Rhamnophis aethiopissa aethiopissa Günther, 1862

Pauwels, Olivier S. G., Morelle, Stephan, Albert, Jean-Louis, Carlino, Piero, Rahola, Nil & Trape, Jean-François, 2019, New reptile records from Lékédi Park and Haut-Ogooué Province, southeastern Gabon, Amphibian & Reptile Conservation (e 174) 13 (1), pp. 143-161 : 151

Rhamnophis aethiopissa aethiopissa Günther, 1862

Fig. 20 illustrates an adult dead-on-road individual photographed on 26 August 2016 by SM in Bakoumba. The snake showed distinctly enlarged postparietals, a single loreal, one preocular and two postoculars, one anterior temporal, 17 smooth dorsal scale rows at midbody with a widened vertebral row, keeled ventral scales, a divided anal plate, and divided subcaudals. The female individ- Thrasops flavigularis (Hallowell, 1852)

On 20 May 2016 SM found a dead-on-road adult individual (RBINS 18479) in Moanda, Lébombi-Léyou Dept. (Appendix 1). It showed uniformly glossy black dorsal and ventral surfaces, except a yellowish underside of head and throat, smooth oblique dorsal scale rows with the vertebral row not widened. Its temporal formula is 1+1 on each side. New Dept. record (this species was not listed from the Dept. by Pauwels and Sallé 2009; Pauwels et al. 2016b). The distribution and ecology of this species in Gabon are still poorly known.

Figures

Fig. 20. Dead-on-road Rhamnophis aethiopissa aethiopissa in Bakoumba, Haut-Ogooué Prov., southeastern Gabon. Photograph by S. Morelle.