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Atractaspis corpulenta (HALLOWELL, 1854)

IUCN Red List - Atractaspis corpulenta - Least Concern, LC
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Higher TaxaAtractaspididae (Atractaspidinae), Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes)
SubspeciesAtractaspis corpulenta corpulenta (HALLOWELL 1854)
Atractaspis corpulenta kivuensis LAURENT 1958
Atractaspis corpulenta leucura MOCQUARD 1885 
Common NamesE: Mole Viper 
SynonymBrachycranion corpulentum HALLOWELL 1854: 99
Atractaspis corpulentus — HALLOWELL 1857: 70
Atractaspis corpulentus — BOCAGE 1866: 49
Atractaspis leucura MOCQUARD 1885
Atractaspis corpulenta — RÖDEL & MAHSBERG 2000
Atractaspis corpulenta — WALLACH et al. 2014: 64
Atractaspis corpulenta — SENTER & CHIPPAUX 2022

Atractaspis corpulenta corpulenta (HALLOWELL 1854)
Atractaspis corpulenta — SCHMIDT 1923: 138
Atractaspis corpulenta corpulenta — DOBIEY & VOGEL 2007

Atractaspis corpulenta kivuensis LAURENT 1958
Atractaspis corpulenta kivuensis LAURENT 1958: 127
Atractaspis corpulenta kivuensis — DOBIEY & VOGEL 2007
Atractaspis kivuensis — WALLACH 2025

Atractaspis corpulenta leucura MOCQUARD 1885
Atractaspis corpulenta leucura — LAURENT 1950: 42
Atractaspis corpulenta leucura — DOBIEY & VOGEL 2007 
DistributionCameroon, Gabon, C/E Democratic Republic of the Congo (Zaire), Congo (Brazzaville), Ivory Coast, Ghana, Central African Republic, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea

corpulenta: Cameroon, Gabon, Congo, Zaire; Type locality: “Liberia” (in error fide Hughes & Barry 1969: 1031). Corrected to Gabon fide Hallowell (1857: 70).

kuvuensis: Zaire (Orientale, Kivu, Ituri); Type locality: Rivière Bibugwa, Kivu

leucura: Ivory Coast, Ghana

Type locality:  
Reproductionoviparous 
TypesHolotype: ANSP 6902
Holotype: MNHN-RA 1885.0625 [leucura]
Holotype: RMCA 12.251 (also given as RGMC), collected by Hautmann fide Laurent 1958, but given as paratype in RMCA catalogue; Laurent lists 6 paratypes [kivuensis] 
DiagnosisUnfortunately 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 1865 characters), are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. 
CommentVenomous!

Synonymy: The validity of Atractaspis corpulenta leucura is questionable (RÖDEL & MAHSBERG 2000).

Distribution: For a map with localities in Equatorial Guinea see SÁNCHEZ-VIALAS et al. 2022.

Reference images: see Uetz et al. 2024 for high-resolution reference images for this species. 
EtymologyNamed after Latin corpulentus = fleshy, fat.

