDE5D007B55791.taxon	description	Description. (180 specimens examined) Nostril pierced between 2 (rarely 3) nasals; preocular 1, usually widely separated from frontal; postoculars 2; temporals usually 2 + 2 or 2 + 3; supralabials 8 (very rarely 7), the 4 th & 5 th entering orbit; infralabials usually 10 (rarely 9 or 11), the first 4 (very rarely 5) in contact with anterior sublinguals; dorsal scales in 17 - 17 - 13 rows; ventrals 161 – 183; cloacal usually entire (9 % divided); subcaudals 89 – 115. Brandstätter (1995: Fig. 56 – 57) illustrated photomicrographs of a mid-dorsal scale of SMF 20067 from Ghana. Dorsum olive brown, uniform in most specimens (Fig. 20), rarely with black-edged mid-dorsal scales forming black lines (Fig. 21), or with irregularly scattered black scales on the body anteriorly (Fig. 6). Top of head usually uniform, but reticulations may be present, including a double pale line on the frontal (Fig. 6). Each labial and sublingual is usually adorned with a dark spot. Venter yellow or white, uniform or with lateral rows of black spots or short streaks or irregular black speckling. Size. Largest specimen (MCZ 53726 – Achimota, Ghana) 1,280 + 533 = 1,813 mm,	en	Trape, Jean-François, Crochet, Pierre-André, Broadley, Donald G., Sourouille, Patricia, Mané, Youssouph, Burger, Marius, Böhme, Wolfgang, Saleh, Mostafa, Karan, Anna, Lanza, Benedetto, Mediannikov, Oleg (2019): On the Psammophis sibilans group (Serpentes, Lamprophiidae, Psammophiinae) north of 12 ° S, with the description of a new species from West Africa. Bonn zoological Bulletin 68 (1): 61-91, DOI: 10.20363/BZB-2019.68.1.061, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.20363/bzb-2019.68.1.061
03E94345A521440DFCDDE5D007B55791.taxon	discussion	Remarks. Brandstätter (1995) and Hughes (1999) first restricted the name P. phillipsi to the uniform olive form with an entire cloacal shield in West Africa, where it occupies forest clearings and moist savanna. Our molecular data also support this view for the occasional West African specimens with a divided cloacal shield and black dorsal blotches (P. irregularis Fisher).	en	Trape, Jean-François, Crochet, Pierre-André, Broadley, Donald G., Sourouille, Patricia, Mané, Youssouph, Burger, Marius, Böhme, Wolfgang, Saleh, Mostafa, Karan, Anna, Lanza, Benedetto, Mediannikov, Oleg (2019): On the Psammophis sibilans group (Serpentes, Lamprophiidae, Psammophiinae) north of 12 ° S, with the description of a new species from West Africa. Bonn zoological Bulletin 68 (1): 61-91, DOI: 10.20363/BZB-2019.68.1.061, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.20363/bzb-2019.68.1.061
03E94345A521440DFCDDE5D007B55791.taxon	biology_ecology	Habitat. Moist savannas and deforested rainforest areas of West Africa from coastal Gambia to Nigeria.	en	Trape, Jean-François, Crochet, Pierre-André, Broadley, Donald G., Sourouille, Patricia, Mané, Youssouph, Burger, Marius, Böhme, Wolfgang, Saleh, Mostafa, Karan, Anna, Lanza, Benedetto, Mediannikov, Oleg (2019): On the Psammophis sibilans group (Serpentes, Lamprophiidae, Psammophiinae) north of 12 ° S, with the description of a new species from West Africa. Bonn zoological Bulletin 68 (1): 61-91, DOI: 10.20363/BZB-2019.68.1.061, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.20363/bzb-2019.68.1.061
03E94345A521440DFCDDE5D007B55791.taxon	distribution	Distribution. Gambia, Senegal, Guinea Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, southern Mali, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria.	en	Trape, Jean-François, Crochet, Pierre-André, Broadley, Donald G., Sourouille, Patricia, Mané, Youssouph, Burger, Marius, Böhme, Wolfgang, Saleh, Mostafa, Karan, Anna, Lanza, Benedetto, Mediannikov, Oleg (2019): On the Psammophis sibilans group (Serpentes, Lamprophiidae, Psammophiinae) north of 12 ° S, with the description of a new species from West Africa. Bonn zoological Bulletin 68 (1): 61-91, DOI: 10.20363/BZB-2019.68.1.061, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.20363/bzb-2019.68.1.061
