REVIEW OF ALGERIAN MACROPROTODON 



89 



embraces the last supralabial - where it may unite with the postor- 

 bital streak - or extends on to the 'pale collar' has significance in 

 differentiating the taxa, in particular those of eastern Algeria and 

 Tunisia. 



The postorbital streak is highly variable in the forms from the 

 southern and more arid regions (M. c. cucullatus sensu Wade, 1988) 

 and less so in those from the north. In Table 2 the categories are as 

 follows: 'short' denotes the condition in which the streak extends 

 not much further than the 6th supralabial and is always associated 

 with absence of labial smudging; there may occasionally be vestiges 

 of the streak on the 7th or 8th supralabials but should this condition 

 be unaccompanied by labial smudging it is counted as 'short': 

 'interrupted' or 'fragmented' covers the variety of conditions other 

 than 'short' or 'entire' (Fig. 3): 'Embraces last supralabial' denotes 

 the condition in which the the postorbital streak joins the posterior 

 extensions of the V-mark; in the 'short' condition the partial em- 

 bracing of the last supralabial is made up of the V-mark: 'Entire' 

 denotes the uninterrupted condition. The short state (Fig. 4c & d) is 

 of some taxonomic significance in evaluating the northern forms. 



Body pattern. This essentially consists of a conspicuous series of 

 vertebral spots or flecks, on one or both sides of each scale upon 

 which they are situated (Fig. 6c & f), with less prominent ones 

 alternating on the sides (Fig. 6a & e). These in varying degrees are 

 connected diagonally: they are sometimes manifest only when the 

 body is bent the imbrication being reduced thus exposing the parts of 

 the scales which are normally hidden. This condition, the 

 'undifferentiated' pattern, may merge into one in which the spots 

 expand to form a reticulated-tessellated pattern consistent with some 

 darkening of the ground colour leaving the spaces so formed as 

 discrete pale areas, the 'textilis' pattern. A third condition sometimes 

 occurs in which the ground colour differentiates into pale and dark 

 longditudinal stripes, the 'taeniatus' pattern. This character is of 

 little value when applied to intraspecific differences between the 

 northern forms but very useful in differentiating those from the 

 southern populations. 



Belly pattern. The chequered pattern and its variations and the 

 immaculate condition are present in all the taxa. In the northern 

 populations the progression from one to the other is by reduction in 

 number and also the size and density of the spots whereas in those 

 from the south the change is more often by progressive fading. 



SYSTEMATIC ACCOUNT 



Macroprotodon cucullatus (Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire) 



Coluber cucullatus I. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1827:151, PI. 6, Fig. 



3. Type locality, 'Lower Egypt' Type lost. 

 ?Coronella laevis (part), Schlegel, 1837:65 . 

 Coronella cucullata: Giinther(part). 1858:35. Strauch, 1862:55. 



Lallemant, 1867:28. ?OUvier (part), 1894: 25; 71896:124. 

 Lycognathus cucullatus: Dumeril & Bibron (part), 1854:926. 



?Gervais, 1857:511, PI. 5, fig. 6; 71869: 200, pi. XLIV, 2. 

 Lycognathus textilis: Dumeril & Bibron, 1854:931. 

 Coronella textilis: Strauch, 1862b:67. Lallemant. 1867:29. 

 Psammophylax cucullatus: Jan, 1862:312. 

 Psammophylax cucullatus: Jan & Sordelli, 1866:312; PI. i, Fig. 3 A. 



Lataste, 1881:399. 

 Psammophylax cucullatus van: textilis: Jan& Sordelli, 1866:312; PI. 



i, Fig. 4 



V-mk 



nuc col 



lab smud 



retrartproc 1stv 



Fig. 2 Head of Macroprotodon abubakeri (MNHN 1 899.273 Laghouat, 

 Algeria) showing the characters used in the study): par = parietal. 6th 

 sup lab = 6th supralabial. post inf labs = posterior infralabials, 1st v = 

 1st ventral, retr art proc = retroarticular process of the mandible. V-mk = 

 V-mark, temp str = temporal streak, po str = postorbital streak, nuc col = 

 nuchal collar, pal col = pale collar, lab smud = labial smudging, hi = 

 head length. 



Macroprotodon cucullatus: Rochebrune, 1 884: 1 60. Boulenger(part), 

 1891: 149-1 50. (part), 1896: 175-1 76. Mayet, 1903:24. Boulenger. 

 1920a (1919):290; 1920 (1919b):305. Pellegrin, 1926:161. 

 Mosauer (part), 1934:58. Laurent, 1935:347. DeWitte, 1930:618. 

 Angel &L'Hote, 1938: Tab. Angel, 1944b:419. Villiers. 1950:98. 

 Chpakowski & Schneour, 1953:135 (forme meridionale). PI. 

 XVI.2.Domergue(part), 1959: 166-167. photos. 16&17. Pasteur 

 (part), 1 959 (1960): 136-77. Lanza & Bruzzone, 1960:55; Fig. 2, 

 PI. xli. Davidson. 1964: 15 (southern form). Slavtchev & Chadli, 

 1984:417. 



Macroprotodon textilis: Rochebrune, 1884a: 160. 



Macroprotodon cucullatus melanocephala Mosauer & Wallis, 

 1927:305-310, Fig. 1. Type locality: Gafsa. 



Macroprotodon cucullatus cucullatus: Pasteur & Bons (part), 

 1 960:87. Bons&Girot (part), 1962:50. Kramer & Schnurrenberger 

 (part), 1963:506. Villiers, 1963:133+134. Bons (part), 1967:29, 

 84, 787, 90, 93, 162, 191,192, 231, fig. 16, map 16. Papenfuss, 

 1969:308. Bons (part), 1972:116; 1973:94. Villiers, 1975:134. 

 Wade, 1988:242-243, Figs. 3b-c & 4b. Gruber (part), 1989: 149- 

 151. (part) Sindaco. 1990:151. 



Macroprotodon cucullatus mauritanicus: Busack & McCoy (part), 

 1990:268-269, Fig. 2 (Codes 2&4). 



Macroprotodon cucullatus brevis: Busack & McCoy (part), 

 1990:269,271. 



Diagnosis. A species of Macroprotodon characterised by four or 

 five maxillary teeth in the series preceeding the fangs. Head pattern 



