Thelotornis capensis oatesi (Günther, 1881)

Conradie, Werner, Baptista, Ninda L., Verburgt, Luke, Keates, Chad, Harvey, James, Júlio, Timóteo & Neef, Götz, 2021, Contributions to the herpetofauna of the Angolan Okavango-Cuando-Zambezi river drainages. Part 1: Serpentes (snakes), Amphibian & Reptile Conservation (e 292) 15 (2), pp. 244-278 : 260

Thelotornis capensis oatesi (Günther, 1881)

Oates’ Vine Snake ( Fig. 17 , Map 15)

Material: (photographic record only) Munhango region , Moxico Province, -12.17042° 18.55931°, ~ 1,443 m asl .

Comment: Although Broadley (2001) distinguished T. c. oatesi based on head coloration and the high number of ventral scales, the status of this taxon was not fully resolved with phylogenetic analysis ( Eimermacher 2012) and thus remains problematic. Our record represents the first record for Moxico Province, although this species is widespread within the country ( Marques et al. 2018) and in adjacent western Zambia ( Broadley 1971; Pietersen et al. 2017).

Figures

Fig. 17. Thelotornis capensis oatesi en route to Cuito River source, east of Muhango. Photo by Götz Neef.