Causus resimus (Peters, 1862)

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 : 29

Causus resimus (Peters, 1862)

Material (six specimens): Four adult specimens (MHNCUP/REP 327–330, formerly UP-MHNFCP-017405, 017424, 017406 and 017425 respectively; Fig. S57 ), collected from unknown locality, date unknown; one juvenile specimen (MHNCUP/REP 331, formerly UP-MHNFCP-095050), collected from unknown locality, date unknown; one adult specimen (MHNCUP/REP 336, formerly UP-MHNFCP-017426), collected from S. Tomé and Príncipe (in error), date unknown .

Comments: Causus resimus can be found throughout sub-SaharanAfrica, with a seemingly disjointed distribution (see Marques et al. 2018 for more detail). The species is also known from the coastal savannas and woodlands of western Angola ( Marques et al. 2018). Ferreira (1904) cited three adult specimens from “Cazengo”, “Caculo” and “Cabicula”, possibly matching extant specimens MHNCUP/REP 327–330. Additionally, Ferreira (1906) published an adult of “ Causus rhombeatus ” from “Golungo Alto” that we were unable to locate. The Angolan population of C. resimus is very isolated from its counterparts in East Africa, suggesting that it might be different. According to Branch (2018), the molecular phylogeny of Causus is being addressed by Tolley et al. (in prep) and preliminary results indicate cryptic diversity within C. resimus , thus supporting the hypothesis of the Angolan population being distinct. In that case, two different names have been proposed to refer to the species – C. nasalis Stejneger, 1893 and C. resimus var. angolensis Bocage, 1895 ( Branch 2018) . Although C. nasalis has seniority, further research needs to be conducted to infer which would be the correct nomen to use.

Figures

FIGURE S57. Specimen of Causus resimus (MHNCUP/REP 327), from unknown locality. Photo by Bruna Santos.