Cynisca Gray

GANS, CARL, 2005, Checklist And Bibliography Of The Amphisbaenia Of The World, Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2005 (289), pp. 1-130 : 27-29

Genus Cynisca Gray

Cynisca Gray, 1844: 71 . Type species: Amphisbaena leucura Duméril and Bibron , by monotypy.

Ophioproctes G. Boulenger, 1878: 300 . Type species: Ophioproctes liberiensis , by monotypy.

Placogaster G. Boulenger, 1906: 203 . Type species: Placogaster feae , by monotypy.

See discussion in R. Laurent (1947: 55, who included Placogaster here) and Vanzolini (1951b: 115), as well as comments under the genus Amphisbaena .

Cynisca bifrontalis (Boulenger)

Amphisbaena bifrontalis G. Boulenger, 1906: 202 .

TYPE LOCALITY: ‘‘Fernand Vaz, French Congo’’.

Holotype: MSNG CE28163 .

DISCUSSION OF FORM: Loveridge (1941:

383), and Gans (1987: 29, 32, 34).

RANGE: Known from the type only.

Cynisca degrysi (Loveridge)

Placogaster degrysi Loveridge, 1941: 400 . TYPE LOCALITY: ‘‘ Lagos, Sierra Leone’ ’. Holotype: Formerly ZMH R.K. 1070­E.K. 13179; destroyed.

DISCUSSION OF FORM: R. Laurent (1947:

57) and Gans (1987: 34–35). RANGE: Known from the (destroyed) ho­

lotype only. Type locality questionable.

Cynisca feae (Boulenger)

Placogaster feae G. Boulenger, 1906: 203 . TYPE LOCALITY: ‘‘ Cassine River District, Portuguese Guinea’ ’. Syntypes: BMNH 1906.3.30.34: RR1946.9.1.13, 1906.3.30.35:RR1946.9.1.14; MSNG CE28162 (seven specimens) .

DISCUSSION OF FORM: Loveridge (1941: 401), R. Laurent (1947: 55), Manaças (1957a [1955]: 5), and Gans (1987: 35–37). See also Condamin and Villiers (1962, distribution), and Pauwels and Meirte (1996, variation).

RANGE: Guinea Bissau to eastern Sénègal and Gambia.

Cynisca gansi Dunger Cynisca gansi Dunger, 1968: 172 . TYPE LOCALITY:

‘‘Okoloma village near Port Harcourt, Eastern

Nigeria (4 ° 42 ̍ N, 7 ° 27 ̍ E)’’. Holotype: AMNH

102409 (Dunger, 1968). Paratypes: AMNH

102410–102412, CG 3579–3580.

DISCUSSION OF FORM: Gans (1987: 37–39).

See also Dunger (1968, distribution). RANGE: Known from the types only.

Cynisca haughi (Mocquard)

Amphisbaena haughi Mocquard, 1904: 301 . TYPE LOCALITY: ‘‘ Gabon, à environ 50 kilometres au sud­ouest de Lambaréne´ ’’. Holotype: MHNP 01–531.

DISCUSSION OF FORM: Loveridge (1941: 384) and Gans (1987: 39–41).

RANGE: Known from the type only.

Cynisca kigomensis Dunger

Cynisca kigomensis Dunger, 1968: 182 . TYPE LO­ CALITY: ‘‘on the western escarpment of the Jos Plateau in the Kigom Hills, Northern Nigeria (approx. 9 ° 47 ̍ N, 8 ° 33 ̍ E)’’. Holotype: AMNH 102424 (Dunger, 1968). Paratype: AMNH 102425.

DISCUSSION OF FORM: Gans (1987: 41–43).

See also Dunger (1968, distribution). RANGE: Known from the types only.

Cynisca kraussi (W.C.H. Peters)

Amphisbaena kraussi W.C.H. Peters, 1878a: 192 . TYPE LOCALITY: ‘‘Westafrika’’. Syntypes: ZMB 9375 ; KM R­4470.

DISCUSSION OF FORM: Loveridge (1941:

377, 1948: 213) and Gans (1987: 43–46). RANGE: Southeastern Ghana.

Cynisca lamottei (Angel) Amphisbaena lamottei Angel, 1943b: 163 . TYPE LOCALITY: ‘‘Pierri­Richaud, un des sommets du Mont Nimba (alt. 850 m.)’’, Guinea. Holotype: MHNP 1943–65. Paratypes: MHNP 1943–63, 1943–64 (Kéoulenta, Mt. Nimba, altitude 500 meters).

DISCUSSION OF FORM: Angel et al. (1954: 378). See also Guibé (1954, list).

RANGE: Known from the types only.

Cynisca leonina (F. Müller)

Amphisbaena leonina F. Müller, 1885: 700 . TYPE LOCALITY: ‘‘ Tumbo Insel,’’ Los Archipelago, Guinea. Holotype: NMBA 3806 .

DISCUSSION OF FORM: Loveridge (1941: 379) and Gans (1987: 46–48). See also Park­ er (1939, distribution).

RANGE: Tumbo and Kassa Islands, Los Archipelago, Coastal Guinea.

