Prosymna Gray, 1849

Marques, Mariana P., Ceríaco, Luis M. P., Blackburn, David C. & Bauer, Aaron 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 65, pp. 1-501 : 342-344

Genus Prosymna Gray, 1849

Prosymna ambigua Bocage, 1873 EAST AFRICAN SHOVEL-SNOUT

Prosymna ambiguus Bocage 1873b:218 . Holotype: MBL 610 (collector F.A.P. Bayão), destroyed by fire 18 March 1978. Type locality: “ Duque de Bragança ” [= Calandula], Malanje Province, Angola.

Prosymna ambigua brevis Laurent 1954a:50 , figs. 12–14. Holotype: MD 2177 (collector A. Barros Machado), lost (see Notes below). Type locality: “Dundo,” Lunda Norte Province, Angola.

Prosymna meleagris : Bocage (1866a:47).

Prosymna ambigua : Boulenger (1893:248, 1915:208), Bocage (1895a:99), Loveridge (1933:244), Monard (1937b:114), Wallach et al. (2014:568), Ceríaco et al. (2016b:83).

Prosymna bocagii : Boulenger (1915:208).

Prosymna ambigua brevis : Laurent (1964a:108), Thys van den Audenaerde (1933:34), Loveridge (1958:157).

Prosymna ambigua ambigua : Laurent (1950a:9, 1954a:52), Loveridge (1958:151), Broadley (1980:534), Chippaux (2006:142).

Global conservation status (IUCN): Least Concern.

Global distribution: The species is known from central Cameroon, Gabon and southern Congo, east through the southern half of Democratic Republic of Congo, northern Angola and Zambia to South Sudan, southwestern Kenya and Uganda and south to Malawi and Zimbabwe.

Ocurrences in Angola (Map 303): The species occurs in the northern regions of the country. Lunda Norte: “Dundo” [-7.36667,

20.83333] (Laurent 1950:9, 1954a:50,

1964a:108; Loveridge 1958:158; Thys van den

Audenaerde 1966:34; Broadley 1980:538);

“Sombo” [-8.68333, 20.95000] (Laurent

1954:50; Loveridge 1958:158; Broadley

1980:538). Malanje: “Duque de Bragança ”

[-9.10000, 15.95000] ( Bocage 1866a:47,

1873a:218, 1895a:99; Loveridge 1933:244,

1958:151-154; Monard 1937b:114; Broadley

1980:538; Chippaux 2006:142; Wallach et al.

2014:568); “Cangandala National Park”

[-9.84606, 16.72233] (Ceríaco et al. 2016b:83).

Taxonomic and distributional notes:

Broadley (1980) synonymized the subspecies

P. a. brevis Laurent , 1954 with the typical MAP 303. Distribution of Prosymna ambigua in Angola. form. In January 2017 the holotype of P. a. brevis could not be located in the Museu Dundo .

Prosymna angolensis Boulenger, 1915 ANGOLA SHOVEL-SNOUT

Prosymna angolensis Boulenger 1915:208 . Syntypes: MBL specimen numbers unknown, lost fide Broadley (1980). Neotype: NHMW 19275:2 designated by Broadley (1980:497). Type locality: Angola by implication ( Boulenger 1915:208), restricted to “Huíla” by Loveridge (1958:149), changed to “Caconda” by subsequent designation of a neotype Broadley (1980:497, 513).

Prosymna frontalis : Bocage (1873b:218, 1895a:98, pl. 11, fig. 2), Boulenger (1893:248, 1896:641).

Prosymna ambigua : Monard (1931:104, 1937b:123).

Prosymna angolensis : Monard (1937b:114, 122), Loveridge (1958:149), Bogert (1940:59), Hellmich (1957b:66), FitzSimons (1962:161), Broadley (1980:512, 1990:227), Branch (1998:84), Broadley et al. (2003:187), Wallach et al. (2014:568).

Prosymna ambigua ambigua : Mertens (1938a:439), Loveridge (1958:151).

Global conservation status (IUCN):

Least Concern.

Global distribution: The species is known from southern Angola, northern Namibia including the Caprivi Strip, Zambia west of the Zambezi, northern Botswana, and western

Zimbabwe.

Ocurrences in Angola (Map 304): The species occurs in the southwestern Angola ,

extending northwards along the coast to Luanda. Luanda: “ Luanda ” [-8.83333, 13.26667]

( Broadley 1980:515). Huambo: “Bela-Vista”

(Missao di Dondi) [-12.36667, 16.20000]

( Hellmich 1957b:66; Loveridge 1958:154;

Broadley 1980:515, 1990:229). Benguela:

“Quibula” [-12.28333, 14.68333] ( Bocage

1895a:98); “Quissange” [-12.43333, 14.05000]

( Bocage 1895a:98; Loveridge 1958:151); MAP 304. Distribution of Prosymna angolensis in Angola.

