Thelotornis capensis oatesi (Günther, 1881)

Conradie, Werner, Bills, Roger & Branch, William R., 2016, The herpetofauna of the Cubango, Cuito, and lower Cuando river catchments of south-eastern Angola, Amphibian & Reptile Conservation (e 126) 10 (2), pp. 6-36 : 19

Thelotornis capensis oatesi (Günther, 1881)

Oates’ Twig Snake

Material: PEM R 21484 (52).

Comment: This subspecies has a large range from southern Angola to Malawi and western Mozambique ( Broadley and Wallach 2002), but with relatively few Angolan records ( Bocage 1895; Parker 1936; Monard 1937; Bogert 1940; Laurent 1954, 1964; Thys van den Audenaerde 1967). When reviewing the genus, Broadley (1979) noted few specimens from the southern and eastern regions of the country, while Laurent recorded sympatry between T. kirklandi and T. c. oatseii at Dundo in northeast Angola. The new record is only the second for the south-eastern Angola, following Monard’s (1937b) record from Vila-da-Ponte [=Cuvangu]. The present specimen helps fill the large gap in records for the south-east of Angola. Although Broadley (2001) distinguished T. c. oatesi by coloration of the top of the head and ventral number (>160) these features are variable. The status of T. c. oatesi as a valid taxon was not resolved by a morphological and genetic analysis of the Dispholidini ( Eimermacher 2012) and remains problematic.