Monopeltis sphenorhynchus W.C.H. Peters

GANS, CARL, 2005, Checklist And Bibliography Of The Amphisbaenia Of The World, Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2005 (289), pp. 1-130 : 37-38

Monopeltis sphenorhynchus W.C.H. Peters

Lepidosternon sphenorhynchus Gray, 1865: 454 . Peters’ MS name cited without description; hence a nomen nudum.

Monopeltis sphenorhynchus W.C.H. Peters, 1879: 275 . TYPE LOCALITY: ‘‘ Mocambique und Angola’’; restricted to ‘‘ Inhambane, Mozambique’ ’ ( Loveridge, 1941: 427). Lectotype: ZMB 1400 by present designation. Paralectotype: ZMB 9423 .

Monopeltis habenichti FitzSimons, 1937b: 276 . TYPE LOCALITY: ‘‘ Maputo, Portuguese East Africa’’ ( Mozambique). Holotype: TMP 3400. Paratypes: TMP 3401, 3402.

Monopeltis capensis gazei FitzSimons, 1937b: 278 . TYPE LOCALITY: ‘‘Junction of the Magalakwin and Limpopo Rivers Zoutpansberg District Northern Province and/or Mpumulanga’’. Holotype: TMP 13342. Paratype: TMP 3477 (N ̍ Wanedzi River, Zoutpansberg District).

DISCUSSION OF FORM: Loveridge (1941: 422, 426–427), FitzSimons (1943: 393–394), Manaças (1957b: 166), Broadley (1962: 824, 1963a: 18), and Broadley et al. (1976: 401– 406). See also Auerbach (1987, distribution), Broadley (1992, distribution), and Fitzsimons and Brain (1958, distribution).

RANGE: Mozambique, Republic of South Africa (Transvaal, Natal, Cape Province, Bechuanaland), Botswana (Serowe), Zimbabwe, Zambia, Namibia.

Monopeltis vanderysti Witte Monopeltis vanderysti Witte, 1922: 66 . TYPE LO­ CALITY: ‘‘Wombali; Leverville (dist. du Kwango); Lac Leopold II; Kasai’’, Congo; restricted to ‘‘Wombali (dist. Lac Leopold II),’’ Democratic Republic of Congo (Gans, 1967a). Lectotype (Gans, 1967a): RGMC 1872. Lectoparatypes: RGMC 897 (Lac Leopold II); RGMC 962 (Kasai); RGMC 2309 (Leverville, Kwango).

Monopeltis lujae Witte, 1922: 67 . TYPE LOCALITY: ‘‘ Lubue’ ’, Kwilu district, Kasai, Democratic Republic of Congo. Holotype: RGMC 505.

Monopeltis vanderysti vilhenai R. Laurent, 1954: 66 . TYPE LOCALITY: ‘‘ Dundo ,’’ Angola. Holotype: RGMC 17530 (formerly MD 5040 ). Paratypes: RGMC 5183, 5242; RGMC 17504.

Monopeltis vanderysti closei R. Laurent, 1954: 68 . TYPE LOCALITY: ‘‘ Kahemba , Kwango District, Congo Belge’ ’, Democratic Republic of Congo. Holotype: RGMC 14702 (14502 in error). Paratypes: RGMC 11953; also RGMC 14581, doubtfully from Leopoldville.

DISCUSSION OF FORM: Loveridge (1941: 414) considered this form a full species. Witte (1954: 1000) listed the last two mentioned paratypes as examples of M. v. lujae . The lectotype of M. v. vanderysti was selected, as was the type locality by Gans (1967a). Monopeltis sphenorhynchus W.C.H. Peters : Bruton and Haacke (1975), Branch (1988a), Broadley (1988a), Lambiris (1993, 1994).

RANGE: Lower, Middle, and Lac Leopold II districts in the Democratic Republic of Congo; Sanza Pombo, Dundo, Angola.

Monopeltis welwitschii Gray

Dalophia welwitschii Gray, 1865: 455 . TYPE LO­ CALITY: ‘‘ Angola; Pungo Andongo’’. Syntypes: BMNH 64.7.13.34:R1946.8.20.89, 64.7.13.35: RR1946.8.20.90 .

DISCUSSION OF FORM: Loveridge (1941: 431), R. Laurent (1947: 57). RANGE: Known from the types only (cf. Witte, 1954: 1002, for correction of erroneous records).

Monopeltis zambezensis Gans and Broadley

Monopeltis zambezensis Gans and Broadley, 1974: 3 . TYPE LOCALITY: Mana Pools Game Reserve , Urungwe district, Zimbabwe. Holotype: UM 5557. Paratypes: CG 2720 , UM 5558 (Mana Pools); UM 50412–50414 (Bumi Confluence, Kariba Lake ) .

DISCUSSION OF FORM: Broadley et al. (1976: 398–401). See also Branch (1988a, identification), Broadley and Blake (1979, distribution), Broadley and Gans (1974), and Lambiris (1993, 1994, list).

RANGE: Zimbabwe (middle Zambezi River valley) and Zambia. Presumably western Mozambique around the Cabora Bassa Dam (Broadley, 1997c).