03E94345A527440FFF5FE0CC070150BA.taxon	vernacular_names	Olive Whip Snake, Psammophis olivâtre, Olivenfarbige Sandrennnatter	en	Trape, Jean-François, Crochet, Pierre-André, Broadley, Donald G., Sourouille, Patricia, Mané, Youssouph, Burger, Marius, Böhme, Wolfgang, Saleh, Mostafa, Karan, Anna, Lanza, Benedetto, Mediannikov, Oleg (2019): On the Psammophis sibilans group (Serpentes, Lamprophiidae, Psammophiinae) north of 12 ° S, with the description of a new species from West Africa. Bonn zoological Bulletin 68 (1): 61-91, DOI: 10.20363/BZB-2019.68.1.061, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.20363/bzb-2019.68.1.061
03E94345A527440FFF5FE0CC070150BA.taxon	description	Description. (431 specimens examined) Nostril pierced between 2 (rarely 3) nasals; preocular 1, usually widely separated from frontal; postoculars 2 (rarely 1 or 3); temporals usually 2 + 2 / 3 but fusions or partial fusions frequent; supralabials 8 (very rarely 6, 7 or 9), the fouth and fifth & (rarely third & fourth or fifth and sixth) entering orbit; infralabials usually 10 (rarely 9 or 11), the first 4 (rarely 5, e. g. sequenced specimen IRD 2226. N) in contact with anterior sublinguals; dorsal scales in 17 - 17 - 13 rows; ventrals 154 – 188; cloacal divided (rarely entire); subcaudals 84 – 122. Dorsum brown or greenish brown often uniform (Fig. 22), sometimes yellowish posteriorly, sometimes with scattered black scales (rarely more black scales than olive ones). Other specimens have black-edged dorsal scales, a vertebral chain and a yellow or whitish dorsolateral stripe on scale rows 4 and 5 (Fig. 23), this pattern almost constant in specimens from coastal areas of Gabon, Republic of the Congo and Democratic Republic of the Congo. Top of head uniform or reticulated, which fades out in adults. Supralabials uniform or speckled with black. Venter yellow or whitish, uniform or with lateral rows of black spots or short streaks or irregular black speckling, sometimes delimiting a mid-ventral band of grey ofuscation. A specimen from coastal Gabon with a contrasted head and body pattern is illustrated in Pauwels & Vande weghe (2008, Figs 333 – 334), and a specimen from Kenya with uniform dorsum is illustrated in Spawls et al. (2002: 405). Roux-Estève (1965) provided a detailed description of the two types of patterns of the populations of southern Central African Republic. De Witte (1966) provided scale counts of specimens of Garamba National Park in northern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Size. Largest specimens for the species, including south of 12 ° S: NMK 3233 / 1 – Kassa B, Sennar, Sudan, 1,320 + 460 = 1,780 mm; IRD 2226. N – Baïbokoum, Chad, 1,227 + 508 = 1,735 mm; IRD 2136. N – Baïbokoum, Chad, 1,235 + 515 = 1,750 mm; NMZB 16031 – Ndau School, Western Province, Zambia, 1,260 + 500 = 1,760 mm.	en	Trape, Jean-François, Crochet, Pierre-André, Broadley, Donald G., Sourouille, Patricia, Mané, Youssouph, Burger, Marius, Böhme, Wolfgang, Saleh, Mostafa, Karan, Anna, Lanza, Benedetto, Mediannikov, Oleg (2019): On the Psammophis sibilans group (Serpentes, Lamprophiidae, Psammophiinae) north of 12 ° S, with the description of a new species from West Africa. Bonn zoological Bulletin 68 (1): 61-91, DOI: 10.20363/BZB-2019.68.1.061, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.20363/bzb-2019.68.1.061
