Relations of Some African Colubrid Snakes

Abstract

Examination of the mode of scale row reduction and of hemipenial features in the African colubrid snake genera Boaedon, Bothrolycus, Bothrophthalmus, Lamprophis, Lycodonomorphus, and Pseudoboodon validates Bogert's segregation of the genera as a distinctive group. The tribal name Boaedontini is here proposed for the group. Some characteristics of the Boaedontini (e.g., hypapophyses on the posterior dorsal vertebrae and calycylate hemipenes with bifurcate centrifugal sulcus spermaticus) set it aside from the commonly recognized subfamilies Natricinae and Colubrinae. Examination of the mode of scale row reduction and of hemipenial features in the African colubrid snake genera Boaedon, Bothrolycus, Bothrophthalmus, Lamprophis, Lycodonomorphus, and Pseudoboodon validates Bogert's segregation of the genera as a distinctive group. The tribal name Boaedontini is here proposed for the group. Some characteristics of the Boaedontini (e.g., hypapophyses on the posterior dorsal vertebrae and calycylate hemipenes with bifurcate centrifugal sulcus spermaticus) set it aside from the commonly recognized subfamilies Natricinae and Colubrinae. N 1940 Bogert published an arrangement of African colubrid snakes in which he