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Rhamphiophis rostratus PETERS, 1854

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Higher TaxaPsammophiidae, Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Rufous Beaked Snake 
SynonymRhamphiophis rostratus PETERS 1854: 624
Psammophis oxyrhynchus — PETERS 1854
Psammophis oxyrhynchus — GÜNTHER 1865: 89
Rhagerrhis unguiculata GÜNTHER 1868: 422
Coelopeltis porrectus JAN & SORDELLI 1870: plate 2 (fide GÜNTHER 1872: 74)
Rhagerrhis oxyrhynchus (non REINHARDT) — GÜNTHER 1888: 334
Rhagerrhis oxyrhynchus (non REINHARDT) — GÜNTHER 1894: 88
Rhamphiophis oxyrhynchus (non REINHARDT) — BARBOUR 1897: 279
Rhamphiophis oxyrhynchus (non REINHARDT) — BOULENGER 1895: 539
Rhamphiophis oxyrhynchus (non REINHARDT) — BOULENGER 1896: 539
Rhamphiophis oxyrhynchus (non REINHARDT) — BOULENGER 1896: 146
Rhamphiophis oxyrhynchus (non REINHARDT) — BOETTGER 1896: 216
Rhagerhis oxyrhynchus (non REINHARDT) — TORNIER 1896: 79
Rhamphiophis rostratus — BOCAGE 1896: 93
Rhagerhis oxyrhynchus (non REINHARDT) — ZACHARIAS 1897: 59
Rhamphiophis oxyrrhynchus — BOETTGER 1913: 361, 364
Rhamphiophis oxyrhynchus (non REINHARDT) — BOETTGER 1913: 271
Rhamphiophis oxyrhynchus (non REINHARDT) — BOETTGER 1915: 212
Ramphiophis oxyrhynchus — CALABRESI 1927: 32
Rhamnophis oxyrhynchus (non REINHARDT) — LOVERIDGE 1928: 75
Rhamphiophis oxyrhynchus (non REINHARDT) — BARBOUR & LOVERIDGE 1928: 94
Rhamphiophis rostratus — BOSCH 1931: 2
Rhamphiophis rostratus — PARKER 1932: 214
Ramphiophis rostratus — CORKILL 1935: 36
Rhamphiophis rostratus — LOVERIDGE 1936: 37
Ramphiophis rostratus — SCORTECCI 1939: 137
Rhamphiophis rostratus — BOGERT 1942
Ramphiophis rostratus — SCORTECCI 1943: 272: thought to be Scaphiophis by Largen & Rasmussen 1993: 376
Ramphophis rostratus — ZAVATTARI 1940: 302
Rhamphiophis rostratus — BOGERT 1940: 83
Rhamphiophis rostratus — BOGERT 1942: 4
Rhamphiophis rostratus — BATTERSBY 1955: 150
Rhamphiophis oxyrhynchus rostratus — LOVERIDGE 1957
Rhamphiophis oxyrhynchus rostratus — BROADLEY 1962
Rhamphiophis oxyrhynchus oxyrynchus — WITTE 1962: 11
Rhamphiophis oxyrhynchus rostratus — BLAKE 1965: 37
Rhamphiophis oxyrhynchus rostrata — TRAUB 1967: 45
Rhamphiophis oxyrhynchus rostratus — BALLETO 1968: 269
Rhamphiophis oxyrhynchus rostratus — BARTON 1969: 11
Rhamphiophis oxyrhynchus rostratus — PITMAN 1974
Ramphiophis oxyrhynchus rostratus — TUMA 1979: 107
Rhamphiophis oxyrhynchus rostatus — BROADLEY 1979: 11
Ramphiophis oxyrhyncus rostratus — AUERBACH 1986: 81
Rhamphiophis oxyrhynchus rostratus — AUERBACH 1986: 81
Rhamphiophis oxyrhynchus rostratus — AUERBACH 1987: 164
Rhamphiophis rostratus — LANZA 1988
Rhamphiophis oxyrhynchus rostratus — BRANCH 1988: 68
Rhamphiophis oxyrhynchus rostratus — BRANCH 1988: 13
Rhamphiophis oxyrhynchus rostratus — BROADLEY & HOWELL 1991: 27
Rhamphiophis rostratus — MEIRTE 1992
Rhamphiophis oxyrhynchus rostratus — BRANDSTÄTTER 1995: 368
Rhamphiophis oxyrynchus rostratus — DORIA & NYIRENDA 1995: 73
Rhamphiophis oxyrhynchus oxyrhynchus — GRAVLUND 2001: 103
Rhamphiophis rostratus — SPAWLS et al. 2001
Rhampiophis rostratus — SPAWLS et al. 2002: 400
Rhamphiophis rostratus — BROADLEY et al. 2003
Rhamphiophis rostratus — BROADLEY et al. 2004
Rhamphiophis rostratus — CIMATTI 2005
Rhamphiophis rostratus — WALLACH et al. 2014: 646
Rhamphiophis rostratus — SPAWLS et al. 2018: 448 
DistributionRepublic of South Africa (E Transvaal), Namibia, E Africa from Republic of South Sudan (RSS) and Ethiopia to Mozambique, through Somalia, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Zambia (Zambezi and Luangwa valleys fide Broadley 1971)

Type locality: “Tette” [Mozambique]  
Reproductionoviparous (not imputed, fide Zimin et al. 2022) 
TypesSyntypes: ZMB 2484, 9994 
DiagnosisDiagnosis (genus): “La diagnose que nous donnons ici pour ce genre est extraite de BROADLEY (1983). L'os maxillaire est court et possède de 6 à 9 dents qui augmentent graduellement ou brusquement de taille postérieurement. Elles sont suivies, après un petit diastème, par deux crochets sillonnés situés sous l'œil. Les dents mandibulaires les plus longues sont placées antérieurement et les plus petites sont à l'arrière. Le caractère le plus typique du genre est le crâne raccourci, avec les os du rostre liés aux deux nasaux, un contact entre os nasaux et frontaux (double chez R. oxyrhynchus) et un os préfrontal qui recouvre partiellement les nasaux (UNDERWOOD in BROADLEY, 1971b). La narine, en forme de croissant, est percée dans une nasale divisée ou semi-divisée. La plaque anale et les sous-caudales sont doubles. L'hémipénis, comme dans le genre Psammophis et les autres genres proches, est court, inerme et présente un sulcus spermaticus. Toutes les espèces de ce genre sont ovipares.” (from Chirio & Ineich 1991).


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CommentSynonymy: originally after GÜNTHER 1888, updated after B. Hughes (pers. comm., 14 Nov 2016).

Type species: Rhamphiophis rostratus PETERS 1854: 624 is the type species of the genus Rhamphiophis PETERS 1854.

Distribution: not in SE Zaire or elsewhere in West Africa fide Chippaux & Jackson 2019. 
References
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