Amblyodipsas polylepis

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

Amblyodipsas polylepis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Lamprophiidae
Genus: Amblyodipsas
Species:
A. polylepis
Binomial name
Amblyodipsas polylepis
(Bocage, 1873)
Synonyms

Geographic range

It is endemic to the eastern and northern regions of southern Africa.[2] 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.[3]

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 40 cm (15 3⁄4 in); tail 23 mm (7⁄8 in).[4]

References
Notes
  1. The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
  2. Schmidt, Warren. 2006. Reptiles and Amphibians of Southern Africa. Struik. Cape Town. p. 19.
  3. The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
  4. Boulenger, G.A. 1896. Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History), Volume III. London. pp. 245-246.
Bibliography
  • Bocage, J.V.B. 1873. Melanges herpétologiques. II. Sur quelques reptiles et batraciens nouveaux, rares ou peu connus d'Afrique occidentale. Journ. Acad. Sci. Lisboa 4:209-227.


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