Grayinae

Branch, William R., 2018, When roads appear jaguars decline: Increased access to an Amazonian wilderness area reduces potential for jaguar conservation, Amphibian & Reptile Conservation (e 159) 12 (2), pp. 41-82 : 53

Subfamily: Grayinae

Ornate Water Snake

Grayia ornata (Bocage 1866)

Macrophis ornatus Bocage, 1866 . Reptiles nouveaux ou peu connus recueillis dans les possessions portugaises de l’Afrique occidentale, que se trouvent au Muséum de Lisbonne. Jorn. Sci. Math. Phys. Nat., Lisboa 1: 47.

Bocage (1866) described Macrophis ornatus by from Duque de Braganca (= Calandula), and it was transferred to Grayia by Sternfeld (1917). Little additional material has been recorded: Dundo ( Laurent 1954, 1964), Lagoa Carumbo ( Branch and Conradie 2015).

Smith’s Water Snake

Grayia smithii (Leach 1818)

Coluber smythii Leach, 1818 . In Tuckey: Narrative of an expedition to explore the river Zaire, usually called the Congo, in South Africa, in 1816. London, J. Murray: 409.

Bocage (1866) described Grayia triangularis based on “l’exemplaire d’Angola, recueilli à Rio Dande par M. Banyures.” He continued to use this name in his monograph, although it was soon synonymized with G. smithii by Günther (1895). Bocage (1895) noted that it must be rare and confined to north of the Kwanza. The few subsequent specimens confirm its rarity: Cambondo ( Ferreira 1904), Dundo and Luachimo River ( Laurent 1964).

Thollon’s Water Snake

Grayia tholloni (Mocquard 1897)

Grayia tholloni Mocquard, 1897 . Sur une collection de Reptiles recueillis par M. Haug, à Lambaréné. Bull. Soc. Philom., Paris (8) 9: 11.

Bocage (1895) had no records for Angola and the only documented record for the country remains Laurent’s (1964) record from Rio Muita, Lunda Norte.