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PROCEEDINGS OF THE CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 
Series 4, Volume 65, Supplement II 
[-14.76667, 13.36667] (Bocage I873a:249, 252, I886a:I72, I895a:68, I897a:I99; Loveridge 
1933:216; Monard 1937b: 103). Cunene: “Humbe, sur les bords du Cunene (Humbe)” [-16.68333, 
14.90000] (Bocage 1893:117, I895a:69; Boulenger 1896:588; Monard I937b:I03; Broadley and 
Wallach 2009:51); “Erickson’s Drift, Cunene river” [-17.26944, 14.525 E] (Broadley and Wallach 
2009:51). 
Taxonomic and distributional notes: There are three juvenile specimens referable to this 
species that are extant in the Bianconi collection of Mozambiquan reptiles in Bologna, but none of 
these seem to be consistent with the type specimen. The date of publication is often confused 
because the description appeared in the journal issue for August and September 1848, but was not 
published until April 1849, and because Bianconi (1850:183, pi. 6, fig. 2) published a second 
description, marked “Nobis” of the same animal. Further, Bianconi (1849) notes that he had 
described this species, and another, in the session of 1847, but this refers to the oral sessions of the 
Societa Agraria, e dell’ Accademia delle Scienze dell’ Istituto di Bologna, for which the Nuovi 
Annali delle Scienze Naturali was the publication outlet. “Hedges et al. (2014) moved all species 
previously allocated to Megatyphlops Broadley and Wallach, 2009 to Afrotyphlops based on their 
phylogenetic analysis, which demonstrated that members of the former group are embedded with¬ 
in a clade containing the type specimen of the latter. Until recently, four subspecies were recog¬ 
nized under the name Rhinotyphlops schlegelii {brevis, schlegelii, petersii, mucruso) following 
Roux-Esteve (1974b) and Hahn (1980). Currently Onychocephalus petersii (Bocage, 1873) is 
placed in the synonymy of Afrotyphlops schlegelii (Bianconi, 1849), whereas the others are recog¬ 
nized as valid species (Roux-Esteve 1974a; 1974b; Broadley 1990; Branch 1998; Broadley and 
Wallach 2009). The complex nomenclatural history of this and related taxa, including the interpre¬ 
tation of type specimens has been reviewed by McDiarmid et al. (1999). See Broadley and 
Wallach (2009) for comprehensive chresonymy and maps of global distribution. 
Afrotyphlops schmidti (Laurent, 1956) Schmidt’s Blind-Snake 
Typhlops schmidti Laurent 1956:71, figs. 9-11, pi. 8, fig. 4. Holotype: MRAC 17996 (collector not men¬ 
tioned). Type locality: “Nyunzu, Terr. D’Albertville, Tanganika” [= Nyunza, Tanganyika Province (for¬ 
merly Katanga Province), Democratic Republic 
of Congo fide Wallach and Broadley 2009:43]. 
Typhlops schmidti: Laurent (1964a: 89), McDiarmid 
et al. (1999:119). 
Rhinotyphlops schmidti: Broadley et al. (2003:42), 
Broadley and Cotterill (2004:45) 
Afrotyphlops schmidti: Broadley and Wallach 
(2009:43), Wallach et al. (2014:15), Hedges et al. 
(2014:20). 
Global conservation status (lUCN): Not 
Evaluated. 
Global distribution: A savanna species 
distributed in eastern Angola, through northern 
Zambia and southern Democratic Republic of 
Congo (Katanga provinces). 
Ocurrences in Angola (Map 258): The 
species occurs in eastern Angola. Moxico: 
“environs du lac Calundo, village du chef Sa- 
Mussamba (environs du lac Calundo)” 
12°E \(CL 2rE 24°E 
Map 258. Distribution of Afrotyphlops schmidti in 
Angola. 
