Pseudaspis Fitzinger, 1826

Marques, Mariana P., Ceríaco, Luis M. P., Blackburn, David C. & Bauer, Aaron M., 2018, Diversity and Distribution of the Amphibians and Terrestrial Reptiles of Angola Atlas of Historical and Bibliographic Records (1840 - 2017), Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences 65, pp. 1-501 : 357-358

Genus Pseudaspis Fitzinger, 1826

Pseudaspis cana ( Linnaeus, 1758) MOLE SNAKE

Coluber canus Linnaeus 1758:221 . Holotype: NHR Lin-22, formely MAFR (ex Mus. Drottingholm). Type locality: “Indiis” [= India] ( Linnaeus 1758:221), in error, corrected to “ Cape of Good Hope” fide Wallach et al. (2014:585), South Africa.

Ophirhina Anchietae : Bocage 1882a:300. Syntypes: MBL specimen numbers unknown (collector J.A. d’Anchieta), destroyed by fire 18 March 1978. Type locality: “Caconda, dans l’intérieur de Benguella” [= Caconda] Huíla Province, Angola .

Pseudaspis cana : Bocage (1895a:100), Branch (1998:80), Boulenger (1915:204), Monard (1937b:118), Bogert (1940:42), Loveridge (1957:266), FitzSimons (1962:162), Frade (1963:253), Broadley (1990:108), Broadley et al. (2003:147), Broadley and Cotterill (2004:49), Kelly et al. (2009:46), Bates et al. (2014:392), Wallach et al. (2014:585).

Pseudaspis cana anchietae : Laurent (1956:141).

Global conservation status (IUCN): Not Evaluated.

Global distribution: The species is known from throughout southern Africa, extending north to Angola, Zambia, the former Katanga Province of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Rwanda and the Kenya highlands.

Ocurrences in Angola (Map 320): The species occurs in the central-southern areas, Kwanza Sul and Huíla Province. It is probable that the distribution of this species reachs the southeastern regions of the country. Kwanza Sul: “Mombolo” [-12.16667, 14.83333] ( Bogert 1940:42:

Laurent 1956:141). Huambo: “Galanga”

[-12.06667, 15.15000] ( Bocage 1895a:100;

Monard 1937b:113; Laurent 1956:141). Huíla:

“ Rio Cuce ” [-13.51667, 15.20000] ( Bocage

1895a:100; Monard 1937b:113; Laurent

1956:141); “Caconda” [-13.73333, 15.06667]

( Bocage 1882a:300, 1895a:100; Monard

1937b:113; Laurent 1956:141; Loveridge

1957:266); “Sangevé” [-13.88333, 15.83333]

( Monard 1937b:113, 118; Laurent 1956:141);

“ Kuvangu (Vila-da-Ponte)” [-14.46667,

16.30000] ( Monard 1937b:113, 118; Laurent

1956:141).

Taxonomic and distributional notes:

Kelly et al. (2009) revived the family Pseudas-

MAP 320. Distribution of Pseudaspis cana in Angola.

pididae Dowling and Duellman, 1978 for two monotypic genera, Pseudaspis ( P. cana ) and Pythonodipsas ( P. carinata Günther, 1868 ). This clade has, however, subsequently been treated as a subfamily, Pseudaspidinae, by Pyron et al. (2010, 2013). Laurent (1956) recognized P. c. anchietae (Bocage, 1882) as a valid subspecies, but Broadley (1990) considered evidence for the recognition of a taxonomically distinct northern form to be unconvincing.