Telescopus wangariae RIBEIRO-JÚNIOR, KOCH, FLECKS, CAMPBELL, CALVO, SPAWLS, VIDAL & MEIRI, 2025
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Telescopus wangariae
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| Higher Taxa | Colubridae, Colubrinae, Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | |
| Synonym | Telescopus wangariae RIBEIRO-JÚNIOR, KOCH, FLECKS, CAMPBELL, CALVO, SPAWLS, VIDAL & MEIRI 2025: 76 Tarbophis obtusus — PARKER 1949 Telescopus dhara obtusus — LOVERIDGE 1955 Telescopus dhara obtusus — GASPERETTI 1988 Telescopus dhara obtusus — BAHA EL DIN 2006 Telescopus obtusus — SCHÄTTI & GASPERETTI 1994 Telescopus obtusus — SCHLEICH et al. 1996 Telescopus obtusus — GRAVLUND 2000 Telescopus obtusus — WALLACH et al. 2014 Telescopus obtusus — ŠMÍD et al. 2019 Telescopus obtusus — TRAPE 2023 Telescopus dhara somalicus — SPAWLS 1978. Telescopus dhara — HUGHES 1983 Telescopus dhara — LANZA 1983 |
| Distribution | Uganda, Kenya, South Sudan Type locality: Lodwar, Turkana, Lake Rudolf, Kenya (3.11°N, 35.60°E) |
| Reproduction | |
| Types | Holotype: NHM 1935.12.1.162, adult female, collected at (Figs 31, 33A–E). Paratypes (3): NHM 1986.87, adult male, collected at Turkana, Kenya (1.97°N, 36.20°E) by J. A. Beadon (Fig. 33F–I); NHM 1974.5143, adult male, collected at Amudat, SE Karamoja, SE Uganda (1.98°N, 34.78°E) by Dr D. Webster; ZFMK 30808, adult male, collected at Torit, Equatoria, South Sudan (4.41°N, 32.57°E) (Fig. 33J). |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis: Telescopus wangariae is distinguished from all other species of Telescopus by the combination of the following characters: (1) 19–21 dorsal scales at the anterior body; (2) 22–23 dorsal scales at midbody; (3) 14–15 dorsal scales at the posterior body; (4) a single anal scale; (5) two elongated temporal scales, subequal in size and length or at least subequal in length, elongated; (6) one pair of chin shields; (7) 248–273 (X = 257.5) ventral scales; (8) 75–84 (X = 79.7) subcaudal scales; (9) 257– 282 (X = 270.8) dorsal scales; (10) 13–14 (X = 13.3) infralabial scales; (11) 3–5 (X = 4.1) dorsal scales in contact with parietal scale; (12) presence of apical pit on each dorsal scale distally; (13) dorsal head similar in colour to the dorsal body (brownish grey); (14) ventral body cream; (15) dorsal body and flanks almost all homogeneous brownish grey; (16) lateral process of palatine absent; (17) maxillary nerve foramen in palatine absent; (18) bones of palatine–pterygoid articulation separated, not meeting each other; (19) medial ridge of parietal present, fused within limits of squamosal; (20) posteriorly directed processes on the supraoccipital present; (21) tip of parasphenoid acutely pointed; (22) anterior vidian foramen within basisphenoid; (23) 38.7%– 46.6% relative length of anterior portion of skull; (24) 25.8%– 46.7% the relative length of dentary; (25) lamina fenestrated, vomer ring complete; (26) 10 + 2 maxillary teeth; (27) enlarged anterior and posterior maxillary teeth; (28) 8–10 pterygoid teeth; (29) 14–15 dentary teeth; (30) anterior border of both frontal bones with medial V-shaped indention; and (31) contact between supratemporal–parietal bones. (Ribeiro-Junior et al. 2025) Unfortunately we had to temporarily remove additional information as this was scraped by multiple AI companies who sell that data to their customers. These details, e.g. detailed descriptions or comparisons (about 15095 characters) are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. |
| Comment | Distribution: for a map of localities see Ribeiro-Júnior et al. 2025: 69 (Figure 31). Synonymy: for synonyms and references see Ribeiro-Junior et al. 2025. |
| Etymology | Named after Wangari Muta Maathai (1940, Ihithe–2011, Nairobi). She was the first woman to earn a doctorate degree in East and Central Africa, becoming chair of the Department of Veterinary Anatomy at the University of Nairobi. Wangari Maathai was internationally recognized for her persistent struggle for democracy and environmental conservation, and received numerous awards, most notably the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize. |
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