Aparallactus Smith, 1849

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 : 321-322

Genus Aparallactus Smith, 1849

Aparallactus capensis Smith, 1849 CAPE CENTIPEDE EATER

Aparallactus capensis Smith 1849b:16 . Holotype: BMNH 1946.1.8.62 (formerly 64.12.12.3) (collector A. Smith). Type locality: “the country (Kaffirland) to the eastward of the Cape Colony” [= KwaZulu-Natal], South Africa fide Broadley (1990).

Aparalactus Guentheri (part) Boulenger (1895c:172). Types: not identified. Type locality: “ E. and C. Africa, Angola ” corresponding to “Quindumbo” fide Bocage (1895a:127), Benguela Province, Angola .

Aparallactus Bocagii Boulenger (1895c:173) . Types: not identified. Type locality: “ Angola,” corresponding to “Novo Redondo” and “Gambos” fide Bocage (1895a:128), [= Sumbe and Chiange], Kwanza Sul and Huíla provinces (respectively), Angola .

Aparallactus punctulolineatus Boulenger (1895c:173) . Type (s): not identified. Type locality: “ Angola,” corresponding to “Biballa” fide Bocage (1897a:201) [= Bibala ], Angola .

Uriechis capensis : Bocage (1895a:128).

Aparallactus punctulolineatus : Boulenger (1895d:173, 1915:217).

Aparalactus guentheri : Boulenger (1895c:172, 1915:216), Monard (1937b:129), de Witte and Laurent (1947:115).

Aparallactus punctulolineatus : Boulenger (1895c:173, 1915:217).

Aparallactus bocagii : Boulenger (1896:259, 1915:216), Monard (1937b:129).

Aparallactus punctolineatus : Boulenger (1896:259).

Uriechis Bocagii : Bocage (1897a:201).

Uriechis punctatolineatus : Bocage (1897a:201).

Uriechis Guentherii : Bocage (1897a:201).

Aparallactus Bocagii : Boulenger (1905:114).

Aparallactus capensis bocagii : Loveridge (1944b:202), de Witte and Laurent (1947:126), FitzSimons (1962:270).

Aparallactus capensis capensis : Loveridge (1944c:205, 1957:287).

Aparallactus capensis punctatolineatus : de Witte and Laurent (1947:128), Laurent (1954a:45).

Aparallactus capensis : Broadley (1990:154), Spawls et al. (2004:420), Broadley and Cotterill (2004:47), Bates et al. (2014:347), Wallach et al. (2014:45).

Global conservation status (IUCN): Least Concern.

Global distribution: The distribution of this species extends from Tanzania in the north to the eastern Cape Province in the south, and westwards through south-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia to Angola.

Ocurrences in Angola (Map 281): The species is apparently distributed from the central-west to southeastern regions, although also extends to the northeastern Lunda Norte

Province. Lunda Norte: “Dundo” [-7.36667,

20.83333] ( Laurent 1954a:45); “Sombo”

[-8.68333, 20.95000] ( Laurent 1954a:45).

Kwanza Sul: “Novo Redondo” [-11.20000,

13.85000] ( Bocage 1895a:127-128,

1897a:201; Monard 1937b:129; Loveridge

1944b:205; de Witte and Laurent 1947:122;

Broadley 1990:156). Benguela: “Bigondo”

[-12.06667, 17.41667] ( Monard 1937b:129;

Loveridge 1944c:202); “Quindumbo”

[-12.46667, 14.93333] ( Bocage 1895a:127,

1897a:201; Monard 1937b:129; Loveridge

1944c:205, 210; de Witte and Laurent

MAP 281. Distribution of Aparallactus capensis in 1947:115). Huíla: “Gambos” [-15.76667, Angola.

14.10000] ( Bocage 1895a:127-128, 1897a:

201; Monard 1937b:129; Loveridge 1944b: 205; de Witte and Laurent 1947:126; Broadley 1990:156). Cuando Cubango: “approximately 50 km E of Cuito Cunavale” [-15.23333, 19.61667] (Branch and McCartney 1992:2). Namibe: “Biballa” [-14.76667, 13.36667] ( Bocage 1895a:127, 1897a:201; Monard 1937b:128; Loveridge 1944c:205; de Witte and Laurent 1947:128; Broadley 1990:156). Undetermined Locality: “Between Benguella and Bihé” ( Boulenger 1915:217; Loveridge 1944c:205; de Witte and Laurent 1947 b:122).

Taxonomic and distributional notes: In the BNMH register, 1946.1.8.62 is listed as “one of the types,” suggesting the possibility that Smith’s description was based on multiple specimens, although details are given for only a single specimen. Bocage (1895a), in his “ Herpetologia d’Angola et du Congo, ” remarked on some differences of material of Uriechis capensis from the Museu Bocage from typical material, but did not distinguish these individuals as new forms. In the same year, however, Boulenger (1895d), described three new species based on Bocage specimens, Aparallactus bocagii , from “Novo Redondo” [= Sumbe] and “Gambos,” Angola, Aparallactus punctatolineatus from “Biballa,” Angola, and Aparallactus guentheri from “Quindumbo,” Angola and East and Central Africa ( Bocage 1897a). Boulenger (1895c) himself did not provide specific localities within Angola for these new taxa, but these may be inferred from Bocage (1895a, 1897a). Loveridge (1944c) and FitzSimons (1962) treated A. bocagii as a western subspecies of A. capensis , and considered A. punctatolineatus a synonym. de Witte and Laurent (1947) and Laurent (1954a) maintained the subspecific distinctiveness of A. c. punctatolineatus based on what they believed were consistent differences from the nominate form. The latter author cited two new localities for punctatolineatus in Lunda Norte Province. More recent authors consider A. punctatolineatus and A. bocagii as synonyms of the typical form (Broadley and Cotterill 2004; Spawls et al. 2004; Bates et al. 2014; Wallach et al. 2014). Broadley (1990) examined the syntypes of A. c. bocagii in the Museum Bocage before they were destroyed and noted that they could not be distinguished from the typical form. The species A. guentheri is considered valid although it is limited to the eastern Africa and the Angola records should be assigned to A. capensis ( Broadley 1990; Wallach et al. 2014).