Toxicodryas blandingii (Hallowell, 1844)

Figure 22A

Dipsas blandingii Hallowell, 1844: 170 . Type locality: “ Liberia, West Africa ”.

Triglyphodon fuscum Duméril, Bibron & Duméril 1854: 1101 . Type locality: “ Grand-Bassam, sur la Côte d’Ivoire (Guinée)”, Ivory Coast.

Dipsas fasciata Fischer, 1856: 84 . Type locality: “Peki (West-Afrika)”, Ghana.

Dipsas valida Fischer, 1856: 87 . Type locality: “ Edina (Grand Bassa County, West-Afrika)”, Liberia.

Dipsas globiceps Fischer, 1856: 89 . Type locality: “ Edina (Grand Bassa County, Liberia, West-Afrika)”.

Toxicodryas blandingii (Hallowell, 1844): Hallowell 1857: 60.

Dipsas fischeri Jan in Duméril, 1859: 212. Type locality: non provided.

Triglyphodon fuscum var. obscurum Duméril, 1861: 211 . Type locality: “Côte d’Or”, Ghana.

Dipsas regalis Jan, 1871: 3 in Jan & Sordelli (1870–1881). Type locality: “Côte d’Or”, Ghana .

Dipsas globiceps var. tumboensis Müller, 1885: 688 . Type locality: “Tumbo-Insel”, Guinea.

Boiga blandingi occidentalis Stucki-Stirn, 1979: 377 . Type locality: “Besongabang” Cameroon.

Boiga blandingi subfulva Stucki-Stirn, 1979: 381 . Type locality: Cameroon.

Distribution. It ranges from Senegal to western Democratic Republic of the Congo (west of the confluence of the Congo and Ubangi Rivers) (Greenbaum et al. 2021). In Equatorial Guinea it has been recorded in Bioko at Bococo (Mertens 1941) and San Carlos (Mertens 1964a; Greenbaum et al. 2021), and in Río Muni at Monte Alén National Park (Lasso et al. 2002) (Map 24B).

Comments. Populations located at the East of the confluence between Congo and Ubangi Rivers (not in Equatorial Guinea), formerly considered as Toxicodryas blandingii, have been recently separated from T. blandingii and described as T. vexator Greenbaum, Allen, Vaughan, Pauwels, Wallach, Kusamba, Muninga, Mwenebatu, Mali, Badjedjea, Penner, Rödel, Rivera, Sterkhova, Johnson, Tapoandjou & Brown, 2021 (Greenbaum et al. 2021). The examined specimen EBD 18673 contained a bird in its stomach.

Specimens examined. Eleven specimens. Equatorial Guinea: without specific locality (MNCN 23819) , October 1987 (EBD 27797) . Bioko: without specific locality (MNCN 22315, MNCN 22555) ; Riaba (= Concepción) (EBD 31727) . Río Muni: San Joaquín de Ndyiacom, 1990 (EBD 31493–31494, EBD 31503) ; Nsung, 22 km from Bata, 05 June 1984 (EBD 18363) ; from Bata to Movo, Km 7, 06 June 1984 (EBD 18673) ; from Bata to Movo, Km 7, 16 June 1984 (EBD 18359) .