Pseudaspis cana (Linnaeus, 1758)

Parrinha, Diogo, Calado, Francisco M. G., Marques, Mariana P., Bauer, Aaron M. & Ceríaco, Luis M. P., 2025, Echoes of a lost museum: Revision of the herpetological collections sent by Barbosa du Bocage from the Lisbon Museum to the British Museum of Natural History, Vertebrate Zoology 75, pp. 353-404 : 353-404

Pseudaspis cana (Linnaeus, 1758) *

Specimen.

Angola: Caconda : BMNH 1893.12.27.19 [putative syntype of Ophirhina anchietae Bocage, 1882 ; Fig. 31 ] .

Comments.

Bocage (1882 b) described Ophirhina anchietae based on an unspecified number of specimens collected by Anchieta in Caconda, although implying that more than one specimen was available. A juvenile specimen was presented to the British Museum in 1893, and Boulenger wrote to Bocage on 29 March 1894 stating that he thought Ophirhina anchietae to be a synonym of Pseudaspis cana ( AHMB /CE/B44 ; Boulenger 1896). Bocage agreed with Boulenger’s opinion on a letter dated 3 April 1894 ( NHMA /DF/ZOO/235/1/1/1/76 ) and later referred his material to this species ( Bocage 1895 a). Although not noted by Boulenger (1896) as a type, the type series included at least one juvenile ( Bocage 1882 b, 1895 a) and the specimen presented to the British Museum is topotypical, raising the possibility that it was part of the type series of Ophirhina anchietae .

Figures

Figure 31. Putative syntype of Ophirhina anchietae (BMNH 1893.12. 27.19). Photos by DP.