Atractaspis boulengeri explained
Atractaspis boulengeri, also known commonly as Boulenger's mole viper, the Central African burrowing asp, and simply the mole viper, is a species of venomous snake in the subfamily Atractaspidinae of the family Lamprophiidae. The species is endemic to Africa.[1] There are six recognized subspecies.
Geographic range
A. boulengeri is found in Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Gabon.[2]
Habitat
The preferred natural habitats of A. boulengeri are forest and freshwater wetlands, at altitudes of 10-.
Reproduction
A. boulengeri is oviparous.[2]
Subspecies
The following six subspecies, including the nominotypical subspecies, are recognized as being valid.[2]
- Atractaspis boulengeri boulengeri
- Atractaspis boulengeri matschiensis
- Atractaspis boulengeri mixta
- Atractaspis boulengeri schmidti
- Atractaspis boulengeri schultzei
- Atractaspis boulengeri vanderborghti
Etymology
The specific epithet, boulengeri, is in honor of Belgian-British herpetologist George Albert Boulenger.[3]
Further reading
- Laurent RF (1945). "Contribution a la connaissance du Genre Atractaspis A. Smith ". Revue de zoologie et botanique africaines 38: 312–343. (Atractaspis boulengeri mixta, new subspecies; A. b. schmidti, new subspecies). (in French).
- Laurent RF (1956). "Contribution à l'herpétologie de la région des Grandes Lacs de l'Afrique centrale ". Annales du Musée Royal du Congo Belge 48: 1–390. (Atractaspis boulengeri vanderborghti, new subspecies). (in French).
- Mocquard F (1897). "Sur une collection de Reptiles recueillis par M. Haug, à Lambaréné ". Bulletin de la Société Philomathique de Paris, Huitième Série [Eighth Series] 9: 5-20. (Atractaspis boulengeri, new species, pp. 16–17). (in French).
- Sternfeld R (1917). "Reptilia und Amphibia ". pp. 407–510. In: Schubotz JH (1917). Wissenschaftliche Ergebnisse der Zweiten Deutschen Zentral-Afrika-Expedition, 1910–1911 unter Führung Adolph Friedrichs, Herzog zu Mecklenburg. Band I. Zoologie. Leipzig: Klinkhardt & Biermann. 579 pp. (Atractaspis schultzei, new species, pp. 489–490). (in German).
- Werner F (1897). "Ueber Reptilien und Batrachier aus Togoland, Kamerun und Tunis aus dem kgl. Museum für Naturkunde in Berlin ". Verhandlungen der Kaiserlich-Königlichen Zoologisch-Botanischen Gesellschaft in Wien 47: 395–407 + Plate II. (Atractaspis matschiensis, new species, p. 404 + Plate II, figures 1a, 1b). (in German).
Notes and References
- [Stephen Spawls|Spawls S]
- www.reptile-database.org.
- [Richard Allen "Bo" Crombet-Beolens|Beolens B]
