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Prosymna ambigua BOCAGE, 1873

IUCN Red List - Prosymna ambigua - Least Concern, LC
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Higher TaxaProsymnidae, Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes)
SubspeciesProsymna ambigua ambigua (BOCAGE 1873)
Prosymna ambigua bocagii BOULENGER 1897 
Common Namesambigua: East African Shovelsnout Snake
bocagii: Noertheast Congo Shovel-snout 
SynonymProsymna ambiguus BOCAGE 1873: 218
Prosymna vassei MOCQUARD 1906: 250
Prosymna meleagris concolor LÖNNBERG 1910
Prosymna transvaalensis HEWITT 1910: 1
Prosymna Vassei — CHABANAUD 1917: 225
Prosymna ambigua brevis LAURENT 1954: 50
Prosymna ambigua loveridgei LAURENT 1954: 56
Prosymna ambigua urundiensis LAURENT 1954: 56
Prosymna ambigua urundiensis — LOVERIDGE 1958: 156
Prosymna ambigua brevis — LOVERIDGE 1958: 157
Prosymna ambigua transvaalensis — LOVERIDGE 1958: 164
Prosymna ambigua — BROADLEY et al. 2003: 190
Prosymna ambigua — WALLACH et al. 2014: 579
Prosymna ambigua — SPAWLS et al. 2018: 420

Prosymna ambigua ambigua BOCAGE 1873
Prosymna ambigua ambigua — UTHMÖLLER 1941
Prosymna ambigua ambigua — LAURENT 1954: 52
Prosymna ambigua ambigua — LOVERIDGE 1955
Prosymna ambigua ambigua — LOVERIDGE 1958: 151
Prosymna ambigua ambigua — BROADLEY 1991: 530
Prosymna ambigua ambigua — HAAGNER et al. 2000

Prosymna ambigua bocagii BOULENGER 1897
Prosymna bocagii BOULENGER 1897: 278
Prosymna bocagei — LÖNNBERG 1910
Prosymna ambigua — SCHMIDT 1923: 89
Prosymna ambigua bocagei — LAURENT 1954: 54
Prosymna ambigua bocagii — LOVERIDGE 1958: 154
Prosymna ambigua bocagii — PITMAN 1974
Prosymna ambigua bocagii — BROADLEY 1980
Prosymna ambigua bocagii (inc. sed.) — BROADLEY & HOWELL 1991: 29
Prosymna ambigua bocagii — CHIRIO & LEBRETON 2007 
DistributionNE Republic of South Africa, Mozambique, Angola, Gabon, Democratic Republic of the Congo (Zaire; except in the east), Congo (Brazzaville), Republic of South Sudan (RSS), Uganda, Central African Republic, Tanzania (Uluguru Mountains), Somalia, Malawi, Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya, Cameroon, Zambia

Type locality: Duque de Braganea, Angola.

bocagii: S Cameroon east through N Zaire to the S Sudan (Jumhūriyyat), Republic of South Sudan (RSS), Uganda, W Kenya, NW Tanzania (Bukoba) and Burundi; Central African Republic. Type locality: Zongo, Ubangi Rapids, Zaire.  
Reproductionoviparous 
TypesHolotype: MB (Museu Bocage) 610, a 121 mm female (Bayão, 1863), destroyed by fire. {fide Hughes}
Holotype: RMCA 11 (also given as RGMC) [bocagii]
Types: MD (Museu Dundo) [brevis] 
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 5775 characters), are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. 
CommentSynonymy partly after V. WALLACH (pers. comm.).

Stenorhabdium was based by Werner on a single shrivelled snake of indefinite locality. Loveridge (1958) suggested that its condition masked its true appearance and resulted in some erroneous interpretations of what may have been a slightly aberrant stuhlmanni. Loveridge failed to locate the holotype, so it may have been lost.

Subspecies: LOVERIDGE 1958 provided descriptions for all the subspecies that he considered as valid, including urundiensis, brevis, and transvaalensis. Prosymna ambigua stuhlmanni (PFEFFER 1893) is now considered as a valid species.

