Afrotyphlops cf. schlegelii (Bianconi, 1849)

Baptista, Ninda L., António, Telmo & Branch, William R., 2019, The herpetofauna of Bicuar National Park and surroundings, southwestern Angola: a preliminary checklist, Amphibian & Reptile Conservation (e 203) 13 (2), pp. 96-130 : 120

Afrotyphlops cf. schlegelii (Bianconi, 1849)

Schlegel's Blind Snake ( Fig. 35 )

Material: Photographic record (M. Finckh, 39).

Comment: One specimen was photographed after heavy rainfall at night (nearly 100 mm of precipitation). Dorsal coloration was dark yellowish with scattered dark blotches ( Fig. 35 ) and snout-vent length measured around 70 cm (M. Finckh, pers. comm.). Afrotyphlops schlegelii is a sister species of A. mucruso , and both have been recorded from Angola. Marques et al. (2018) limit A. mucruso to northeastern Angola, and A. schlegelii to the southwest, and Haacke (TM) also has records for Huíla Province (as Rhinotyphlops schlegelii petersii ). A taxonomic discussion is presented in Broadley and Wallach (2009), and further discussions of both species in Angola are presented by Conradie et al. (2016) and Branch (2018). Confident identification requires additional material, and the genus deserves further taxonomic revisions.

Figures

Fig. 35. Afrotyphlops cf. schlegelii, BNP (Photo by M. Finkch).