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Psammophis cornusafricae ŠMÍD, FERNÁNDEZ, ABDIRAHMAN ELMI & MAZUCH, 2023

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Higher TaxaPsammophiidae, Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: African Horn Sand Snake
Somali: Subxaanyo [pronounced Subhanyo] 
SynonymPsammophis cornusafricae ŠMÍD, FERNÁNDEZ, ABDIRAHMAN ELMI & MAZUCH 2023
Psammophis biseriatus — CALABRESI 1927 (in part)
Psammophis biseriatus — SCORTECCI 1939a
Psammophis biseriatus — SCORTECCI 1939b
Psammophis biseriatus tanganicus — LOVERIDGE 1940 (in part)
Psammophis biseriatus — LANZA 1983 (in part)
Psammophis biseriatus tanganicus — LANZA 1990 (in part)
Psammophis tanganicus — LARGEN & RAMUSSEN 1993 (in part)
Psammophis tanganicus — BRANDSTÄTTER 1996 (in part)
Psammophis biseriatus — REGNOLI et al. 2003 (in part)
Psammophis sp. — VIDAL et al. 2008
Psammophis tanganicus — LARGEN & SPAWLS 2010 (in part)
Psammophis tanganicus — WALLACH et al. 2014 (in part)
Psammophis sp. — TRAPE et al. 2019
Psammophis tanganicus — BOUNDY 2020 (in part)
Psammophis sp. — KEATES 2021 
DistributionSomalia

Type locality: Somalia, Bari Region, Heela Spring, 11 km NW (by road) of Baargaal (11.371°N, 51.0412°E), elevation 77 m above sea level  
Reproduction 
TypesHolotype: MVZ:Herp:242772 (sample code TP28431; Fig. 6), subadult, sex unknown; collected by T. J. Papenfuss on June 29, 2003.
Paratype: MVZ:Herp:242773, adult, sex unknown; same collection data as holotype.
Other material. NMP-P6V 76373 (sample JIR510; Fig. 7; MorphoBank accessions: M851260–M851339), subadult female (sex confirmed by genetics); Somaliland, 8.5 km S of Yuffleh (10.3°N, 47.182778°E), elevation 1758 m above sea level; collected by T. Mazuch on September 5, 2017 (ŠMÍD et al. 2023) 
DiagnosisDiagnosis: A Psammophis species sister to P. tanganicus, with the following combination of morphological characters: 11 infralabials; 9 supralabials, three of which are in contact with the eye; nostril pierced between two equal sized nasals; 15 anterior dorsals; 14–15 midbody dorsals; 11 posterior dorsals; 146–158 ventrals; 95–100 subcaudals. Body brown, grey or beige with only a faintly visible pale vertebral stripe but with well pronounced dorsolateral orange stripes on each side of the body. Tail with only a slight trace of or completely lacking any dark vertebral stripe; the posterior half of the tail uniformly pale yellow. Venter white to yellowish with a conspicuous stipple of irregular dark smears. Head dorsally with a symmetrical pattern of brown markings outlined by black margins which contrast with the grey or beige background coloration. Labials white with dark margins forming a black lip. Dark brown temporal stripe outlined by black blotches and stretching from the eye to the posterior end of the head. (ŠMÍD et al. 2023)


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CommentDistribution: See map in ŠMÍD et al. 2023: 357 (Fig. 8).

Similar species: Psammophis biseriatus, P. tanganicus. 
EtymologyNamed after the type locality. The name means “The Sand Snake of the Africa’s Horn”. It is a noun in the genitive case that is derived from the Latin words for horn (cornu-us) and Africa (Africa-ae). 
References
  • Šmíd J, Fernández SM, Elmi HSA, Mazuch T 2023. Diversity of Sand Snakes (Psammophiidae, Psammophis) in the Horn of Africa, with the description of a new species from Somalia. Zoosystematics and Evolution 99(2): 345-361 - get paper here
 
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