Megatyphlops anomalus (Bocage)

Broadley, Donald G. & Wallach, Van, 2009, 2255, Zootaxa 2255, pp. 1-100 : 48

Megatyphlops anomalus (Bocage)

( Fig. 9A)

Angolan giant blind-snake

Onychocephalus anomalus Bocage, 1873 , Jorn. Sci. Math. Phys. Nat., 2(15): 248, pl. 1, fig. 3. Type locality: “Huilla, l’intérieur de Mossamedes,” [= Huila, Provincia da Huila, Angola] (15.067°S, 13.550°E, elevation 1695 m), syntypes (4) MBL 1177 A–D, collected by J. d’Anchieta, 1871 and J.J. da Graça (destroyed by fire 18 March 1978).

Typhlops (Onychocephalus) anchietae Bocage, 1886 , Jorn. Sci. Math. Phys. Nat., 11(43): 172. Type locality: “ Huila, Angola (15.067°S, 13.550°E, elevation 1695 m), holotype MBL 1871 , collected by J. d’Anchieta (destroyed by fire 18 March 1978); FitzSimons, V., 1962: 67.

Onychocephalus anchietae — Matschie, 1890: 608.

Typhlops anchietae — Boulenger, 1893: 40, 1896a: 587, 1910: 498, 1915a: 197; Bocage 1895: 63, 1897: 198; Sclater 1898: 97; Gough, 1908: 18; Sternfeld, 1910d: 11; FitzSimons, F., 1912 & 1919: 52; Werner, 1921: 313; Schmidt, 1923: 33; Monard, 1937: 103; Rose, 1955: 74, 1962: 320; FitzSimons, V., 1962: 67, 1966a: 38, 1970: 67; Isemonger, 1968: 84, 1983: 88; Mertens, 1971: 6; Hahn, 1977: 36.

Typhlops anomalus — Boulenger, 1893: 47, 1896a: 588, 1915a: 197; Bocage 1895: 70; Sternfeld, 1910d: 12; Werner, 1921: 317; Schmidt, 1923: 33; Monard 1937: 105.

Typhlops anchieta — FitzSimons, F., 1910: 24.

Typhlops anchiate (sic) — Rose, 1950: 252.

Rhinotyphlops anomalus — Roux-Estève 1974: 190, 1975a: 495, figs. 31–32; Hahn, 1977: 36, 1980: 29; Welch, 1982: 125, 1994: 55; Meirte 1992: 19; Wallach, 1993a: 216, fig. 1A, 1993b: 33, 1998a: 182, 1998b: 324, 2003: 239; Frank & Ramus, 1995: 252; Mattison, 1999: 147; McDiarmid et al. 1999: 78; Murphy, 2003: 552; Brogard, 2005: 112.

Rhinotyphlops anchietae — Brogard, 2005: 114.

Description. Snout prominent, with an obtusely angular keratinised edge on rostral, rostral very large, subcircular, extending back beyond level of eyes,ventrally rostral much more than half the width of the head at the level of the nostrils; frontal crescentic; subocular transverse, its lateral apex between preocular and ocular; eye distinct at the anterior edge of the ocular; nasal in contact with first to third labials, nasal suture rising from the First; SIP T-X (N 1/2, P/O, O, O). MSR 29–32; MD 365–431 (mean = 402.2, n = 9); vertebrae 184–206 (mean = 198.9, n = 9); MD/V ratio 1.93–2.18 (mean = 2.02, n = 9); L/D ratio 29–37. Dorsum uniform olive brown or with scale centres lighter, venter yellow like the tip of the snout and tail. Largest specimen ( Bocage 1895) has a total length of 540 mm.

Distribution. Restricted to the plateau areas of southeastern Angola, 910–1735 m ( Fig 16).

Localities. ANGOLA. No precise locality MBL 1177A–D (syntypes of Onychocephalus anomalus Bocage ); Biballa ( Bocage 1895); Bimbe, Huambo ( Monard 1937); Caconda MBL 1157 (2); MCZ 25870; Cahata ( Bocage 1895); Chindumbo ( Bocage 1895); Chiyaka District BMNH 1908.5.15.1; Ebanga ( Monard 1937); Huila MBL 1871 (holotype of Onychocephalus anchietae Bocage ); Quibula ( Bocage 1895); Vila da Ponte ( Monard 1937).