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quent authors treated Naja anchietae as a subspeeies of Naja haje (Linnaeus, 1758), until Broadley 
(1995) ineluded it as a subspecies of Naja annulifera Peters, 1854. Recent studies suggest that 
these two taxa are morphologically and genetically distinct evolutionary lineages that should be 
considered as two separate species (Broadley and Wiister 2004). Wallach et al. (2009) assigned the 
non-spitting African cobras to the subgenus Uraeus Wagler, 1830 and subsequently treated Uraeus 
as a full genus (Wallach et al. 2014). Most literature has considered N. anchietae to be restricted in 
Angola to the south (e.g., Broadley 1966c, 1968c, 1995; Spawls and Branch 1995; Broadley and 
Wiister 2004; Broadley and Cotterill 2004; Dobiey and Vogel 2007; Trape et al. 2009:20; Wallach 
et al. 2014) but there are now numerous records from more northerly areas (Laurent 1964a; 
Managas 1981; Ceriaco et al. 2014b, 2016b). 
Naja annulata Buchholz and Peters, 1876 Ringed Water Cobra 
Naja annulata Buchholz and Peters 1876 in Peters 1876:119. Holotype: ZMB 8772 (eolleetor R. Buehholz). 
Type loeality: “Dorfe Mbusu (Eliva Sonangeam am Ogowe)” [= Eliva Sonange, near Ogooue-Maritime], 
Gabon. 
Boulengerina annulata: Spawls and Braneh (1995:55), Broadley et al. (2003:106), Nagy et al. (2005:224), 
Wiister et al. (2007:445), Wallaeh et al. (2014:119). 
Boulengerina annulata annulata: Dobiey and Vogel (2007:37). 
Naja {Boulengerina) annulata: Wallaeh et al. (2009:31), Braneh and Conradie (2015:200). 
Global conservation status (lUCN): Not Evaluated. 
Global distribution: The the nominate subspecies is known from southern Cameroon to the 
southern Central African Republic and throughout the northern and central portions of the Demo¬ 
cratic Republic of Congo. It extends southwards through People’s Republic of Congo, Gabon and 
Equatorial Guinea, and reaches Angola along the lower Zaire River. The subspecies N. a. stormsi 
(Dollo, 1886) occurs extralimitally in the areas around Lakje Tanganyika and Lake Kivu. 
Ocurrences in Angola (Map 332): The 
species presumably occurs in the Cabinda 
enclave and in the northernmost portions of the 
country. Lunda Norte: “Along the edge of the 
Luele River, near the base camp, 5 km from the 
Carumbo Lagoon” [-7.75294, 19.95672] 
(Branch and Conradie 2015:200). 
Taxonomic and distributional notes: 
Water cobras {Boulengerina) have long been 
known to make Naja paraphyletic (Slowinski 
and Keogh 2000, Nagy et al. 2005, Wiister et 
al. 2007, Wallach et al. 2009). Wiister et al. 
(2007) recovered the species Paranaja multi- 
fasciata (Werner, 1902) as the sister taxon of 
Boulengerina annulata (Buchholz and Peters, 
1876) and Naja melanoleuca Hallowell, 1857 
and noted that the three constitute a clade of 
primarily forest inhabiting cobras. Wiister et al. 
Map 332. Distribution of Naja annulata in Angola. 
(2007), therefore, considered both Boulengerina and Paranaja as synonyms oiNaja. Wallach et al. 
(2009) recognized this clade as the subgenus Boulengerina Dollo, 1886, whereas Wallach et al. 
(2014) treated this group as generically distinct. Spawls and Branch (1995) and Dobiey and Vogel 
(2007) both suggested that the species probably occurs in Cabinda and in the Zaire region of north- 
