Amblyodipsas ventrimaculata (Roux, 1907)

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 : 262

Amblyodipsas ventrimaculata (Roux, 1907)

Kalahari Purple-glossed Snake ( Fig. 21, Map 19 ) Material: PEM R23320, Cuito River Source Lake, Moxico Province, -12.68935° 18.36012°, 1,435 m asl. Description: Dorsal scales smooth and in 15 rows at midbody; 174 smooth ventrals; 19 paired subcaudals; 1 postocular; 1 temporal; 5 supralabials, with 2 nd and 3 rd entering the orbit; 5 infralabials, the first three in contact with the anterior chin shield; cloacal scale divided. Female: 266 + 20 mm (PEM R23320). Habitat and natural history notes: An adult female was collected in the grasslands above the Cuito River source. The snake contained three embryos. Comment: This specimen represents the first record of this species for Angola ( Branch 2018) and confirms the prediction of its occurrence in south-eastern Angola made by Conradie et al. (2016), which was based on the occurrence of suitable habitat and an abundance of food resources for the species. Recently, Portillo et al. (2018) used the specimen mentioned above and found no genetic differences between the Angolan population and the distant South African population. Butler et al. (2019) and Baptista et al. (2019a) documented the presence of this species from Bicuar National Park in Huíla Province.

Figures

Map 19. Distribution of Amblyodipsas ventrimaculata in Angola.