New Species of Snake???

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New Species of Snake???

Postby reptile » Thu Sep 18, 2014 10:20 am

Hey everyone,
A friend of mine found this snake, and it cannot be identified anywhere yet. He found it down in Blantyre, Malawi. He says that he used to find them all the time when he lived there, but assumed they where wolf snakes, very strange. No this is not a hoax. Not a dark house snake either. The Swazi rock snake looks very similar, only that the mid body scales are very different. Please ask if any more info is needed.
Help will be appreciated.
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Re: New Species of Snake???

Postby Fooble » Thu Sep 18, 2014 10:28 am

Looks like a very young Lamprophis sp.
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Re: New Species of Snake???

Postby reptile » Thu Sep 18, 2014 10:52 am

It does, but the colouration is completely wrong, and he said he found lots of them.
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Re: New Species of Snake???

Postby Mitton » Thu Sep 18, 2014 10:54 am

A population of melanistic Lamprophis!! That would be nice!!
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Re: New Species of Snake???

Postby reptile » Thu Sep 18, 2014 10:55 am

Haha, yes that would be really cool, are you guys meaning Lamprophis, or Boaedon?
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Re: New Species of Snake???

Postby Westley Price » Thu Sep 18, 2014 11:07 am

Hmmm nicest post in a while. I enjoy the "guess who" game.

The body and dorsal pattern resembles Boaedon, and although the pupils look correct (cat's eye), the eyes look quite bug-eyed, maybe because this is a younger animal.

But I agree with Fooble, this looks like a black form of B. fuliginosis. Very pretty!

The black phases are not unheard of, but usually they are uniform black and show very little pattern, which yours obviously does.
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Re: New Species of Snake???

Postby reptile » Thu Sep 18, 2014 11:14 am

Thanks Westley. Looking at it now, yes it does resemble that species, especially the patterning on the neck.
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Re: New Species of Snake???

Postby Allen G. Liebenberg » Thu Sep 18, 2014 11:17 am

Philothamnus more likely? :?:
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Re: New Species of Snake???

Postby Westley Price » Thu Sep 18, 2014 11:17 am

Do you mind asking your friend if he has ever found typical BHS in the same area or only this black form?
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Re: New Species of Snake???

Postby reptile » Thu Sep 18, 2014 11:19 am

Ok sure, will do.
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Re: New Species of Snake???

Postby Westley Price » Thu Sep 18, 2014 11:22 am

Allen, I thought that initially too, but scalation doesnt look right; there are too many scale rows.
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Re: New Species of Snake???

Postby michael » Thu Sep 18, 2014 3:40 pm

What about one of the water snakes?
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Re: New Species of Snake???

Postby IanM » Thu Sep 18, 2014 5:25 pm

looks like it could be a black fuli, have you guys done a scale count?
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Re: New Species of Snake???

Postby reptile » Thu Sep 18, 2014 7:34 pm

Ok,
He is going to try and get hold of one some time soon. The snake resembles the Rare Swazi Rock Snake like a twin (Shape, size, scales except midbody scales.) The only thing that does not fit to the species, is colouration, and distribution.
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Re: New Species of Snake???

Postby Ruan Stander » Thu Sep 18, 2014 10:26 pm

How interesting is that !
My first thought was Philothamnus, but then I also went more in the Lamprophis direction but I'm still not so sure.. Something seems different.
Meizodon or Coluber perhaps ?
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