Pythonodipsas Günther, 1868

Marques, Mariana P., Ceríaco, Luis M. P., Blackburn, David C. & Bauer, Aaron M., 2018, Diversity and Distribution of the Amphibians and Terrestrial Reptiles of Angola Atlas of Historical and Bibliographic Records (1840 - 2017), Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences 65, pp. 1-501 : 358-359

Genus Pythonodipsas Günther, 1868

Pythonodipsas carinata Günther, 1868 WESTERN KEELED SNAKE

Pythonodipsas carinata Günther 1868:427 . Holotype: BMNH 1946.1 .4.70, formerly SAM (collector J. Chapman). Type locality: “ Zambezi ” (Günther 1868:427), in error, corrected to “Damaraland, South West Africa ” by Broadley (1971c:679).

Pythonodipsas carinata : FitzSimons (1962:181), Broadley (1971c:679, 1990:110), Branch et al. (1997:89), Branch (1998:82), Kelly et al. (2009:46), Bates et al. (2014:388), Wallach et al. (2014:612).

Global conservation status (IUCN): Not Evaluated.

Global distribution: The species is restricted to gravel plains and arid savannah from the Bethanie District in southern Namibia, northwards into the coastal desert of southern Angola.

Ocurrences in Angola (Map 321): The species is occurs at the edges of the Angolan Namib Desert in the southern portion of MAP 321. Distribution of Pythonodipsas carinata in Namibe Province. Angola.

Namibe: “Quarter Degree Square 1512Aa” [=Saco; -15.125, 12.125] ( Branch et al. 1997:94); “Quarter Degree Square 1612Cd” [-16.875, 12.375] ( Branch et al. 1997:94); “Quarter Degree Square 1613Ca” [-16.625, 12.125] ( Branch et al. 1997:94).

Taxonomic and distributional notes: Kelly et al. (2009) revived the family Pseudaspididae Dowling and Duellman, 1978 for Pseudaspis and Pythonodipsas but this clade has subsequently been treated as a subfamily, Pseudaspidinae, by Pyron et al. (2010, 2013). Despite the few literature refereces for this species in Angola, it is expected to be widespread in the Namib Desert of the southwest (e.g., FitzSimons 1962; Broadley 1990; Branch et al. 1997; Branch 1998; Branch 1998; Bates et al. 2014; Wallach et al. 2014). Branch et al. (1997) provided the first literature records from southwestern Angola, all as quarter degree points plotted on a map.