Amblyodipsas polylepis explained

Amblyodipsas polylepis, or the common purple-glossed snake, is a species of mildly venomous rear-fanged snake in the Atractaspididae family.

Geographic range

It is endemic to the eastern and northern regions of southern Africa.[1] More specifically, it is found in Angola, Namibia, Botswana, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Republic of South Africa, Tanzania, coastal Kenya, and Somalia.[2]

Description

Dorsal scales smooth, without pits, arranged in 21 rows, which is more than any other species of Amblyodipsas as the specific epithet, polylepis, implies. Ventrals 163–212; anal divided; subcaudals 16–27, divided. In every other respect scalation is like Amblyodipsas unicolor.

Completely blackish brown. Total length 40frac=4NaNfrac=4; tail 23frac=8NaNfrac=8.[3]

Diet

This species has been recorded to prey upon Monopeltis luandae, as well as other genera of Amphisbaenidae such as Zygaspis.[4]

References

Notes
  • Bibliography
  • Notes and References

    1. Schmidt, Warren. 2006. Reptiles and Amphibians of Southern Africa. Struik. Cape Town. p. 19.
    2. The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
    3. [George Albert Boulenger|Boulenger, G.A.]
    4. Conradie . Werner . Pinto . Pedro Vaz . (PDF) A snake with an appetite for the rare: Amblyodipsas polylepis (Bocage, 1873) feeding on the amphisbaenid Monopeltis luandae Gans, 1976 . Herpetology Notes . 14 . 2021-01-27 . 2071-5773 . 205–207 . 2024-11-01.