Herpetological Survey of Iona National Park and Namibe Regional Natural Park, with a Synoptic List of the Amphibians and Reptiles of Namibe Province, Southwestern Angola
Author
Ceríaco, L. M. P.
Museu Nacional de História Natural e da Ciência, Universidade de Lisboa, Rua da Escola Politécnica, 58, 1269 - 102 Lisbon, Portugal. & Department of Natural History, Florida Museum of Natural History, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA.
luisceriaco@netcabo.pt
Author
De Sá, S.
Instituto Nacional da Biodiversidade e Áreas de Conservação, Ministério do Ambiente de Angola, Centralidade do Kilamba, Rua 26 de Fevereiro, quarteirão Nimi ya Lukemi, edíficio Q 11, 3 ° andar, Angola.
Author
Bandeira, S.
Instituto Nacional da Biodiversidade e Áreas de Conservação, Ministério do Ambiente de Angola, Centralidade do Kilamba, Rua 26 de Fevereiro, quarteirão Nimi ya Lukemi, edíficio Q 11, 3 ° andar, Angola.
Author
Valério, H.
Instituto Nacional da Biodiversidade e Áreas de Conservação, Ministério do Ambiente de Angola, Centralidade do Kilamba, Rua 26 de Fevereiro, quarteirão Nimi ya Lukemi, edíficio Q 11, 3 ° andar, Angola.
Author
Stanley, E. L.
Department of Natural History, Florida Museum of Natural History, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA.
Author
Kuhn, A. L.
American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79 th Street, New York, New York 10024, USA. & City University of New York, Graduate Center, 365 5 th Ave., New York, New York, 10016, USA.
Author
Marques, M. P.
Museu Nacional de História Natural e da Ciência, Universidade de Lisboa, Rua da Escola Politécnica, 58, 1269 - 102 Lisbon, Portugal.
Author
Vindum, J. V.
Department of Herpetology, California Academy of Sciences, 55 Music Concourse Drive, San Francisco, California 94118, USA.
Author
Blackburn, D. C.
Department of Natural History, Florida Museum of Natural History, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA.
Author
Bauer, A. M.
Department of Biology, Villanova University, 800 Lancaster Avenue, Villanova, Pennsylvania 19085 - 1699, USA.
text
Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences
2016
2016-04-29
63
2
15
61
journal article
10.5281/zenodo.11066801
0068-547X
11066801
SOUTHERN
AFRICAN
ROCK
PYTHON
–
Fig. 18
Python natalensis
Smith, 1840
MATERIAL
.— Beginning of the forested areas, at the start of the climb to Leba Pass (by road), near Bruco village, 5 December 2013, 15º07ʹ15.82ʺS, 13º11ʹ11.56ʺE. Individual observed but not collected.
COMMENTS
.— A local at a site near Bruco village was selling a single live individual of
Python natalensis
, presumably collected nearby. In the province, this species is known from Maconjo (Bocage 1895; Broadley 1984) and from Giraul River (Bocage 1896; Broadley 1984).
Python natalensis
was for many years considered as a subspecies of
Python sebae
(Gmelin, 1789) (Broadley 1984), but was elevated to specific status by Broadley (1999) based on morphological differences as well the evidence of the overlapping distributions (Broadley and Cotterill 2004). Although the current taxonomic arrangement appears appropriate, molecular analyses are needed to conclusively resolve the relationship between
P. natalensis
and
P. sebae
(Alexander 2007). Spawls and Branch (1995) and Bellosa et al. (2007) provided maps with the distribution ranges for both species, with
P. natalensis
occurring in central and southern Angola, as far north as the Kwanza River, overlaping in Luanda Province with
P. sebae
, which occurs in northern regions of Angola, including Cabinda. According to the local selling this individual, this species is sometimes collected for food or sold to tourists as pets.