03E94345A527440FFF5FE0CC070150BA.taxon	discussion	Remarks. (Broadley, 1977, 1983) first applied the name P. phillipsi to populations in eastern Africa, but Brandstätter (1995) and Hughes (1999) restricted the name to the uniform olive form with an entire cloacal shield in West Africa, and our molecular data support this view. Branch (1998) first used the name P. mossambicus Peters for the southern African populations after Broadley selected a lectotype in Berlin. Hughes & Wade (2004) used the name P. occidentalis for populations from Cameroon to Uganda with a divided cloacal, but our data show little molecular divergence between southern African populations and those from north of the Congo forest block, despite a great variety of colour patterns in both regions. Another available name for this species was P. irregularis Fischer, 1856, based on a specimen from Peki in former German Togo with a divided cloacal and extensive black dorsal patches on the anterior third of the body, decreasing posteriorly, but our molecular study show that such specimens from Togo are molecularly identical to typical P. phillipsi from West Africa. Data for specimens south of 12 ° S were published by Broadley (2002). Further molecular studies are needed to investigate if additional species of this complex occur around the Congo forest block (e. g. sequencing specimens with a grey mid-ventral band from Central African Republic and other areas), and to clarify the situation in Nigeria where both P. phillipsi and P. mossambicus occur, possibly in sympatry.	en	Trape, Jean-François, Crochet, Pierre-André, Broadley, Donald G., Sourouille, Patricia, Mané, Youssouph, Burger, Marius, Böhme, Wolfgang, Saleh, Mostafa, Karan, Anna, Lanza, Benedetto, Mediannikov, Oleg (2019): On the Psammophis sibilans group (Serpentes, Lamprophiidae, Psammophiinae) north of 12 ° S, with the description of a new species from West Africa. Bonn zoological Bulletin 68 (1): 61-91, DOI: 10.20363/BZB-2019.68.1.061, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.20363/bzb-2019.68.1.061
03E94345A527440FFF5FE0CC070150BA.taxon	biology_ecology	Habitat. Moist savannas and grasslands, especially riparian habitats, swamps, reed beds and cultivated areas from sea level to 1,500 metres.	en	Trape, Jean-François, Crochet, Pierre-André, Broadley, Donald G., Sourouille, Patricia, Mané, Youssouph, Burger, Marius, Böhme, Wolfgang, Saleh, Mostafa, Karan, Anna, Lanza, Benedetto, Mediannikov, Oleg (2019): On the Psammophis sibilans group (Serpentes, Lamprophiidae, Psammophiinae) north of 12 ° S, with the description of a new species from West Africa. Bonn zoological Bulletin 68 (1): 61-91, DOI: 10.20363/BZB-2019.68.1.061, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.20363/bzb-2019.68.1.061
03E94345A527440FFF5FE0CC070150BA.taxon	distribution	Distribution. Southeastern Nigeria, Cameroon, southern Chad, Central African Republic, Sudan, South Sudan, Gabon, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Angola, Zambia, Mozambique, Malawi, northeastern Namibia, northern Botswana, Zimbabwe and the Northern, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal provinces of South Africa.	en	Trape, Jean-François, Crochet, Pierre-André, Broadley, Donald G., Sourouille, Patricia, Mané, Youssouph, Burger, Marius, Böhme, Wolfgang, Saleh, Mostafa, Karan, Anna, Lanza, Benedetto, Mediannikov, Oleg (2019): On the Psammophis sibilans group (Serpentes, Lamprophiidae, Psammophiinae) north of 12 ° S, with the description of a new species from West Africa. Bonn zoological Bulletin 68 (1): 61-91, DOI: 10.20363/BZB-2019.68.1.061, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.20363/bzb-2019.68.1.061
