Psammophis leopardinus Bocage, 1887

Santos, Bruna S., Marques, Mariana P., Bauer, Aaron M. & Ceríaco, Luis M. P., 2021, Herpetological results of Francisco Newton’s Zoological Expedition to Angola (1903 – 1906): a taxonomic revision and new records of a forgotten collection, Zootaxa 5028 (1), pp. 1-80 : 32

publication ID	https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5028.1.1
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:C678F0FE-1B62-4F34-8A66-449CF9806B50
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/B007F528-FFC7-FFCA-16D7-FE17FAC75D71
treatment provided by	Plazi (2021-09-03 07:50:26, last updated 2023-11-06 14:42:45)
scientific name	Psammophis leopardinus Bocage, 1887
status

Treatment

Material (five specimens): One juvenile specimen (MHNCUP/ REP 171, formerly UP-MHNFCP-094982), collected from África Ocidental [Occidental Africa] (impossible to georeference), date unknown; one adult specimen (MHNCUP/ REP 173 About REP , formerly UP-MHNFCP-094988; Fig. S65 View FIGURE S ), collected from Rio Coróca [-15.78333º, 12.06667º, 45 m a.s.l.] Namibe Province, in 1904 ; one adult specimen (MHNCUP/ REP 174 About REP , formerly UP-MHNFCP- 094989), collected from unknow locality, date unknown ; two adult specimens (MHNCUP/ REP 176–177 About REP , formerly UP-MHNFCP-017422 and 040697), collected from unknown locality, date unknown .

Comments: Psammophis leopardinus is found in dry savanna and semi-desert habitats of southwestern Angola, as well as central and northern Namibia ( Marques et al. 2018). It is currently treated as a full species ( Broadley 2002; Kelly et al. 2008; Wallach et al. 2014), after being initially described as a subspecies of Psammophis sibilans (Linnaeus, 1758) by Bocage (1887b). The aforementioned specimens were previously identified as “ P. sibilans ”, with the exception of MHNCUP/REP 171 which was labeled as “ P. sibilans leopardinus ”. Ferreira (1904) cited an unspecified number of adult and juvenile specimens of “Bocage’s var D.” of P. sibilans from “Cazengo”, “ Cabinda ” (in error, Newton did not travel to the Cabinda enclave) and “Chingo”. Trape et al. (2019) referred to the published specimens as P. leopardinus and noted that they were presumably lost in the MBL fire, which we here refute, whereas Marques et al. (2018) had previously treated them as Psammophis mossambicus Peters, 1882 .

References

Bocage, J. V. B. (1887 b) Melanges erpetologiques. IV. Reptiles du dernier voyage de MM. Capello et Ivens a travers l'Afrique. Jornal de Sciencias Mathematicas, Physicas e Naturaes, 11, 201 - 208.

Broadley, D. G. (2002) A review of the species of Psammophis Boie found south of latitude 12 ° S (Serpentes: Psammophiinae). African Journal of Herpetology, 51 (2), 83 - 119. https: // doi. org / 10.1080 / 21564574.2002.9635466

Ferreira, J. B. (1904) Reptis e amphibios de Angola da regiao ao norte do Quanza (Colleccao Newton 1903). Jornal de Sciencias Mathematicas Physicas e Naturaes, Segunda Serie, 7 (25), 111 - 117.

Kelly, C. M. R., Barker, N. P., Villet, M. H., Broadley, D. G. & Branch, W. R. (2008) The snake family Psammophiidae (Reptilia: Serpentes): phylogenetics and species delimitation in the African sand snakes (Psammophis Boie, 1825) and allied genera. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 47, 1045 - 1060. https: // doi. org / 10.1016 / j. ympev. 2008.03.025

Marques, M. P., Ceriaco, L. M. P., Blackburn, D. C. & Bauer, A. M. (2018) Diversity and distribution of the amphibians and terrestrial reptiles of Angola atlas of historical and bibliographic records (1840 - 2017). Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, Series 4, 65 (Supplement 2), 1 - 501.

Trape, J. - F., Crochet, P. - A., Broadley, D. G., Sourouille, P., Mane, Y., Burger, M., Bohme, W., Saleh, M., Karan, A., Lanza, B. & Mediannikov, O. (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. https: // doi. org / 10.20363 / BZB- 2019.68.1.061

Wallach, V., Williams, K. L. & Boundy, J. (2014) Snakes of the World: A Catalogue of Living and Extinct Species. CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida, xxvi + [2] + 1209 pp.