Psammophis cornusafricae ŠMÍD, FERNÁNDEZ, ABDIRAHMAN ELMI & MAZUCH, 2023
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Psammophis cornusafricae
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| Higher Taxa | Psammophiidae, Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | E: African Horn Sand Snake Somali: Subxaanyo [pronounced Subhanyo] |
| Synonym | Psammophis 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 |
| Distribution | Somalia 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 | |
| Types | Holotype: 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) |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis: 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) Additional details (5514 characters) are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. |
| Comment | Distribution: See map in ŠMÍD et al. 2023: 357 (Fig. 8). Similar species: Psammophis biseriatus, P. tanganicus. |
| Etymology | Named 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). |
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