New range extensions for Dasypeltis atra Sternfeld in Tanzania (Serpentes : Colubridae), with a review of the distribution of colour phases

Abstract

Four Tanzanian specimens of the patterned phase of Dasypeltis atra represent range extensions into savanna areas. One of these specimens, from Ibaya Camp in Mkomazi Game Reserve, extends the species’ range by about 100 km to the south‐east from Mount Kilimanjaro. It is suggested that the patterned colour phase of D. atra is an adaptation to making the species more cryptic in savanna habitat. There are also five specimens of the melanistic and brown phases from forested areas of western Tanzania and one of these, from the Mbizi Forest Reserve, represents a southern range extension of about 735 km from Bukoba.