Atheris squamigera (Hallowell, 1854)

Material. ANGOLA – Cabinda Province • Nganzi; –5.5279, 12.3273; 109 m a.s.l.; photographic record .

Identification. Atheris squamigera is the only known representative of the genus to occur in Cabinda Province, although no molecular identification has been provided for this species in the territory. Rochebrune (1885) described two species of Atheris ( Atheris lucani and Atheris proximus) from Landana, Cabinda Province, which were subsequently considered as junior synonyms of Atheris squamigera by Loveridge (1957). The specimen reported here was photographed in the forest canopy and we provisionally regard it as Atheris squamigera . The species has very variable colouration.

Biology and distribution. An arboreal viper widely distributed in the Congo Basin, found in all types of forest, including woodland and savannahs (Spawls et al. 2018). In Angola, it is known to occur in the north (Branch 2018) and has recently been recorded in gallery forest along the northern escarpment (PVP pers. obs.) in Cuanza Norte Province.