REVIEW OF DISPHOLIDINI WITH NEW TANZANIAN GENUS AND SPECIES 



69 



gonad-kidney interval, total adrenal length and midpoint, adrenal/ 

 kidney length ratio, total kidney/liver length ratio, number of tra- 

 cheal rings, right bronchus/left lung ratio, semisaccular/dense 

 vascular lung ratio, right lung posterior tip, left bronchus cartilages, 

 and left lung width/length ratio. Xyelodontophis is also unique in 

 differing from the rest of the Dispholidini in the means of the 

 following characters: heart-liver interval, liver length, liver mid- 

 point, liver-gall bladder gap, total gonad length, liver-kidney interval, 

 gall bladder-kidney gap, total gonad length, right kidney and total 

 kidney/liver length ratios, number of tracheal rings, semisaccular/ 

 dense vascular lung ratio, lack of ventral avascular strip in vascular 

 lung, liver/right lung length ratio, and posterior tip of right lung. 



In contrast to other Dispholidini, Xyelodontophis is most similar 

 to Thelotomis in hyoid length, liver-gall bladder interval, and 

 trachea midpoint; it is most similar to Rhamnophis and Thelotomis 

 in total kidney midpoint, kidney-vent interval, and left lung length; 

 it is most similar to Dispholidus, Rhamnophis and Thelotomis in 

 total gonad midpoint; and it is most similar to Dispholidus in total 

 adrenal length and adrenal/kidney length ratios. 



HEMIPENIS. In the paratype male the single organs extend to the 

 seventh subcaudal, the sulcus spermaticus is simple (on the left 

 organ the sulcus lies on the medial side, on the right organ it lies on 

 the lateral surface). In situ, the basal portion (2 subcaudals) is nude 

 with four large hooks, the medial portion (2 sc) is spinose and the 

 apical portion (2 sc) is calyculate. The sulcus is bordered by two 

 basal hooks 5 mm long and the two largest hooks (7 mm) are on the 

 asulcate side. The calyces on the apex are smooth and form a 

 network (with 1-2 mm cavities) very similar to the faveoli of the 

 snake lung. The proximal 2-4 calyces are spinose with several tiny 

 spinules on each calyx. The spines completely surround the organ 

 and are arranged in 7-8 rows, increasing in size from distal (4 rows, 

 1 mm long) through medial (3 rows, 2 mm) to proximal (1 row, 3 

 mm); there are 7 large spines on the right organ and 8 on the left. The 

 everted organ would probably show some resemblance to that of 

 Thelotomis kirtlandii (Doucet, 1963: Fig. 40). 



Size. Length 740 + 407+ mm (snout-vent 830 mm, tail truncated 

 near base). 



DIET. The holotype contained a recently swallowed leaf chame- 

 leon, Rhampholeon uluguruensis, an endemic species recently 

 described from Bondwa Peak (Tilbury & Emmrich, 1996). 



Habitat. Montane evergreen forest. The habitat is described by 

 Tilbury & Emmrich (1996). 



Distribution. Probably endemic to the Uluguru Mountains (Fig. 

 5). 



Thelotomis kirtlandii (Hallowell) Forest Vine Snake 



Leptophis Kirtlandii Hallowell, 1844, Proc. Acad. not. Sci. Phila- 

 delphia: 62. Type locality: Liberia, type ANSP 5271. 



Oxybelis Lecomtei Dumeril & Bibron, 1854, Erpet. Gen., 7: 821. 

 Type locality: Gabon. 



Tragophis rufulus Dumeril & Bibron, 1854, Erpet. Gen., 7: 827. 

 Type locality: Senegal. 

 \ Oxybelis violacea Fischer, 1856, Abhand. Nat. Ver. Hamburg, 3: 91, 

 PI. ii, fig. 7. Type locality: Edina, Grand Bassa County, Liberia. 



Dryiophis Kirtlandii Bocage, 1895: 119 (part). 

 I Thelotomis kirtlandii Schmidt, 1923: 11 2, PI. xiv; Bogert, 1940:69; 

 Witte, 1953: 247, fig. 82; Laurent, 1964: 116. 



