Conradie Werner, Keates Chad, Baptista Ninda L, Lobón-Rovira Javier
Port Elizabeth Museum (Bayworld), P.O. Box 13147, Humewood 6013, Gqeberha, South Africa Nelson Mandela University George South Africa.
Department of Nature Conservation Management, Natural Resource Science and Management Cluster, Faculty of Science, George Campus, Nelson Mandela University, George, South Africa Port Elizabeth Museum (Bayworld) Gqeberha South Africa.
Zookeys. 2022 Sep 15;1121:97-143. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.1121.85693. eCollection 2022.
African Shovel-snout snakes ( Gray, 1849) are small, semi-fossorial snakes with a unique compressed and beak-like snout. occur mainly in the savanna of sub-Saharan Africa. Of the 16 currently recognised species, four occur in Angola: Bocage, 1873, Boulenger, 1915, (Peters, 1867), and FitzSimons, 1959. The taxonomical status and evolutionary relationships of have never been assessed due to the lack of genetic material. This species is known to occur from western Angola southwards to Namibia, and eastwards to Zambia, Botswana and Zimbabwe. The species shows considerable variation in dorsal colouration across its range, and with the lower ventral scales count, an 'eastern race' was suggested. In recent years, material from different parts of Angola has been collected, and with phylogenetic analysis and High Resolution X-ray Computed Tomography, the taxonomic status of these populations can be reviewed. Strong phylogenetic evidence was found to include the subgroup as part of the larger group, and the existence of three phylogenetic lineages within the subgroup were identified, which each exhibit clear morphological and colouration differences. One of these lineages is assigned to the nominotypical and the other two described as new species, one of which corroborates the distinct eastern population previously detected. These results reinforce that a considerable part of Angolan herpetological diversity is still to be described and the need for further studies.
非洲铲鼻蛇（Gray，1849年）是小型半穴居蛇类，具有独特的扁平且类似喙的口鼻部。主要分布在撒哈拉以南非洲的稀树草原。在目前认可的16个物种中，有4种出现在安哥拉：Bocage，1873年；Boulenger，1915年；（Peters，1867年）；以及FitzSimons，1959年。由于缺乏遗传物质，该物种的分类地位和进化关系从未得到评估。已知该物种从安哥拉西部向南延伸至纳米比亚，向东延伸至赞比亚、博茨瓦纳和津巴布韦。该物种在其分布范围内的背部颜色有相当大的差异，并且由于腹侧鳞片数量较少，有人提出了一个“东部种群”。近年来，已收集了来自安哥拉不同地区的样本，通过系统发育分析和高分辨率X射线计算机断层扫描，可以重新审视这些种群的分类地位。发现了有力的系统发育证据，将该亚组纳入更大的组中，并确定了该亚组内存在三个系统发育谱系，每个谱系都表现出明显的形态和颜色差异。其中一个谱系被归为指名亚种，另外两个被描述为新物种，其中一个证实了先前检测到的独特东部种群。这些结果强化了安哥拉仍有相当一部分爬行类多样性有待描述以及需要进一步研究的观点。
