A New Species of Coluber ( sensu lato ) from the Dahlak Islands, Eritrea, with a Review of the Herpetofauna of the Archipelago

Abstract

A new racer species, Coluber ( sensu lato ), is described from the small islands of Andeber, Nocra, and Sarad in the Dahlak archipelago. This polymorphous species is most closely related to C. ( s.l. ) florulentus (Geoffroy) and C. ( s.l. ) taylori Parker. Phylogenetic relationships and generic allocation of East African and Palaearctic racer genera are briefly discussed. Three species of amphibians are known from Dahlak al-Kabir, and a total of fifteen terrestrial reptile species including two endemic snakes, viz. the new species of Coluber ( s.l. ) and Echis megalocephalus , have been recorded from nine islands in the Dahlak archipelago.