03E94345A525440FFF5FE63502F2523E.taxon	vernacular_names	Leopard Whip Snake, Psammophis léopard, Leoparden-Sandrennnatter	en	Trape, Jean-François, Crochet, Pierre-André, Broadley, Donald G., Sourouille, Patricia, Mané, Youssouph, Burger, Marius, Böhme, Wolfgang, Saleh, Mostafa, Karan, Anna, Lanza, Benedetto, Mediannikov, Oleg (2019): On the Psammophis sibilans group (Serpentes, Lamprophiidae, Psammophiinae) north of 12 ° S, with the description of a new species from West Africa. Bonn zoological Bulletin 68 (1): 61-91, DOI: 10.20363/BZB-2019.68.1.061, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.20363/bzb-2019.68.1.061
03E94345A525440FFF5FE63502F2523E.taxon	description	Description. Two specimens examined by DGB from the Angolan coast north of Latitude 12 ° S: USNM 20132 from Luanda and TM 45751 from Quiçama National Park. Nostril pierced between 2 or 3 nasals; preocular 1, widely separated from frontal; postoculars 2; temporals usually 2 + 3; supralabials 8, 4 th & 5 th entering orbit; infralabials 10, the first 4 in contact with anterior sublinguals; dorsal scales in 17 - 17 - 13 rows; ventrals 163 – 167; cloacal divided; subcaudals 104 – 106. Both specimens have P. leopardinus head markings, but the dorsum is uniform except for a yellow dotted vertebral line in USNM 20132 and pale dorsolateral stripes on scale row 4 in TM 45751.	en	Trape, Jean-François, Crochet, Pierre-André, Broadley, Donald G., Sourouille, Patricia, Mané, Youssouph, Burger, Marius, Böhme, Wolfgang, Saleh, Mostafa, Karan, Anna, Lanza, Benedetto, Mediannikov, Oleg (2019): On the Psammophis sibilans group (Serpentes, Lamprophiidae, Psammophiinae) north of 12 ° S, with the description of a new species from West Africa. Bonn zoological Bulletin 68 (1): 61-91, DOI: 10.20363/BZB-2019.68.1.061, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.20363/bzb-2019.68.1.061
03E94345A525440FFF5FE63502F2523E.taxon	discussion	Ferreira (1905) recorded three specimens from northern Angola (Cazengo; Chingo) and Cabinda, which were presumably destroyed by fire in the Museu Bocage. Further data on this taxon were published by Broadley (2002) and Hughes & Wade (2002).	en	Trape, Jean-François, Crochet, Pierre-André, Broadley, Donald G., Sourouille, Patricia, Mané, Youssouph, Burger, Marius, Böhme, Wolfgang, Saleh, Mostafa, Karan, Anna, Lanza, Benedetto, Mediannikov, Oleg (2019): On the Psammophis sibilans group (Serpentes, Lamprophiidae, Psammophiinae) north of 12 ° S, with the description of a new species from West Africa. Bonn zoological Bulletin 68 (1): 61-91, DOI: 10.20363/BZB-2019.68.1.061, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.20363/bzb-2019.68.1.061
03E94345A5254411FCDDE5AF023B5292.taxon	vernacular_names	Zambian Whip Snake, Psammophis zambien, Sambische Sandrennnatter	en	Trape, Jean-François, Crochet, Pierre-André, Broadley, Donald G., Sourouille, Patricia, Mané, Youssouph, Burger, Marius, Böhme, Wolfgang, Saleh, Mostafa, Karan, Anna, Lanza, Benedetto, Mediannikov, Oleg (2019): On the Psammophis sibilans group (Serpentes, Lamprophiidae, Psammophiinae) north of 12 ° S, with the description of a new species from West Africa. Bonn zoological Bulletin 68 (1): 61-91, DOI: 10.20363/BZB-2019.68.1.061, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.20363/bzb-2019.68.1.061
03E94345A5254411FCDDE5AF023B5292.taxon	description	Description. (23 specimens examined) Nostril pierced between 2 nasals; preocular 1, separated from frontal; postoculars 2; temporals usually 2 + 2 / 3; supralabials 8 (rarely 7 or 9), the 4 th & 5 th (rarely 3 rd & 4 th) entering orbit; infralabials 9 or 10, the first 4 in contact with anterior sublinguals; dorsal scales in 17 - 17 - 13 rows; ventrals 147 – 161; cloacal divided (entire in NMZB 16601); subcaudals 72 – 83. Brandstätter (1995, fig. 39) has published a SEM micrograph of a dorsal scale of NMZB 10636 from Ikelenge, Zambia. Dorsum greenish-brown, top of head with complex pale markings; labials yellowish speckled