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PROCEEDINGS OF THE CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 
Series 4, Volume 65, Supplement II 
tens I937a:II, I938a:438); “Hanha” [-13.30000, 14.20000] (Bocage I896a:II2; Roux-Esteve 
1974b: 104). Undetermined Locality: (Gunther 1876b:678; Ferreira 1900:50);. “Cuango” (Peters 
1881:147) (Malanje Province impossible to georeference: See History Section for more detailed 
information). 
Taxonomic and distributional notes: There was long confusion between this taxon and 
Afrotyphlops punctatus (Leach, 1819) as reflected in the complex synonymies/chresonymies of 
these two taxa (McDiarmid et al. 1999). Authorship of this species is sometimes attributed to Jan 
(1863) (e.g., McDiarmid et al. 1999), however, this use is as a nomen nudum. See Broadley and 
Wallach (2009) for comprehensive chresonymy and distribution in eastern and central Africa. 
Afrotyphlops mucruso (Peters, 1854) Zambezi Blind Snake 
Onychocephalus mucruso Peters 1854:621. Leetotype: ZMB 3963 (eolleetor W.C.H. Peters), designated by 
Loveridge (1933:216). Type loeality: “Macanga” (Peters 1854:621), [= Makanga], Mozambique. 
Typhlops mucruso: Boulenger (1893:46), Boeage (1895a:67). 
Typhlops schlegelii mucruso: Loveridge (1933:216, 1957:241). 
Typhlops schlegeli mucruso: Laurent (1950a:7, 1964a:90), 
Rhinotyphlops schlegelii dinga (part): Roux-Esteve (1974b: 164). 
Typhlops sehlegelii mueruso: Broadley (1990:47). 
Rhinotyphlops sehlegelii (part): MeDiarmid et al. (1999:84). 
Rhinotyphlops mueruso: Spawls et al. (2004:292), Broadley and Cotterill (2004:45). 
Megatyphlops mueruso: Broadley and Wallaeh (2009:52), Bates et al. (2014:313), Wallach et al. (2014:423). 
Afrotyphlops mueruso: Hedges et al. (2014:20). 
Global conservation status (lUCN): Not 
Evaluated. 
Global distribution: The species is 
known from the savannas and forest-savanna 
mosaic from East Africa, from coastal Kenya 
south to central Mozambique, Zimbabwe and 
Limpopo Province, South Africa, and west 
through the southern provinces of the Demo¬ 
cratic Republic of Congo to northeast Angola. 
Ocurrences in Angola (Map 256): The 
species occurs in the extreme northeast of the 
country, in Lunda Norte and Sul provinces. 
Lunda Norte: “Dundo” [-7.36667, 20.83333] 
(Laurent 1950a:7; Roux-Esteve 1974b: 178); 
“Muita” [-7.80000, 21.45000] (Laurent 
1950a:7; “Camisombo” [-8.15000, 20.65000] 
(Laurent 1964a:89); “Calonda” [-8.41667, 
20.53333] (Laurent 1964a:89). Lunda Sul: Map 256. Distribution of Afrotyphlops mucruso in 
“Alto Chicapa” [-10.88333, 19.23333] (Lau- Angola, 
rent 1964a: 89). 
Taxonomic and distributional notes: See Roux-Esteve (1974b), Bauer et al. (1995, 2002) 
and McDiarmid et al. (1999) for discussions of the original type series of Onychocephalus mucru¬ 
so. Hedges et al. (2014) moved all species previously allocated to Megatyphlops Broadley and Wal¬ 
lach, 2009 to Afrotyphlops based on their phylogenetic analysis, which demonstrated that members 
of the former group are embedded within a clade containing the type specimen of the latter. Previ¬ 
ously treated as a subspecies, Rhinotyphlops schlegelii mucruso (Peters, 1854), but elevated to full 
i2‘L 2«''b 
