Hormonotus modestus ( Duméril, Bibron, and Duméril, 1854 )

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 : 113

Hormonotus modestus ( Duméril, Bibron, and Duméril, 1854)

Figure 29A

Lamprophis modestus Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854: 429 . Type locality: “côte de Guinée ”. Restricted to Dabocrom, Ghana fide Hughes & Barry (1969).

Hormonotus audax Hallowell, 1857: 56 . Type locality: “Gaboon, west coast of Africa”.

Heterolepis glaber Jan, 1863: 98 . Type locality: “ Costa d’oro … Boutry , Africa occid.”.

Boodon vossii Fischer, 1888: 3 . Type locality: “ Kamerun ”.

Hormonotus modestus ( Duméril, Bibron, and Duméril, 1854) : Boulenger 1893: 343.

Distribution. This species extends from Guinea in West Africa to Uganda in East Africa. In Equatorial Guinea it has been recorded in Bioko ( Boulenger 1893) at Natividad (Hacienda Natividad) ( Bocage 1895 a, 1903; Mertens 1964a) and in Río Muni at Monte Mitra within Monte Alén National Park ( Gonwouo & Nsang 2005) ( Map 33A ).

Comments. Hormonotus is a monotypic genus with not well-known phylogenetic affinities ( Zaher et al. 2019).

Specimens examined. Five specimens. Río Muni: Miboman, 30 km from Bata, 14 October 1985 ( EBD 20932) ; San Joaquín de Ndyiacom (road from Bata to Ayamiken), February 1987 ( EBD 24956–24957 ) ; San Joaquín de Ndyiacom , 01 August 1986 ( EBD 24955) ; Aconibe , 07 July 1987 ( EBD 27512) .

Figures

FIGURE 29. From left to right: lateral, dorsal and ventral views of the head of: Hormonotus modestus (A) (EBD 24957), Limaformosa guirali (B) (EBD 27782), and Lycophidion laterale (C) (MNCN 23108). Photos:AS-V.

MAPS 33 A–C. Distribution maps for Equatorial Guinean records of (A) Hormonotus modestus; (B) Limaformosa guirali; (C) Lycophidion laterale (question mark represents an imprecise record).