Citation: Midtgaard, Rune. RepFocus - A Survey of the Reptiles of the World. (www.repfocus.dk).
Latest update: October 31st, 2023.
 
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Genus
Limaformosa
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Venus File Snakes
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Venus-Feilennattern
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Venusfilsnoge
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1847 |  |
Heterolepis Smith [not Heterolepis Nees 1834 (Insecta); not Heterolepis Fitzinger 1843 (Sauria)] (type species: Heterolepis capensis Smith 1847) |
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1858 | |
Simocephalus Gray in Günther [substitute name for Heterolepis Smith 1847; not Simocephalus Schödler 1858 (Crustacea)] |
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2018 | |
Limaformosa Broadley, Tolley, Conradie, Wishart, Trape, Burger, Kusamba, Zassi-Boulou & Greenbaum (type species: Heterolepis capensis Smith 1847) |
Contents:
6 species, none of which are endemic.
Endemism: 0%  100%
Remarks:
The species of this genus were previously included in
Mehelya
(e.g., Loveridge 1939) or, more recently, in
Gonionotophis (e.g., Kelly, Branch, Broadley, Barker & Villet 2011).
Priority of Simocephalus Schödler 1858 over Simocephalus Gray in Günther 1858 was discussed by Smith, Wallach, Williams, Pennak & Chiszar (1990).
Distribution:
SubSaharan Africa.
Reported from:
Angola,
Benin,
Botswana,
Burkina Faso,
Burundi,
Cameroon,
Central African Republic,
Chad,
Congo-Brazzaville,
Congo-Kinshasa,
Eritrea,
Eswatini,
Ethiopia,
Gabon,
Ghana,
Guinea,
Ivory Coast,
Kenya,
Liberia,
Malawi,
Mali,
Mozambique,
Namibia,
Niger,
Nigeria,
Rwanda,
Senegal,
Sierra Leone,
Somalia,
South Africa
(Gauteng,
KwaZulu-Natal,
Limpopo,
Mpumalanga,
North West Province),
South Sudan,
Sudan,
Tanzania
(incl.
Zanzibar),
Togo,
Uganda,
Zambia,
Zimbabwe.
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Limaformosa capensis
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Cape File Snake, Southern Cape File Snake, Common File Snake
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Kap-Feilennatter
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Kapfilsnog
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1847 | |
Heterolepis capensis Smith |
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Simocephalus capensis Boulenger 1893 |
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Mehelya capensis Barbour & Loveridge 1928 |
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Gonionotophis capensis Kelly, Branch, Broadley, Barker & Villet 2011 |
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Limaformosa capensis Broadley, Tolley, Conradie, Wishart, Trape, Burger, Kusamba, Zassi-Boulou & Greenbaum 2018 |
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1874 | |
Heterolepis gueinzee Peters (Loveridge 1939; Broadley 1983) |
Remarks:
Previously included savorgnani and chanleri.
Gabonese records refer to savorgnani (Pauwels, Albert, Arrowood, Mvele, Casanova, Dodane, Morgan, Primault, Thepenier & Fenner 2017).
Distribution:
Angola,
Botswana,
Congo-Kinshasa,
Eswatini,
Malawi,
Mozambique,
Namibia,
South Africa
(Gauteng,
KwaZulu-Natal,
Limpopo,
Mpumalanga,
North West Province),
Tanzania
(incl.
Zanzibar),
Zambia,
Zimbabwe.
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Limaformosa chanleri
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Unicolor File Snake, (Chanler's File Snake)
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Einfarbige Feilennatter
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Ensfarvet Filsnog
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1893 | |
Simocephalus chanleri Stejneger |
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Mehelya chanleri Lönnberg 1910 |
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Gonionotophis chanleri Lanza & Broadley 2014 |
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Limaformosa chanleri Broadley, Tolley, Conradie, Wishart, Trape, Burger, Kusamba, Zassi-Boulou & Greenbaum 2018 |
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1910 | |
Simocephalus unicolor Boulenger (Lanza & Broadley 2014) |
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Mehelya unicolor Werner 1929 |
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Mehelya capensis unicolor Laurent 1956 |
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Gonionotophis unicolor Kelly, Branch, Broadley, Barker & Villet 2011 |
Other common names:
unicolor: Black Cape File Snake
Remarks:
Previously regarded as a synonym of savorgnani (e.g., Loveridge 1939, 1957). Revalidated as a separate species (as unicolor) by Largen & Spawls (2010, without discussion) and Kelly, Branch, Broadley, Barker & Villet (2011), after which unicolor was synonymized with chanleri (Lanza & Broadley 2014).
Distribution:
Burundi,
Congo-Brazzaville,
Congo-Kinshasa,
Eritrea,
Ethiopia,
Kenya,
Rwanda,
Somalia,
Tanzania
(incl.
