Mopanveldophis, Figueroa & McKelvy & Grismer & Bell & Lailvaux, 2016

Figueroa, Alex, McKelvy, Alexander D., Grismer, L. Lee, Bell, Charles D. & Lailvaux, Simon P., 2016, A Species-Level Phylogeny of Extant Snakes with Description of a New Colubrid Subfamily and Genus, PLoS ONE 11 (161070), pp. 1-31 : 23

Genus Mopanveldophis gen. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 3B0CB6A0-1EEC-4512- 9E77-B105C22ACABB

Type species: Mopanveldophis zebrinus .

Content: The genus is monotypic containing only the species, Mopanveldophis zebrinus .

Etymology: The generic nomen Mopanveldophis is derived from the word “mopanveld”, the name of the type of habitat the specimens were found in, and the Greek adjective ophis, meaning “snake”. This name refers to veld habitat distributed in Southern Africa, from the Afrikaans word “field”, that is dominated by the mopane tree, Colophospermum mopane , from the Sechuana word “mopani”.

Diagnosis and definition: As described in Broadley and Schätti [ 125] and Bauer et al [ 126], a snake with pale grey dorsal coloration and irregular broad, dark crossbands becoming faint in coloration posteriorly and on tail. Ventrals are uniform white with irregular lateral black spots, and subcaudals are also white with lateral grey stippling. Dorsal portion of head is uniform grey-brown with yellowish orange snout and labials, and dark markings on supralabials 2–6. Dorsal scales with two apical pits, 23 scale rows near neck, 23 at midbody, and 17–19 anterior to the vent. Approximately 195 ventrals, 90 paired subcaudals, and divided anal scute. Nine supralabials with the fifth and sixth entering the orbit, one anterior subocular smaller than the loreal shield and situated above the fourth and anterior part of the fifth supralabials, and two preoculars and two postoculars. Also, diagnosed by a single large lower anterior temporal shield above the 7 th and 8 th supralabials, two upper anterior temporal, three posterior temporal, and maxillary with 17 + 2 teeth separated by a diastema. Its banded pattern was suggested as Batesian mimicry of the sympatric spitting cobra, Naja nigricollis . Bamanophis differs by having 25–27 scale rows near neck, 29–33 at midbody, and 17 near vent, 229–265 ventral scale and 75–95 paired subcaudals, lacking an anterior subocular, having one posterior subocular, 10 supralabials, and 15–19 maxillary teeth with diastema [ 105].

Sister taxa: M. zebrinus is basal lineage to a clade including Bamanophis + Macroprotodon , placed within a larger clade of Old World racers [ 15, 40, 107, 108].

Distribution: Currently recognized as endemic to northern Namibia, Africa [ 127], but its range may extend into Angola, Africa [ 126].

Remarks: First described from a dead specimen collected in 1991 [ 125], the species is currently known from only three specimens [ 126]. Upon its description it was assigned to the genus Coluber , presumably on basis of similar morphology, but then switched to Hemerophis [ 24, 106] with no published reasoning. Schätti and Trape [ 105] provide an account detailing the differences of Bamanophis to other racer species, including M. zebrinus .