Cynisca leucura (Duméril and Bibron)

Amphisbaena leucura Duméril and Bibron, 1839: 498 . TYPE LOCALITY: ‘‘ La côte de Guinée.’’ Holotype: RMNH 3555 .

Amphisbaena macrura Duméril and Bibron, 1839: 499 . Manuscript name for type of A. leucura ; unavailable as published in synonymy (International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, 1961: art. 11d).

Amphisbaena petersii G. Boulenger, 1906: 201 . TYPE LOCALITY: ‘‘ Gold Coast; and

Jebba, Upper Niger, Nigeria.’’ Syntypes:

BMNH RR1946.8.2.19: ( Gold Coast); BMNH

99.8.23.10:RR1946.8.31.74, 99.8.23.11:

RR1946.8.31.75 (Jebba, Upper Niger, Nigeria).

DISCUSSION OF FORM: Loveridge, (1941: 377; 1952: 242), Gans (1987: 48–53). See also Huang and Gans (1971, chromosomes), Papenfuss (1969), Taylor and Weyer (1958, distribution), and Tornier (1901, distribution).

RANGE: Chad, Central African Republic, Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana, southern Burkina Faso, and eastern Ivory Coast. Probably in south of Mali (Joger and Lambert 1996).

Cynisca liberiensis (Boulenger)

Ophioproctes liberiensis G. Boulenger, 1878: 301 . TYPE LOCALITY: ‘‘Liberia’’. Holotype: IRSNB 2005 .

DISCUSSION OF FORM: Loveridge (1941: 381), Gans (1987: 53–55). See also Brongersma (1935) and Taylor and Weyer (1958, distribution). RANGE: Liberia, Sierra Leone to inland Guinea.

Cynisca muelleri (Strauch)

Cynisca sp. ? F. Müller, 1878: 622, 704. TYPE LO­ CALITY: ‘‘ Akropong’ ’, Ghana. Lectotype: NMBA 3808 , by present designation of the illustrated specimen. Lectoparatype: NMBA 3807 .

Amphisbaena mülleri Strauch, 1881 : col. 68. Based on F. Müller’s specimens, plus one (lectoparatype) specimen from ‘‘Sierra Leone’’, SMNS 388.

Amphisbaena muelleri G. Boulenger, 1885e: 448 . Emendation.

DISCUSSION OF FORM: Loveridge (1941: 379), Gans (1987: 55–57).

RANGE: Southeastern Ghana. The record from ‘‘Sierra Leone’’ is presumably an error.

Cynisca nigeriensis Dunger

Cynisca nigeriensis Dunger, 1968: 177 . TYPE LO­

CALITY: ‘‘in the vicinity of Takwashara, near

Abuja (8 ° 52 ̍ N, 7 ° 27 ̍ E) in Northern Nigeria.’’

Holotype: AMNH 102413 (Dunger, 1968).

Paratypes: AMNH 102414–102423 ; CG 3981 –

3984.

DISCUSSION OF FORM: Gans (1987: 57–59).

See also Dunger (1968, distribution).

RANGE: Known from the types only.

Cynisca oligopholis (Boulenger)

Amphisbaena oligopholis G. Boulenger, 1906: 201 . TYPE LOCALITY: ‘‘ Cassine River District, Portuguese Guinea’ ’. Syntypes: BMNH 1906.3.30.32:RR1946.8.2.46, 1906.3.30.33: RR1946.8.2.47; MSNG 28164 (six specimens) .

DISCUSSION OF FORM: Loveridge (1941: 380), Gans (1987: 59–61). RANGE: Known from the types only.

Cynisca rouxae Hahn

Cynisca rouxae Hahn, 1979: 122 . TYPE LOCALITY: ‘‘Vicinity of Assacro, 7 ° 53 ̍ N 5 ° 23 ̍ W, Ivory Coast’’. Holotype: MNHP 1978–1. Paratype: MHNP 1978–2.

DISCUSSION OF FORM: Gans (1987: 61–63), Rödel and Grabow (1996). RANGE: Known from the types and one specimen only.

Cynisca schaeferi (Sternfeld)

Chirindia schaeferi Sternfeld, 1912b: 250 . TYPE LOCALITY: ‘‘ Japoma ( Kamerun)’’. Holotype: ZMB 22367.

DISCUSSION OF FORM: Loveridge (1941: 384). R. Laurent (1947: 55) suggested that this species belongs in this genus; see also Gans (1987: 63–65). RANGE: Cameroon, Yapoma.

Cynisca senegalensis Gans

Cynisca senegalensis Gans, 1987: 65 . TYPE LO­ CALITY: Parc Niokolo­Koba , Sénègal. Holotype: IFAN (unnumbered).

DISCUSSION OF FORM: Gans (1987: 65–67). RANGE: Known from the type only.

Cynisca williamsi Gans

Cynisca williamsi Gans, 1987: 67 . TYPE LOCALITY: Wenchi , about 60 mi north and slightly east of Kumasi, Ghana. Holotype: AMNH 130339 .

DISCUSSION OF FORM: Gans (1987: 67–71). RANGE: Known from the type only.