Derivatio nominis | Named after Latin “pulcher” = beautiful, handsome, fine, fair. |
Common Names | Boulenger's Sand Racer, Beautiful Sand snake |
Synonym | Psammophis pulcher BOULENGER 1895: 537 Psammophis pulcher — DREWES & SPAWLS 1973 Psammophis pulcher — SPAWLS 1978 Psammophis pulcher — LARGEN & SPAWLS 2010: 556 |
Description |
Boulenger 1895: "Snout once and two thirds as long as the eye. Rostral broader than deep, visible from above; nostril between two shields; internasals much shorter than the praefrontals; frontal twice and a half as long as broad, a little narrower than the supraocular, longer than its distance from the end of the snout, nearly as long as the parietals ; loreal once and two thirds as long as deep; two praeoculars, upper not reaching the frontal; two postoculars; temporals 1+ 2; eight upper labials, third deeper than fourth, fourth and fifth entering the eye, fifth as long as the eye ; four lower labials in contact with the anterior chin-shields, which are a little shorter than the posterior. Scales in 13 rows. Ventrals 144; anal divided ; subcaudals 108. Pale brownish above, with an orange black-edged vertebral stripe and a black lateral streak, running along the second row of scales and extending to the end of the snout after passing through the eye ; upper lip, outer row of scales, and outer ends of ventrals white ; venti-als yellow in the middle, with an orange line on each side. Total length 435 millim.; tail 160." Drewes and Spawls 1973: "The coloration of this species is quite distinctive, and it is the only African Psammophis with 13 mid-body scale rows." |
Distribution | Ethiopia, S Kenya, Somalia Type locality: Webi Shebeli River in Somalia The type locality of this species is "characterized by grass of
less than one meter in height and abundant Acacia and
Commiphora. The major parts of Kitui and Taita districts are
also within this vegetation zone but in Kitui there are additional
large tracts of moist woodlands consisting of Brachystegia,
Isoberlinia, and Julbernardia which Keay (1959) calls
"Undifferentiated - relatively moist types. |
Types | Type: BMNH 1946.1.8.50 (and possibly additional specimens). |
Comment |
Source: slide Stephen Spawls, A Century of Kenyan Herpetology. |
References |
|