| Higher Taxa | Lamprophiidae, Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | E: Hellmich's Wolf Snake
G: Hellmichs Wolfsnatter |
| Synonym | Lycophidion hellmichi LAURENT 1964
Lycophidion hellmichi — BROADLEY 1998
Lycophidion hellmichi — WALLACH et al. 2014: 409
Lycophidion hellmichi — SCHLEICHER 2020 |
| Distribution | S Angola, Namibia, Democratic Republic of the Congo (Zaire) ?
Type locality: Kapolopopo in the Mocamedes Desert of Angola
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| Reproduction | oviparous |
| Types | Holotype: MD 3824 |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis: Nostril pierced at the posterior edge of the nasal, bordered by a postnasal that is in contact with the first supralabial. Dorsal scales with single apical pits, in 17-17-15 rows, the reduction taking place well before the vent; ventrals 211 in male, 199-214 in females; subcaudals 45 in male, 33-34 in females (Broadley 1996: 17).
Coloration: Dorsum dark brown, some or all scales tipped or bordered with white, or with a pale dorsal stripe three scales wide; one and a half to three lower lateral scale rows and ends of ventrals white. Top of head dark brown with a vague symmetrical pattern of white stipple, supralabials white, with or without brown stippling, ventrals dark brown edged with white (Broadley 1996: 17).
Skull moderate, with weak parietal crests which are not convergent posteriorly (Broadley 1996: 17).
Size. Only male (TMP 49008 - 6 km E of Etengua. Namibia) 345 + 57 = 402 mm; largest female (holotype - Kapolopopo, Angola) 427 + 44 = 471 mm (Broadley 1996: 17). |
| Comment | Distribution: Map: Broadley 1996 |
| Etymology | Named after Walter Hellmich (1906-1974), German zoologist. |
| References |
- Beolens, Bo; Michael Watkins, and Michael Grayson 2011. The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, USA - get paper here
- Broadley D G. 1991. A review of the Namibian snakes of the genus Lycophidion (Serpentes: Colubridae), with the description of a new endemic species. Annals Transvaal Mus. 35 (14): 209-215 - get paper here
- Broadley, D.G. 1996. A revision of the genus Lycophidion Fitzinger (Serpentes: Colubridae) in Africa south of the equator. Syntarsus 3: 1-33. - get paper here
- Broadley, D.G. 1998. The reptilian fauna of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Congo-Kinshasa). In: Schmidt, K.P. and Noble, G.K., Contributions to the Herpetology of the Belgian Congo... [reprint of the 1919 and 1923 papers]. SSAR Facsimile reprints in Herpetology, 780 pp.
- Ceríaco, Luis M. P.; Mariana P. Marques, Ilunga André, Esteves Afonso, David C. Blackburn & Aaron M. Bauer 2020. ILLUSTRATED TYPE CATALOGUE OF THE “LOST” HERPETOLOGICAL COLLECTIONS OF MUSEU DO DUNDO, ANGOLA. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 162 (7): 379-440 - get paper here
- Chippaux, Jean-Philippe & Kate Jackson 2019. Snakes of Central and Western Africa. Johns Hopkins University Press, 448 pp. [detaileld review in HR 51 (1): 161] - get paper here
- Herrmann, H.-W.; W.R. Branch 2013. Fifty years of herpetological research in the Namib Desert and Namibia with an updated and annotated species checklist. Journal of Arid Environments 93: 94–115 - get paper here
- Laurent, R.F. 1964. Reptiles et batraciens de l'Angola (troisième contribution). Companhia de Di amantes de Angola (Diamang), Serviços Culturais, Museu do Dundo (Angola), No. 67, 165 pp.
- Marques, Mariana P.; Luis M. P. Ceríaco , David C. Blackburn , and Aaron M. Bauer 2018. Diversity and Distribution of the Amphibians and Terrestrial Reptiles of Angola -- Atlas of Historical and Bibliographic Records (1840–2017). Proc. Cal. Acad. Sci. (Ser. 4) 65: 1-501 (Supplement II)
- Schleicher, Alfred 2020. Reptiles of Namibia. Kuiseb Publishers, Windhoek, Namibia, 271 pp.
- Wallach, Van; Kenneth L. Williams , Jeff Boundy 2014. Snakes of the World: A Catalogue of Living and Extinct Species. [type catalogue] Taylor and Francis, CRC Press, 1237 pp.
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