Trachylepis bocagii ( Boulenger, 1887 )

Parrinha, Diogo, Calado, Francisco M. G., Marques, Mariana P., Bauer, Aaron M. & Ceríaco, Luis M. P., 2025, Echoes of a lost museum: Revision of the herpetological collections sent by Barbosa du Bocage from the Lisbon Museum to the British Museum of Natural History, Vertebrate Zoology 75, pp. 353-404 : 353-404

Trachylepis bocagii ( Boulenger, 1887) *

Specimen.

Angola: Duque de Bragança : BMNH 1946.8.15.27 [ syntype, originally BMNH 1866.6.11.7 ; Fig. 23 ] .

Comments.

Bocage (1866 a) recorded several specimens collected by Bayão from Duque de Bragança as Euprepes quinquetaeniatus and promptly sent duplicates to several European museums ( Brygoo 1985; Bauer et al. 2003; Marques et al. 2018; Ceríaco et al. 2024). After comparing his specimens with typical material of quinquetaeniatus, Bocage (1872) described the specimens from Duque de Bragança as Euprepes petersi . However, the name was preoccupied by Euprepes petersi Steindachner, 1867 , so Boulenger (1887) provided Mabuia bocagii as a replacement name, including a new description and citing a specimen sent by Bocage to the British Museum, in addition to two other specimens collected by Welwitsch. The specimen was presented to the British Museum in 1866 as Euprepes quinquaetaeniatus ( NHMA /DF/GüntherColl/16/1/110 ) and has been considered a potential syntype of Euprepes petersi , together with specimens presented to the ZMB ( ZMB 6479) and MNHN ( MNHN 1286 and 1286 a) ( Brygoo 1985; Bauer et al. 2003; Marques et al. 2018; Ceríaco et al. 2024). Although it was presented to the British Museum years before the formal description was published, Bocage (1872) explicitly mentioned the specimens he had previously identified as Euprepes quinquetaeniatus as representing the new species, thus providing compelling evidence that he considered them part of the type series.

Figures

Figure 23. Syntype of Trachylepis bocagii (BMNH 1946.8. 15.27). Photos by DP.