Philothamnus semivariegatus (Smith, 1840)

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 : 259

Philothamnus semivariegatus (Smith, 1840)

Spotted Bush Snake ( Fig. 16 , Map 14)

Material: PEM R 23549, Quembo River source camp, Moxico Province, -13.14104° 19.05426°, 1,369 m asl; PEM R 23563, west of Cuemba town, Moxico Province, -11.97027° 17.84878°, 1,319 m asl; PEM R 24278, Cuando River, Camp 20, Moxico Province, -14.88452° 20.29548°, 1,116 m asl; PEM R 27377, en route from Cangamba to Luio River, Moxico Province, -13.24037° 20.16443°, 1,312 m asl; PEM R 27378, PEM R 27379, INBAC: WC-7055, PEM R 27380, Lake Hundo, Moxico Province, -14.97431° 21.62966°, 1,100 m asl. Description: Dorsal scales smooth and in 15 rows at midbody; 181–193 strongly keeled ventrals; 121–131 paired, keeled subcaudals; 1 preoculars; 2 postoculars; temporal formula variable, but mostly 2+2+2; supralabials 8–10, with mostly 4 th –6 th entering the orbit; 10 infralabials, the first five in contact with the anterior chin shield; cloacal scale divided. Largest female: 866 + 384 mm ( PEM R 27377); largest male: 847 + 367 (truncated) mm ( PEM R 23563). Habitat and natural history notes: All specimens exhibit distinct ventral keeling and were often encountered in elevated positions (arboreal) near waterbodies. Three individuals had Hyperolius angolensis in their stomachs. Comment: Material collected from the study area are uniform lime green without any black spots or bars, and have a yellow ventrum and ventral keeling. Recently, Engelbrecht et al. (2019) showed deep divergence within P. semivariegatus and identified four distinct lineages. The material from Angola was grouped with the Central African clade, comprising mostly material from the DRC, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia, and Tanzania. Further taxonomic work is needed to resolve the status of these four groups.

Figures

Fig. 16. Philothamnus semivariegatus from Quembo River source. Photo by Werner Conradie.