A review of the genus Thelotornis A. Smith in eastern Africa, with the description of a new species from the Usambara Mountains (Serpentes: Colubridae: Dispholidini)

Abstract

The populations of Thelotornis in eastern Africa are reviewed. Thelotornis kirtlandii extends east of the Albertine rift to Uganda and the Imatong Mountains in southern Sudan, but in Tanzania it is only represented by a few relict populations in montane forests, surrounded by T. mossambicanus (Bocage) in the savanna. The latter taxon is recognised as a good evolutionary species, as it is sympatric with T. capensis oatesii (Günther) in Mutare District on the eastern escarpment of Zimbabwe. Thelotornis usambaricus sp. nov., intermediate between T. kirtlandii and T. mossambicanus, is described from coastal forests in northeastern Tanzania.