Distribution: not listed for Zimbabwe nor Botswana by BROADLEY & BLAYLOCK 2013. Not in Eswatini (Swaziland) fide Wilkey & Naan 2025.

Diet: reptile eggs 
EtymologyNamed after Latin ambiguum for doubtful, maybe after the doubtful status of the species. 
References
  • Auerbach, R.D. 1987. The Amphibians and Reptiles of Botswana. Mokwepa Consultants, Botswana, 295 pp.
  • Behangana, M., Ayebare, S., Magala, R., Lukwago, W., Ssekisambu, R. S., Alezuyo, C., ... & Hughes, D. 2023. Establishing baseline data for herpetofauna in western Uganda, an East African biodiversity hotspot: Reptile and amphibian diversity in Uganda. Herpetology Notes, 16, 773-789 - get paper here
  • Bocage, J.V.B. 1873. Melanges erpetologiques. II. Sur quelques reptiles et batraciens nouveaux, rares ou peu connus d‘Afrique occidentale. Jorn. Sci. Math. Phys. Nat. Lisboa 4: 209-227 - get paper here
  • Böhme W; Schneider B 1987. Zur Herpetofaunistik Kameruns (3) mit Beschreibung einer neuen Cardioglossa (Anura: Arthroleptidae). Bonner Zoologische Beiträge 38 (3): 241-263 - get paper here
  • Boulenger, G. A. 1897. A list of reptiles and batrachians from the Congo Free State, with the description of two new snakes. Ann. Mag. nat. Hist. (6) 19: 276-281 - get paper here
  • Boycott, R.C. 1992. An Annotated Checklist of the Amphibians and Reptiles of Swaziland. The Conservation Trust of Swaziland - get paper here
  • Broadley, D.G. 1979. Predation on Reptile Eggs by African Snakes of the Genus Prosymna. Herpetologica 35 (4): 338-341 - get paper here
  • Broadley, D.G. 1980. A Revision of the African snake genus Prosymna Gray (Colubridae). Occ.Pap.natl.Mus.Rhod. 6 (7): 481-556
  • Broadley, D.G. 1991. The Herpetofauna of Northern Mwinilunga Distr., Northw. Zambia. Arnoldia Zimbabwe 9 (37): 519-538
  • Broadley, D.G. 1992. Reptiles and amphibians from the Bazaruto Archipelago, Mozambique. Arnoldia Zimbabwe 9 (38): 539-548
  • Broadley, D.G.; Doria, C.T. & Wigge, J. 2003. Snakes of Zambia. An Atlas and Field Guide. Edition Chimaira, Frankfurt, 280 pp. [review in Sauria 26 (3): 21]
  • Broadley, Donald G. 1999. Geographic Distribution. Prosymna ambigua bocagii Boulenger, 1897 Bocage's Shovel-snout. African Herp News (29): 44 - get paper here
  • Broadley, Donald G. and F. P. D. Cotterill. 2004. The reptiles of southeast Katanga, an overlooked 'hot spot'. [Congo]. African Journal of Herpetology 53 (1): 35-61. - get paper here
  • 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
  • Chabanaud, P. 1917. Descriptions de trois espéces nouvelles de Reptilies de l'Afrique. Bull. Mus. nat. Hist. nat. Paris 23: 219-225 - get paper here
  • 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.
  • CONRADIE, WERNER; NINDA L. BAPTISTA, LUKE VERBURGT, CHAD KEATES, JAMES HARVEY, TIMOTEO JULIO & GOTZ NEEF. 2021. Contributions to the herpetofauna of the Angolan Okavango-Cuando-Zambezi river drainages. Part 1: Serpentes (snakes). Amphibian & Reptile Conservation 15(2): 244–278. - get paper here
  • Hewitt, J. 1910. DESCRIPTION OF A NEW SNAKE, PROSYMNA TRANSVAALENSIS, FROM THE TRANSVAAL. Annals Transvaal Museum 2 (3): 1 - get paper here
  • JACOBSEN, N.H.G. 2009. A contribution to the herpetofauna of the Passendro Area, Central African Republic. African Herp News (47): 2-20 - get paper here
  • Jacobsen, Niels H.G.; Errol W. Pietersen & Darren W. Pietersen 2010. A preliminary herpetological survey of the Vilanculos Coastal Wildlife Sanctuary on the San Sebastian Peninsula, Vilankulo, Mozambique. Herpetology Notes 3: 181-193