“Quindumbo” [-12.46667, 14.93333] ( Bocage

1895a:98; Loveridge 1958:151); “Benguella” [-12.58333, 13.41667] ( Bocage 1895a:98); “Ebanga” [-12.73333, 14.73333] ( Monard 1937b:122; Loveridge 1958:151; Broadley 1980:515); “Cubal” [-13.03333, 14.25000] ( Mertens 1938a:439; Loveridge 1958:151; Broadley 1980:515). Huíla: “Capelongo” [-14.91667, 15.08333] ( Bogert 1940:59; Loveridge 1958:153-154; Broadley 1980:515); “Caconda” [-13.73333, 15.06667] ( Bocage 1895a:98; Loveridge 1958:151; Broadley 1980:515, 1990:227, 229); “Vila-da-Ponte” [-14.46667, 16.30000] ( Monard 1937b:123; Loveridge 1958:154; Broadley 1980:515); “Huilla” [-15.05000, 13.55000] ( Bocage 1895a:98; Loveridge 1958:149, FitzSimons 1962:161). Namibe: “Biballa” [-14.76667, 13.36667] ( Bocage 1873a:218, 1895a:98; Loveridge 1958:151); “Maconjo” [-15.01667, 13.20000] ( Bocage 1895a:98; Loveridge 1958:151; Broadley 1980:515); “Mossamedes” [-15.20000, 12.15000] (Bocage 1973b:218, 1895a:99; Boulenger 1893:248; Loveridge 1958:151; Broadley 1980:515). Undetermined Locality: “no locality” ( Broadley 1980:515).

Taxonomic and distributional notes: Boulenger (1915) applied the new name Prosymna angolensis to a series of Angolan snakes listed under the name Prosymna frontalis (Peters, 1867) by Bocage (1873 b, 1895a). Boulenger did not nominate any type locality other than Angola but Loveridge (1958) subsequently restricted the type locality to “Huíla.” Broadley (1980) reviewed the species. He had visited the Museu Bocage collection in Lisbon in 1968 and did not find any specimens from Bocage’s series from “Huíla”, but did locate four individuals from “Caconda.” Although these specimens had been destroyed before Broadley’s (1980) review, he restricted the type locality to “Caconda,” by designating a neotype from this locality in the Naturhistorisches Museum Wien. Angolan records from “Vila-da-Ponte” ( Monard 1931, 1937b), “Cubal” ( Mertens 1938a), and “Capelongo” ( Loveridge 1958) previously identified as belonging to Prosymna ambigua (Bocage, 1873) are probably misidentifications and should be assigned to P. angolensis .

Prosymna frontalis (Peters, 1867) SOUTH-WESTERN AFRICAN SHOVEL-SNOUT

Temnorhynchus frontalis Peters 1867a:236 , pl. Lecototype: ZMB 5763a (collector C.H. Hahn), designated by Mertens (1955:94). Type locality: “Otjimbingue in Südwestafrica” [= Otjimbingwe , Erongo Region], Namibia .

Prosymna frontalis : Broadley (1980:517, 1990:229),

Branch (1998:85), Bates et al. (2014:389), Wallach et al. (2014:569).

Global conservation status (IUCN):

Least Concern.

Global distribution: The species is known from southwestern Angola to Namibia,

southwards to the Northern Cape, Souh Africa.

Ocurrences in Angola (Map 305): The species occurs in southwestern Angola.

Benguela: “ Benguela ” [-12.58333, 13.41667]

( Broadley 1980:519).

Taxonomic and distributional notes:

This species was recorded for Angola by

Bocage (1873 a, 1895a) and Boulenger (1893,

1896), but these records likely represent

Prosymna angolensis Boulenger, 1893 (see

MAP 305. Distribution of Prosymna frontalis in Angola. P. angolensis account). Broadley (1980) cited one specimen from “ Benguela ” deposited in the Transvaal Musuem , now Ditsong National Museum of Natural History, Pretoria, South Africa .

Prosymna visseri FitzSimons, 1959 VISSER’S SHOVEL-SNOUT

Prosymna visseri FitzSimons 1959:408 . Holotype: TM 24531 (collector C. Koch). Type locality: “near Caracul, S. Angola ” ( FitzSimons, 1959:408) [= near Caraculo], Namibe Province, Angola.

Prosymna visseri : Broadley (1980:543), Branch (1998:85), Bauer et al. (2001:76), Branch (1998:85), Wallach et al. (2014:571).

Global conservation status (IUCN): Not Evaluated.

Global distribution: The species is known from southwestern Angola and northern

Namibia.

Ocurrences in Angola (Map 306): The species’ distribution range comprises Benguela and Namibie Provinces as well the adjacent areas of Huíla and Cunene Provinces.

Benguela: “ 20 km S of Balabaia ” [-12.01667,

13.96667] ( Broadley 1980:544). Huíla: “ 5 km

S of Chibemba ” [-15.785418, 14.106551]

( Broadley 1980:544). Namibe: “near Caracul,

S. Angola ” [-15.01667, 12.66667] ( FitzSimons

1959:408; Broadley 1980:544; Bauer et al.

2001:76; Wallach et al. 2014:571).

Taxonomic and distributional notes:

This species was previously considered an

Angolan endemic (e.g., Broadley 1980) but it has since been found at numerous localities in MAP 306. Distribution of Prosymna visseri in Angola.

arid to semi-arid northwestern Namibia.