Critical review of a revision of Psammophis (Linnaeus 1758) (Serpentes, Reptilia) by Frank Brandstätter

Abstract

Publication in book form of an earlier thesis (Brandstätter 1995, 1996) has placed in the public domain what purports to be a thorough revision of what is taxonomically one of the most difficult of snake genera—the primarily African but also Asiatic Psammophis. This review criticises some of the conclusions of the revision and points to various inconsistencies and shortcomings in the work, especially in as far as it concerns the Psammophis sibilans complex. Some alternative interpretations are offered in this review.