New Swamp Snake named in honour of Bill Branch

A recent review of Swamp Snakes (Limnophis) from Central Africa describes a new species from the North of Angola. Limnophis branchi is named in honour of Bill Branch, who worked in Angola over the last decade. It is known to occur in seasonal wetlands and is frequently found eating the fish in the fish traps of local fisherman.

Morphology Key:
Limnophis branchi can be distinguished from L. bicolor in having dark markings on the throat and belly and nasal suture in contact with the loreal (not the 1st upper labial).
L. branchi can be distinguished from L. bangweolicus in having dark markings (appearing barred) on the belly and underside of the tail, barred upper lip, a pale dosrolateral stripe only one scale in width (as opposed to 3-4 scales) and lacking any black dorsolateral stripes.


Limnophis branchi

Read the full article here:
Conradie, W., Deepak, V., Keates, C. and Gower, D.J., 2020. Kissing cousins: a review of the African genus Limnophis Günther, 1865 (Colubridae: Natricinae), with the description of a new species from north-eastern Angola. African Journal of Herpetology, pp.1-29.

Posted on 23 de julho de 2020, 05:43 AM by alexanderr alexanderr

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