African Journal of Herpetology, 2002 51(2): 83-119. Original article A review of the species of Psammophis Boie found south of Latitude 12° S (Serpentes: Psammophiinae) DONALD G. BROADLEY Research Associate, Natural History Museum of Zimbabwe, Bulawayo Present address: Biodiversity Foundation for Africa,P.O. Box FM 730, Famona, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
[email protected] Abstract.—The status, relationships and zoogeography of the 14 taxa of Psammophis found south of Latitude 12° S are reviewed and the following taxonomic changes are proposed: 1. Psammophis trinasalis and P. namibensis, previously treated as subspecies of P. leightoni, are recognised as good evolutionary species which show ecological differences. 2. Psammophis orientalis, previously regarded as a subspecies of P. subtaeniatus, differs from the lat- ter in a suite of characters and is parapatric with it in Zimbabwe, so it is now recognised as an evolu- tionary species. 3. Psammophis brevirostris and P. leopardinus, previously regarded as subspecies of P. sibilans (Linnaeus), are recognised as relict evolutionary species. The Zambian populations previously assigned to P. leopardinus have been described as a new species (Hughes & Wade, in press). Key words.—Psammophis, morphology, taxonomy, zoogeography, southern Africa ince the last review of the genus mossambicus has subsequently been applied to SPsammophis in southern Africa (Broadley this eastern sister taxon of P. phillipsii 1977), a revision of the whole genus was the (Hallowell) by Branch (1998) and Hughes subject of a thesis by Frank Brandstätter (1999). (1995), which was subsequently published in summary form (Brandstätter 1996). The result- ing confusion with regard to the northern forms MATERIALS AND METHODS of the P.