Boaedon subniger

(Figs. 5, 6)

Description of holotype: Juvenile female, 222 mm SVL; head sub-triangular, slightly distinct from the neck, HL 11.4 mm (5.1 % of SVL (222 mm); interocular distance 4.0 mm, pupil elliptical, eye diameter 2.3 mm; loreal rectangular, about 2.1 x as long (1.5 mm) as high (0.7 mm); body cylindrical; tail moderately short (8.5 % of SVL). Supralabials 8 / 8, 3 th, 4 th and 5 th on left side of head and 4 th and 5 th on right side of head contacting orbit; infralabials 9 / 9, 1 st on each side in contact behind mental, first three on both sides in contact with anterior chin shields and 4 th on both sides in contact with posterior chin shields; one preocular on both sides touching; two postoculars in contact with the lower part of parietal scale caudally, upper postocular in contact with supraocular anterior-dorsally. Lower postocular in contact with 5 th and 6 th supralabial (both sides of head) ventrally; temporals 1 + 2 + 3 on both sides; two internasals; nasal divided; frontal longer (3.5 mm) than wide (1.9 mm); Parietal length (3.8 mm) longer than distance from frontal to rostral (2.3 mm); dorsal scales smooth, 22 SR one head-length posterior to jaw rictus, 27 MSR at midbody, 21 SR one head length anterior to vent; ventrals 225; anal plate entire; 43 subcaudals, all paired. Colouration of holotype in ethanol: dorsal body colouration dark brown without any light head stripes. Venter whitish, no dorsal scales light coloured, upper and lower labials same colour as dorsum. Colouration in life (Fig. 6): as above, but colour almost black. Variation: see Table 4.

Diagnosis. Boaedon subniger sp. nov. can be distinguished from most congeners by its dark brown to blackbrown dorsal colour, without any light head stripes, two supralabials (4 th & 5 th) touching on eye and one preocular, touching the frontal. PAR is longer than the distance between the frontal and the rostral scale. Venter whitish (for more characters see table 4). Boaedon subniger sp. nov. differs from B. broadleyi sp. nov. by having fewer MSR (, X 27.0, versus 27 – 33, X 29.1, only one preocular (versus two) and its blackish brown or dark brown body colouration without light coloured head stripes (versus reddish, olive-brown or light brown body colouration with two short white head stripes and lips whitish coloured), with no dorsals uncoloured (versus first two rows uncoloured in broadleyi sp. nov.). Boaedon maculatus has an additional row of scales between the supralabials and loreal between nasal and preocular scale, (versus no row of scales) and 10 – 11 supralabials (versus 8). Extralimital species: Boaedon montanus in its whole distribution area differs in having two at least short head lines and whitish upper and lower lips (versus no headlines and no whitish lips), Boaedon perisilvestris with similar colouration differs in having more MSR (29 – 31, X 29.4 (versus 27 X 27.0 in B. subniger sp. nov.) and frequently three supralabial scales touching eye (versus two in B. subniger sp. nov.) and a genetic interspecific distances of 0.024). B. paralineatus and B. capensis species complex differs in having clear head and / or body lines (versus no head and body lines in B. subniger sp. nov.) and a brown or reddish colouration (versus blackish brown colouration in B. subniger sp. nov.)

Distribution: the species is found only in Northern Somalia (Sanaag region, Somaliland (1760 – 1780 m asl) (Fig. 2). Habitat and Natural History notes: The specimens were found in high-altitude semiarid or arid habitats from Somaliland (Sanaag region).

Etymology: The species is named after the Latin word “ subniger ” for blackish, somewhat dark, from its blackish body coloration without any stripes on head or body.

Holotype: ZMH R 22350 (DNA voucher TMHC 2023.01. 1018): a juvenile female from 8.5 km south of Yuffleh (Yufle, Jooflie) (approx. 10 ° 18 ’ 00 ” N 47 ° 10 ’ 58 ” E, 1758 m), Sanaag region, Somaliland collected by Tomáš Mazuch, 31 August 2017, and donated to the Zoological Museum Hamburg (ZMH) in September 2024 (Figs. 5, 6)