A. c. kivuensis was named after the Kivu region in the DRC.

A. c. leucura was apparently named after Greek leuco (λευκο), white + Greek oura (ουρα), tail. 
References
  • Aylmer, G. 1922. The Snakes of Sierra Leone. Sierra Leone Studies 5: 7-37
  • Bocage,J.V. du B. 1866. Lista dos reptis das possessões portuguezas d'Africa occidental que existem no Museu Lisboa. Jorn. Sci. Math. Phys. Nat. Lisboa 1: 37-56 - get paper here
  • Böhme, Wolfgang; Eberhard Fischer & Harald Hinkel 2023. Reptilien aus dem Irangi Forest, Provinz Kivu-Süd, Demokratische Republik Kongo. Sauria 45 (4): 29
  • Burger, M.; Branch, W.R. & Channing, A. 2004. Amphibians and Reptiles of Monts Doudou, Gabon: Species Turnover Along an Elevational Gradient. California Academy of Sciences Memoir 28: 145–186
  • Chifundera, K. 1990. Snakes of Zaire and their bites. Afr. Stud. Monogr. (Kyoto) 10(3): 137-157.
  • 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
  • Chirio, L. & Lebreton, M. 2007. Atlas des reptiles du Cameroun. MNHN, IRD, Paris 688 pp.
  • Chirio, Laurent and Ivan Ineich 2006. Biogeography of the reptiles of the Central African Republic. African Journal of Herpetology 55(1):23-59. - get paper here
  • Dobiey, M. & Vogel, G. 2007. Venomous Snakes of Africa - Giftschlangen Afrikas. Edition Chimaira, Terralog 15, 150 pp. - get paper here
  • Hallowell,E. 1854. Remarks on the geographical distribution of reptiles, with descriptions of several species supposed to be new, and corrections of former papers. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philad. 1854: 98-105 - get paper here
  • Hallowell,E. 1857. Notes of a collection of reptiles from the Gaboon country, West Africa, recently presented to the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, by Dr. Herny A. Ford. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 9: 48-72 - get paper here
  • Hughes, B. & Barry,D.H. 1969. The snakes of Ghana: a checklist and key. Bull. Inst. Franc. Afrique Noire A, 31: 1004-1041
  • Laurent, R.F. 1945. Contribution a la connaissance du Genre Atractaspis A. Smith. Rev. Zool. Bot. Afr., 38: 312-343
  • Laurent, R.F. 1950. Revision du genre Atractaspis A. SMITH. Mem. Inst. Roy. nat. Belg. (2) 38: 1-49
  • Laurent, R.F. 1958. Notes herpétologiques africaines II. Rev. Zool. Bot. Afr., 58 (1–2): 115–128
  • Mocquard, F. 1885. nan Bull. Soc. Philom. Paris (7) 10: 15 - get paper here
  • Ota, H. & Hikida, T. 1987. On a small collection of lizards and snakes from Cameroon, West Africa. African Study Monographs 8 (2): 111-123 - get paper here
  • O’Shea, M. 2018. The Book of Snakes. Ivy Press / Quarto Publishing, London, - get paper here
  • Pauwels, O.S.G. & Vande Weghe, J.P. 2008. Les reptiles du Gabon. Smithsonian Institution, Washington: 272 pp. - get paper here
  • Rödel M O; Mahsberg D 2000. Vorläufige Liste der Schlangen des Tai-Nationalparks/Elfenbeinküste und angrenzender Gebiete. Salamandra 36 (1): 25-38 - get paper here
  • SÁNCHEZ-VIALAS, A., CALVO-REVUELTA, M. & DE LA RIVA, I. 2022. Synopsis of the terrestrial Reptiles of Equatorial Guinea. Zootaxa 5202 (1): 1-197 - get paper here
  • Senter, P. J., & Chippaux, J. P. 2022. Biogeography of snakes in Liberia: Review and synthesis of current knowledge. Ghana Journal of Science, 63(1), 29-62 - get paper here
  • Spawls, S., Branch, B. 2020. The Dangerous Snakes of Africa. Bloomsbury, London, 336 pp. - get paper here
  • Taylor, Edward H.;Weyer, Dora 1958. Report on a collection of amphibians and reptiles from Harbel, Republic of Liberia. Univ. Kansas Sci. Bull. 38 (14): 1191-1229 - get paper here
  • Trape, J.-F. 2023. Guide des serpents d’Afrique occidentale, centrale et d’Afrique du Nord. IRD Éditions, Marseille, 896 pp.
  • Trape, J.F. & R. ROUX-ESTÈVE 1995. Les serpents du Congo: liste commentée et clé de détermination. Journal of African Zoology 109 (1): 31-50
  • TRAPE, JEAN-FRANÇOIS & CELLOU BALDÉ 2014. A checklist of the snake fauna of Guinea, with taxonomic changes in the genera Philothamnus and Dipsadoboa (Colubridae) and a comparison with the snake fauna of some other West African countries. Zootaxa 3900 (3): 301–338 - get paper here
  • Uetz, P.H.; Patel, M.; Gbadamosi, Z.; Nguyen, A.; Shoope, S. 2024. A Reference Database of Reptile Images. Taxonomy 4: 723–732 - get paper here
  • 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.
  • Werner, F. 1913. Neue oder seltene Reptilien und Frösche des Naturhistorischen Museums in Hamburg. Reptilien der Ostafrika-Expedition der Hamburger Geographischen Gesellschaft 1911/12. Leiter: Dr. E. Obst. Reptilien und Amphibien von Formosa. [these are 3 separate reports in one long article] Jb. Hamb. wiss. Anst., 30 [1912], 2. Beiheft: 1-39, 40-45, 45-51 - get paper here
 
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