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Afrotyphlops dinga (PETERS, 1854)

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Higher TaxaTyphlopidae (Afrotyphlopinae), Typhlopoidea, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Zambezi Blind Snake 
SynonymOnychocephalus dinga PETERS 1854: 620 (nomen oblitum)
Onychocephalus mucruso PETERS 1854: 621
Onychocephalus varius PETERS 1860
Typhlops (Onychocephalus) riparius PETERS 1881
Typhlops dinga — PETERS 1882: 95
Typhlops varius — PETERS 1882
Typhlops mucruso — PETERS 1882
Typhlops riparius — PETERS 1882
Typhlops mandensis STEJNEGER 1893: 725
Typhlops dinga — BOULENGER 1893: 45
Typhlops mucruso — BOULENGER 1893: 46
Typhlops mucruso varius — CHUBB 1909
Typhlops latirostris STERNFELD 1910: 69
Typhlops viridiflavus PERACCA 1912
Typhlops excentricus PROCTER 1922
Typhlops schlegelii excentricus — LOVERIDGE 1933
Typhlops schlegelii mucruso — LOVERIDGE 1933
Typhlops schlegelii mucroso — PARKER 1936: 120 (error typographicus)
Typhlops schlegelii mucroso — BOGERT 1942
Typhlops schlegelii mucruso — LOVERIDGE 1955: 180
Rhinotyphlops schlegelii dinga — ROUX-ESTÈVE 1974: 166
Typhlops schlegelii mucroso — PITMAN 1974
Rhinotyphlops mucruso — BROADLEY 1998
Rhinotyphlops schlegelii mucroso [sic] — AUERBACH 1987: 147
Rhinotyphlops mucruso — SPAWLS et al. 2001
Rhinotyphlops mucruso — MALONZA et al. 2006
Rhinotyphlops mucruso — MENEGON et al. 2008
Megatyphlops mucruso — BROADLEY & WALLACH 2009
Megatyphlops mucruso — BROADLEY & BLAYLOCK 2013
Afrotyphlops mucruso — HEDGES et al. 2014
Megatyphlops mucruso — WALLACH et al. 2014: 431
Megatyphlops mucruso — BATES et al. 2014: 313
Afrotyphlops mucruso — SPAWLS et al. 2018: 348
Afrotyphlops dinga — TRAPE & COLLET 2021
Rhinotyphlops mucroso — ICLEI 2023 (in error)
Afrotyphlops dinga — TRAPE 2023: 740
Afrotyphlops dinga — MIGUEL et al. 2024 
DistributionCoastal Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Democratic Republic of Congo (Katanga), Mozambique, Republic of South Africa (N Limpopo), NE Angola

Type locality: “Tette, Macanga” [Mozambique], restricted to “Makanga” by LOVERIDGE (1933) [for Onychocephalus mucruso PETERS 1854]  
Reproductionoviparous (not imputed, fide Zimin et al. 2022) 
TypesSyntypes: ZMB 3945-7, 3963
Holotype: USNM 20125 [Typhlops mandensis] 
DiagnosisDiagnosis (genus): An endemic African genus characterized by the following combination of characters: snout sharply angular in profile, with a keratinized horizontal edge in adults, supralabial imbrication pattern T-II or T-X, nasal shield incompletely divided and lacking posterior concavity, nostrils directed ventrally, inferior nasal suture contacting first or second supralabial or rostral (Megatyphlops anomalus), 3–7 postoculars, dorsal rostral broad (greater than 1/2 interocular head width), ventral rostral broad (greater than 1/2 internarial snout width), well-developed eye with discernible pupil, dorsum pigmented (often with lineate, mottled or blotched pattern), and vestigial left lung present. Other typical characters include 30–44 midbody scale rows, robust body (length/width 17–58), and large size (maximum length 350–950 mm).
 
CommentType species: Onychocephalus mucruso PETERS 1854 is the type species of the genus Megatyphlops BROADLEY & WALLACH 2009.

Nomenclature. Danny Meirte argues that dinga has priority over mucruso, based on the pagination of their descriptions (D. Meirte, pers. comm., 15 April 2015); dinga has been considered a nomen oblitum but this is incorrect as it has been used a number of times, e.g. in Roux-Estève 1974: 166 , Hahn 1977: 36, Largen 1978: 55, Poynton & Broadley 1978: 930, Broadley & Blake 1979: 10, Erasmus & Branch 1983: 98, Pakenham 1983: 22,  Obst et al. 1984 : 370, Branch 1986 : 290 , Staniszewski 1990: 133, Coborn 1991 : 110, Meirte 1992:19, Webb et al. 2001: 560, Cundall & Irish 2008: 599. The priority of dinga is supported by Trape & Collet 2021.

Description in BROADLEY & WALLACH 2009.

Distribution: not in Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo fide Chippaux & Jackson 2019. However, reported from DRC by Trape & Collet 2021. 
References
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