Philothamnus dorsalis

Philothamnus dorsalis Bocage, 1866

Specimens.

Angola: Benguella: BMNH 1867.7.23.21 , “ Angola ” [= Luanda]: BMNH 1882.6.9.2 .

Comments.

Bocage (1866 b) described Leptophis dorsalis based on one specimen collected by Bayão at Duque de Bragança and another by Anchieta at Molembo, although Bocage (1882 a) later designated the latter as the type and did not mention the specimen from Duque de Bragança again (Bocage 1882 a, 1895 a). Bocage later reported additional material, including specimens collected by Anchieta at Benguela and by João Osmundo Toulson (1832–1873) at Loanda (Bocage 1867 a, 1882 a). Although specimen BMNH 1882.6.9.2 is accessioned and cited only with the locality “ Angola ” (Günther 1868 a; Boulenger 1894 b), the original specimen label stating the name of the collector – Toulson – allowed us to infer Luanda as the specific locality (Bocage 1867 a, 1895 a). It is unclear how many specimens Toulson collected in Luanda, but the fact that Bocage (1882 a) did not mention this material suggests that a single specimen was sent by Toulson in 1867 and subsequently presented to the British Museum (Bocage 1867 a). The specimens sent to the British Museum were cited as Ahaethulla dorsalis by Günther (1868 a) and Philothamnus dorsalis by Boulenger (1894 b).