Thelotomis kirtlandii kirtlandii Loveridge, 1944: 149 (part). 



neck with black crossbands; supralabials immaculate or with fine 

 green or grey stipple; rostral and nasals strongly recurved onto top of 

 snout; infralabials 7-11 (mode 9); ventrals 162-189; subcaudals 



132-172. 



Description. Rostral and anterior nasals recurved onto top of 

 snout; a single loreal (in eastern populations); preocular 1 ; postoculars 

 3 (2 in two specimens from Digba through fusions with supraocular 

 or fifth labial) ;temporals 1+2 (very rarely 1 + 1 or 2+2); supralabials 

 8 (rarely 9 or 10), the fourth and fifth (rarely fifth and sixth) entering 

 the orbit: infralabials 7 to 1 1 , the first 4 or 5 (very rarely 3) in contact 

 with the anterior sublinguals. Dorsal scales feebly keeled in 19-19- 

 13 rows (17 rows at midbody in four specimens from Kivu: Laurent, 

 1956, 1960); ventrals 164-179in 66, 164-189 in99;cloacal divided; 

 subcaudals 135-157 in 66, 138-165 in99. 



COLORATION. Top of head uniform green, supralabials white, 

 often with fine green or grey stipple; body mottled grey, green and 

 brown, with black crossbars anteriorly (ZMUC R631282 lacks 

 black markings on the neck), lighter below. The specimen illustrated 

 by Hinkel ( 1992: fig. 129) appears to be uniform dark brown on top 

 of the head, with heavy brown infuscation on the labials. This could 

 be a captive specimen that has been exposed to strong sunlight, such 

 a change has been observed in a captive Thelotomis at Watamu on 

 the Kenya coast (S. Spawls, pers comm.). 



SIZE. Largest 6 (AMNH 12279 - Niangara, D.R.C.) 850 + 480 = 

 1 330 mm, largest 9(ZMUC R63 1 282 - Massisiswi, Udzungwa Mts, 

 Tanzania) 1050 + 660 = 1710 mm. 



Habitat. Lowland forest in west and central Africa, relict popul- 

 ations in montane forests in Tanzania. 



DISTRIBUTION. Islands of the Bijagos Archipelago, Guinea Bissau, 

 east through forested areas of west Africa and the Congo basin to 

 Uganda and southern Sudan, south to northern Angola, northwest- 

 ern Zambia (Broadley, 1991 ) and south-central Tanzania (Rasmussen, 

 1997) (Fig. 6). 



Thelotomis usambaricus Broadley Usambara Vine Snake 



Thelotomis kirtlandii (not Hallowell) Stejneger, 1893: 733. 



Thelotomis kirtlandii kirtlandii (not Hallowell) Loveridge, 1944: 

 149 (part). 



Thelotomis capensis mossambicanus (not Bocage) Broadley, 1979: 

 126 (part); Rasmussen, 1997: 138 (part). 



Thelotomis usambaricus Broadley, 2001, Afr. J. Herpetol. 50 (2): 

 58. Type locality: Amani Nature Reserve, (Kwamkoro/ 

 Kwemsambia Forest Reserve), East Usambara Mountains, Tan- 

 zania. Holotype: NMZB 16182 



DIAGNOSIS. Top of head, including temporal region, uniform green; 

 neck with black chevrons; supralabials with scattered black spots, 

 usually including a triangle on the sixth labial; rostral and nasals not, 

 or only feebly, recurved onto top of snout; infralabials 9-13 (mode 

 11); ventrals 145-169; subcaudals 143-175. 



Description. Rostral just visible from above; nasal entire; loreals 



I or 2; preocular 1 ; postoculars 3; temporals 1 + 2 (very rarely 1 + 3); 

 occipitals 2, separated by a small interoccipital; supralabials 8 (very 

 rarely 9), the fourth and fifth or third, fourth and fifth entering the 

 orbit; infralabials 9 to 13, the first 4 or 5 in contact with the anterior 

 sublinguals. Dorsal scales very feebly keeled, in 19-19-13 or 19-19- 



II rows; ventrals 156-166 in 66, 145-169 in 99; cloacal divided; 

 paired subcaudals 146-175 in 66, 143-169 in 99. 



Diagnosis. Top of head, including temporal region, uniform green; Coloration. Top of head, including temporals, uniform green in 



