Philothamnus hughesi Trape & Roux-Estève, 1990

Pauwels, Olivier S. G., Morelle, Stephan, Albert, Jean-Louis, Carlino, Piero, Rahola, Nil & Trape, Jean-François, 2019, New reptile records from Lékédi Park and Haut-Ogooué Province, southeastern Gabon, Amphibian & Reptile Conservation (e 174) 13 (1), pp. 143-161 : 150-151

Philothamnus hughesi Trape & Roux-Estève, 1990

On 13 May 2015 at 13h15 SM encountered a juvenile individual in Bakoumba ( Fig. 19 ). It showed one preocular, two supralabials contacting the orbit, two postoculars, 1+1 temporals, 15 dorsal scale rows at midbody, unkeeled ventrals, a dark green head, irregular blue and black oblique bars on the neck, and a bronze dorsum irregularly dotted with black. On 25 November 2016 at 15h30 SM met an adult individual in Lékédi Park

(RBINS 18478; Appendix 1). It showed 1+1 temporals on each side, a greenish grey head, irregular blue and black oblique bars on the neck, and a bronze dorsum irregularly dotted with black. On 10 April 2017 a third individual was photographed by SM in Lékédi Park. It showed one loreal, one preocular, two postoculars, 8 supralabials whose 4 th and 5 th in contact with the orbit, ten infralabials, 1+1 temporals, unkeeled ventrals, a greenish grey head, irregular blue and black oblique bars on the neck, and a bronze dorsum irregularly dotted with black. The meristic and chromatical characters of these three individuals perfectly fit with the original description of the species. Their combination of main diagnostic characters (including a single anterior temporal, two rows of temporals, two supralabials in contact with the orbit, and the absence of a vertebral dark band) excludes an identification as Philothamnus dorsalis , P. heterodermus or P. nitidus (compare with photographs and scalation characters presented in original description and by Pauwels and Vande weghe 2008). New record for the park, the Prov., and for Gabon. The species was said in its original description to occur in Gabon, based on the examination by Trape and Roux-Estève (1990) of a paratype (MNHP- A-709) from ‘ Gabon.’ However, this paratype is an old specimen, and the geographical entity then covered by the term ‘Gabon’ does not necessarily correspond to what is today called Gabon, and Pauwels and Vande weghe (2008:10) thus preferred to not include this species in the country’s herpetofaunal list until the species was properly documented with a precise locality.

ual RBINS 18504 (see Appendix 1) was encountered by SM on 12 September 2017 in Lékédi Park. New Prov. record and new record for the park (the species was not listed from the Prov. by Pauwels and Vande weghe 2008; Pauwels et al. 2016a,b, 2017e). This snake is common in Gabon where it is found in pristine and moderately degraded forest.

Figures

Fig. 19. Juvenile Philothamnus hughesi in Bakoumba, Haut- Ogooué Prov., southeastern Gabon. Photograph by S. Morelle.