with black; a pale double chain marking covers the dorsal nine scale rows anteriorly, dorsal scales heavily edged in black (more extensive in juveniles and subadults), a pale dorsolateral stripe on scale row 4 and 5 continues caudad; lower half of outer scale row and ventrals greenish, free edges of ventral irregularly bordered with black (more extensive in subadults). Two specimens from Sakeji School (Haagner et al. 2000), and all those from the Muchinga escarpment and Malawi, lack the distinctive dorsal and ventral markings, but are still distinguishable from sympatric / parapatric P. mossambicus by their low ventral and subcaudal counts. Size. Largest male (PEM 6237 – Sakeji School, Zambia) 770 + 275 = 1,045 mm; largest female (PEM 6224 – Sakeji School, Zambia) 740 + 180 + mm (tail truncated).	en	Trape, Jean-François, Crochet, Pierre-André, Broadley, Donald G., Sourouille, Patricia, Mané, Youssouph, Burger, Marius, Böhme, Wolfgang, Saleh, Mostafa, Karan, Anna, Lanza, Benedetto, Mediannikov, Oleg (2019): On the Psammophis sibilans group (Serpentes, Lamprophiidae, Psammophiinae) north of 12 ° S, with the description of a new species from West Africa. Bonn zoological Bulletin 68 (1): 61-91, DOI: 10.20363/BZB-2019.68.1.061, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.20363/bzb-2019.68.1.061
03E94345A5254411FCDDE5AF023B5292.taxon	discussion	Remarks. This taxon was originally assigned to P. leopardinus, which it resembles in dorsal colour pattern, but it differs in its much lower mandibular tooth counts and also lower ventral and subcaudal counts. In addition there seems to be no connection across eastern Angola and the two forms occupy very different habitats. The sequences of “ P. occidentalis ” from Zambia and Burundi in Kelly et al. (2008) and Fig. 1 may correspond to this species. See Hughes & Wade (2002) for further data.	en	Trape, Jean-François, Crochet, Pierre-André, Broadley, Donald G., Sourouille, Patricia, Mané, Youssouph, Burger, Marius, Böhme, Wolfgang, Saleh, Mostafa, Karan, Anna, Lanza, Benedetto, Mediannikov, Oleg (2019): On the Psammophis sibilans group (Serpentes, Lamprophiidae, Psammophiinae) north of 12 ° S, with the description of a new species from West Africa. Bonn zoological Bulletin 68 (1): 61-91, DOI: 10.20363/BZB-2019.68.1.061, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.20363/bzb-2019.68.1.061
03E94345A5254411FCDDE5AF023B5292.taxon	biology_ecology	Habitat. Apparently inhabiting swampy areas in moist miombo woodland in Zambia and Katanga or montane grassland in Malawi.	en	Trape, Jean-François, Crochet, Pierre-André, Broadley, Donald G., Sourouille, Patricia, Mané, Youssouph, Burger, Marius, Böhme, Wolfgang, Saleh, Mostafa, Karan, Anna, Lanza, Benedetto, Mediannikov, Oleg (2019): On the Psammophis sibilans group (Serpentes, Lamprophiidae, Psammophiinae) north of 12 ° S, with the description of a new species from West Africa. Bonn zoological Bulletin 68 (1): 61-91, DOI: 10.20363/BZB-2019.68.1.061, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.20363/bzb-2019.68.1.061
03E94345A5254411FCDDE5AF023B5292.taxon	distribution	Distribution. Northern Zambia and adjacent Katanga Province of the DRC, extending into montane areas of northern and central Malawi.	en	Trape, Jean-François, Crochet, Pierre-André, Broadley, Donald G., Sourouille, Patricia, Mané, Youssouph, Burger, Marius, Böhme, Wolfgang, Saleh, Mostafa, Karan, Anna, Lanza, Benedetto, Mediannikov, Oleg (2019): On the Psammophis sibilans group (Serpentes, Lamprophiidae, Psammophiinae) north of 12 ° S, with the description of a new species from West Africa. Bonn zoological Bulletin 68 (1): 61-91, DOI: 10.20363/BZB-2019.68.1.061, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.20363/bzb-2019.68.1.061