  • Lanza, B. 1990. Amphibians and reptiles of the Somali Democratic Republic: check list and biogeography. Biogeographia, 14: 407-465 [1988] - get paper here
  • Laurent, RAYMOND F. 1954. Reptiles et batraciens de la région de Dundo (Angola) (Deuxième note). Companhia de Diamantes de Angola (Diamang), Serviços Culturais, Publicações Culturais, No. 23: 37-84
  • Lönnberg, E. 1910. Two new snakes from Lower Congo. Arkiv för Zoologi 7 (8): 1-8 - get paper here
  • Loveridge, A. 1956. On snakes collected in the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan by J.S. Owen, Esq. Sudan Notes Rec. 36: 37-56 [1955]
  • Loveridge,A. 1958. Revision of five african snake genera. Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool. Harvard 119: 1-198 (141) - get paper here
  • 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)
  • Mocquard, M.F. 1906. Description de quelques reptiles et d’un batracien d’espèces nouvelles. Bull. Mus. natn. Hist. nat. Paris 12: 247-253 - get paper here
  • Monard, ALBERT 1931. Mission scientifique Suisse dans l'Angola. Résultats scientifiques. Reptiles. Bull. Soc. Neuchâtel Sci. Nat., vol. 33, pp. 89-111. [1930] - get paper here
  • Pauwels, Olivier S. G.; César María Aguilar-Gómez , Marius Burger , Zarek S. Cockar , Beki Henderson , Anne-Hélène Paradis , Antonius E. Ruizendaal , Iván A. Sánchez and Ryan van Huyssteen 2025. Miscellanea Herpetologica Gabonica XX. Bulletin of the Chicago Herpetological Society 60(5):57-65 - get paper here
  • Pfeffer, G. 1893. Ostafrikanische Reptilien und Amphibien, gesammelt von Herrn Dr. F. Stuhlmann im Jahre 1888 und 1889. Jb. Hamb. Wiss. Anst. 10: 71-105.
  • Pienaar, Uys de Villiers 1978. The Reptile Fauna of the Kruger National Park. Pretoria: National Parks Board of South Africa, i-vii, 222 S.
  • Pietersen, Darren, Verburgt, Luke & Davies, John 2021. Snakes and other reptiles of Zambia and Malawi. Struik Nature / Penguin Random House South Africa, 376 pp., ISBN 9781775847373
  • Pitman,C.R.S. 1974. A guide to the snakes of Uganda. Codicote, Wheldon & Wesley, L., 290 pp.
  • Rasmussen,J.B. 1981. The snakes from the rainforest of the Usambara Mountains, Tanzania: a checklist and key. Salamandra 17 (3-4): 173-188 - get paper here
  • Schmidt, K. P. 1923. Contributions to the herpetology of the Belgian Congo based on the collection of the American Museum Congo Expedition, 1909-1915. Part II. Snakes, with field notes by Herbert Lang and James P. Chapin. Bull. Amer. Mus. nat. Hist. 49 (1): 1-146 - get paper here
  • Spawls, S.; Howell, K.; Drewes, R.C. & Ashe, J. 2002. A field guide to the reptiles of East Africa. Academic Press, 543 pp. [reviews in HR 34: 396 and Afr. J. Herp. 51; 147] - 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
  • Spawls, Steve; Kim Howell, Harald Hinkel, Michele Menegon 2018. Field Guide to East African Reptiles. Bloomsbury, 624 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.
  • 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
  • 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.
  • Zassi-Boulou, Ange Ghislain; Joseph Goma Tchimbakala, Lise Bethy Mavoungou, and Kate Jackson 2020. A Survey of Snakes in the Patte d’Oie Forest Reserve (Brazzaville, Republic of Congo): an Urban Snake Community in Central Africa. Herpetological Conservation and Biology, 15 (1): - get paper here
 
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