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Dendroaspis angusticeps (SMITH, 1849)

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Higher TaxaElapidae, Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Green Mamba
G: Blattgrüne Mamba, Gewöhnliche Mamba 
SynonymNaja angusticeps SMITH 1849: 70
Naja angusticeps — DUMÉRIL & BIBRON 1854: 1301
Dendraphis angusticeps GÜNTHER 1858
Dendroaspis intermedius GÜNTHER 1865: 98
Dendrospis [sic] angusticeps — BOULENGER 1897: 376 (in error)
Dendroaspis sjöstedti LÖNNBERG 1910
Dendraspis [sic] angusticeps — STERNFELD 1910: 57
Dendroaspis angusticeps — HARDING & WELCH 1980
Dendroaspis angusticeps — WELCH 1994: 55
Dendroaspis angusticeps — BROADLEY & HOWELL 1991: 24
Dendroaspis angusticeps — RAZETTI & MSUYA 2002
Dendroaspis intermedius — BROADLEY & BLAYLOCK 2013
Dendroaspis intermedius — WALLACH et al. 2014: 222
Dendroaspis angusticeps — WALLACH et al. 2014: 222
Dendroaspis angusticeps — SPAWLS et al. 2018: 561 
DistributionKenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Malawi, E Zimbabwe,
Republic of South Africa (Natal), Democratic Republic of the Congo (Zaire) [CHIFUNDERA 1990]

Type locality: Natal  
Reproductionoviparous 
TypesHolotype: lost, was BMNH 1946.1.20.48; lost fide Broadley in Golay et al. (1993: 128).
Holotype: BMNH 1946.1.20.48 [intermedius] 
DiagnosisAdditional details, e.g. a detailed description or comparisons (706 characters), are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. 
CommentVenomous!

Synonymy: The status of Dendroaspis intermedius remains unclear. WALLACH et al. 2014: 293 list it as valid citing a pers. comm. by Wüster. However, W. Wüster recommended to leave it as a synonym of D. angusticeps for the time being (pers. comm. 25 Aug 2015).

Habitat: fully arboreal (Harrington et al. 2018). 
EtymologyNamed after Latin “angustus, -a, -um” = narrow and the abbreviated term “-ceps” for “caput” = head. 
References
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  • Aeberhard, R. 2010. Kunstpflanzen im Terrarium. Draco 11 (41): 64-68 - get paper here
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