Zanzibar),
Uganda.
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Limaformosa crossi
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Savanna File Snake, (Crosse's File Snake)
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Grosse Savannen-Feilennatter
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Stor Savannefilsnog
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1895 | |
Simocephalus crossi Boulenger |
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Mehelya crossi Hughes 1983 |
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Gonionotophis crossii Kelly, Branch, Broadley, Barker & Villet 2011 |
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Limaformosa crossii Broadley, Tolley, Conradie, Wishart, Trape, Burger, Kusamba, Zassi-Boulou & Greenbaum 2018 |
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1910 | |
Simocephalus riggenbachi Sternfeld (Broadley 2007) |
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Mehelya riggenbachi Werner 1929 |
Distribution:
Benin,
Burkina Faso,
Cameroon,
Central African Republic,
Chad,
Ghana,
Guinea,
Ivory Coast,
Mali,
Niger,
Nigeria,
Senegal,
Sierra Leone,
Togo.
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Limaformosa guirali
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White-speckled Forest File Snake, Speckled Forest File Snake, (Guiral's File Snake, Mocquard's File Snake)
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Gesprenkelte Feilennatter
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Hvidspættet Filsnog
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1887 | |
Heterolepis Guirali Mocquard |
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Simocephalus guirali Boulenger 1893 |
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Mehelya guirali Lönnberg 1910 |
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Gonionotophis guirali Kelly, Branch, Broadley, Barker & Villet 2011 |
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Limaformosa guirali Broadley, Tolley, Conradie, Wishart, Trape, Burger, Kusamba, Zassi-Boulou & Greenbaum 2018 |
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1908 | |
Simocephalus baumanni Sternfeld (Loveridge 1939) |
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Mehelya baumanni Lönnberg 1910 |
Remarks:
Not listed for Congo-Kinshasa by Broadley (1998).
Distribution:
Benin,
Cameroon,
Congo-Kinshasa,
Equatorial Guinea
(Rio Muni),
Gabon,
Ghana,
Guinea,
Ivory Coast,
Liberia,
Nigeria,
Sierra Leone,
Togo.
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Limaformosa savorgnani
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Central African Forest File Snake, Northwestern Cape File Snake, Congo File Snake, (Savorgnan's File Snake, De Brazza's File Snake)
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Zentralafrikanische Feilennatter
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Centralafrikansk Filsnog
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1887 | |
Heterolepis savorgnani Mocquard |
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Mehelya capensis savorgnani Loveridge 1939 |
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Mehelya savorgnani Chirio & Ineich 2006 |
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Gonionotophis savorgnani Kelly, Branch, Broadley, Barker & Villet 2011 |
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Limaformosa savorgnani Broadley, Tolley, Conradie, Wishart, Trape, Burger, Kusamba, Zassi-Boulou & Greenbaum 2018 |
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1901 | |
Simocephalus phyllopholis Werner (Loveridge 1939, 1957) |
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Mehelya phyllopholis Lönnberg 1910 |
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1907 | |
Simocephalus butleri Boulenger (Loveridge 1939, 1957) |
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Mehelya butleri Lönnberg 1910 |
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1910 | |
Mehelya lamani Lönnberg (Loveridge 1939, 1957) |
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1913 | |
Mehelya somaliensis Lönnberg & Andersson (Loveridge 1939, 1957) |
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1929 | |
Mehelia fiechteri Scortecci (Lanza 1983) |
Remarks:
Previously included chanleri (and its synonym unicolor).
Formerly regarded as a subspecies of capensis (e.g., Chippaux 2001, 2006), but treated here as a separate species, following Chirio & Ineich (2006) and
Chirio & LeBreton (2007), although Pauwels & Vande weghe (2008) and Pauwels & Sallé (2009) retained savorgnani as a synonym of capensis,
pending further studies.
Lanza & Broadley (2014) provided evidence in support of the validity of savorgnani.
Included for Angola, based on Lanza & Broadley (2014) and Branch (2018), although the species was not mentioned by Marques, Ceríaco, Blackburn & Bauer (2018).
Distribution:
Angola,
Cameroon,
Central African Republic,
Congo-Brazzaville,
Congo-Kinshasa,
Ethiopia,
Gabon,
Kenya,
Somalia,
South Sudan,
Sudan,
Uganda.
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Limaformosa vernayi
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Angolan File Snake
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Angolische Feilennatter
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Angolafilsnog
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1940 | |
Mehelya vernayi Bogert |
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Gonionotophis vernayi Kelly, Branch, Broadley, Barker & Villet 2011 |
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Limaformosa vernayi Broadley, Tolley, Conradie, Wishart, Trape, Burger, Kusamba, Zassi-Boulou & Greenbaum 2018 |
Distribution:
Angola,
Namibia.
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