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Eirenis africanus (BOULENGER, 1914)

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Higher TaxaColubridae, Colubrinae, Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: African Dwarf Snake 
SynonymContia africana BOULENGER 1914: 483
Eirenis (Pediophis) africana — NAGY et al. 2004
Eirenis africanus — SCHÄTTI & MONSCH 2004
Eirenis africana — LARGEN & SPAWLS 2010: 495
Eirenis (Pediophis) africanus — MAHLOW et al. 2013
Eirenis africana — LIVIGNI 2013: 310
Eirenis africanus — WALLACH et al. 2014: 257
Eirenis africana — TRAPE 2023: 171 
DistributionNE Sudan (Jumhūriyyat), Eritrea (probably NW Somalia fide SCHÄTTI & MONSCH 2004), Ethiopia, Djibouti (INEICH 1999)

Type locality: “Erkowit, Red Sea Province of the Soudan”  
Reproductionoviparous 
TypesHolotype: BMNH 1914.5.14.21. 
DiagnosisAdditional details, e.g. a detailed description or comparisons (1266 characters), are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. 
CommentThe subgeneric allocation of this species remains unclear because NAGY et al. (2004) did not have any DNA available for analysis, but they speculate that it probably belongs to Pediophis. 
EtymologyNamed after its African origin. 
References
  • Boulenger, GEORGE A. 1914. Descriptions of new species of snakes in the collection of the British Museum. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. (8) 14 (84): 482-485. - get paper here
  • Ineich, I. 1999. Reptiles & Amphibiens de la République de Djibouti. BNDB, UICN, PNUD, Djibouti & MNHN, Paris, 60 pp. - get paper here
  • Largen, M.J.; Spawls, S. 2010. Amphibians and Reptiles of Ethiopia and Eritrea. Edition Chimaira, Frankfurt, 694 pp.
  • Largen,M.J. 1997. An annotated checklist of the amphibians and reptiles of Eritrea, with keys for their identification. Tropical Zoology 10: 63-115 - get paper here
  • Largen,M.J. & Rasmussen,J.B. 1993. Catalogue of the snakes of Ethiopia (Reptilia Serpentes), including identification keys. Tropical Zoology 6: 313-434 - get paper here
  • LiVigni, F. (ed.) 2013. A Life for Reptiles and Amphibians, Volume 1. Chimaira, Frankfurt, 495 pp. - get paper here
  • Mahlow, Kristin; Frank Tillack, Josef Friedrich Schmidtler & Johannes Müller 2013. An annotated checklist, description and key to the dwarf snakes of the genus Eirenis Jan, 1863 (Reptilia: Squamata: Colubridae), with special emphasis on the dentition. Vertebrate Zoology 63 (1): 41–85 - get paper here
  • Nagy, Z.T., J.F. Schmidtler, U. Joger & M. Wink 2003. Systematik der Zwergnattern (Reptilia: Colubridae: Eirenis) und verwandter Gruppen anhand von DNA-Sequenzen und morphologischen Daten. Salamandra 39 (3-4): 149-168 - get paper here
  • Schätti B. & Monsch, P. 2004. Systematics and phylogenetic relationships of Whip snakes (Hierophis Fitzinger) and Zamenis andreana Werner 1917 (Reptilia: Squamata: Colubrinae). Revue Suisse de Zoologie 111 (2): 239-256 - get paper here
  • Spawls, Stephen; Tomáš Mazuch & Abubakr Mohammad 2023. Handbook of Amphibians and Reptiles of North-east Africa. Bloomsbury, 640 pp. - get paper here
  • Trape, J.-F. 2023. Guide des serpents d’Afrique occidentale, centrale et d’Afrique du Nord. IRD Éditions, Marseille, 896 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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