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Citation: Midtgaard, Rune. RepFocus - A Survey of the Reptiles of the World. (www.repfocus.dk).
Latest update: December 31st, 2022.


Taxonomy of the family Colubridae
Bibliography of the genus Thelotornis
Biodiversity of the family Colubridae








Genus
Thelotornis

African Vine Snakes, African Bird Snakes, Twig Snakes

Afrikanische Lianennattern, Afrikanische Vogelnattern

Afrikanske Liansnoge

1849 Thelotornis Smith (type species: Thelotornis capensis Smith 1849)
1859 Cladophis Dumeril (type species: Leptophis kirtlandii Hallowell 1844)
Contents: 4 species, none of which are endemic.
Endemism: 0% 100%
Distribution: SubSaharan African.
Reported from: Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo-Brazzaville, Congo-Kinshasa, Equatorial Guinea (Bioko, Corisco Island, Elobey Island, Rio Muni), Eswatini, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau (incl. Bijagos Archipelago), Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique (incl. Bazaruto Archipelago [incl. Benguerua]), Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa (Eastern Cape, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West Province), South Sudan, Tanzania (incl. Mafia), Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Thelotornis capensis

Southern Vine Snake, Southern Bird Snake, Southern Twig Snake, Southeastern Savanna Vine Snake, Savanna Vine Snake

Südafrikanische Lianennatter

Sydafrikansk Liansnog

1849 Thelotornis capensis Smith
Thelotornis kirtlandii capensis Loveridge 1944
1881 Dryiophis oatesii Günther
Thelotornis kirtlandii oatesii Loveridge 1953
Thelotornis capensis oatesii Laurent 1956
Thelotornis oatesii Haagner, Branch & Haagner 2000

Other common names:
capensis: Southeastern Savanna Vine Snake
oatesi: Central African Vine Snake, (Oates' Savanna Vine Snake, Oates' Twig Snake)
Remarks: Previously included mossambicanus. Haagner, Branch & Haagner (2000) treated oatesii as a separate species.
Distribution: Angola, Botswana, Congo-Kinshasa, Eswatini, Malawi, Mozambique (incl. Bazaruto Archipelago), Namibia, South Africa (Eastern Cape, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West Province), Zambia, Zimbabwe.


Thelotornis kirtlandii

Northern Vine Snake, Northern Bird Snake, Northern Twig Snake, Forest Vine Snake, Forest Twig Snake, Green-headed Vine Snake

Nördliche Lianennatter

Nordlig Liansnog

1844 Leptophis kirtlandii Hallowell
Dryiophis kirtlandii Bocage 1895
Thelotornis kirtlandii Boulenger 1896
1854 Oxybelis lecomtei Duméril, Bibron & Duméril (Broadley & Wallach 2002)
1854 Tragophis rufulus Duméril & Bibron (Broadley & Wallach 2002)
1856 Oxybelis violacea Fischer (Broadley & Wallach 2002)

Remarks: Previously included capensis and mossambicanus. Presence in Senegal (Dupuy 1975, based on a sight record) needs confirmation (Trape & Mané 2006a). Records from Kenya (e.g., Loveridge 1957; Spawls 1978; Harding & Welch 1980; Welch 1982) are considered erroneous (David & Ineich 1999).
Distribution: Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo-Brazzaville, Congo-Kinshasa, Equatorial Guinea (Bioko, Corisco Island, Elobey Island, Rio Muni), Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau (incl. Bijagos Archipelago), Ivory Coast, Liberia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Tanzania (incl. Mafia), Togo, Uganda, Zambia.


Thelotornis mossambicanus

Eastern Vine Snake, Mozambique Vine Snake, Eastern Twig Snake

Ostafrikanische Lianennatter

Østafrikansk Liansnog

1895 Dryiophis kirtlandii mossambicana Bocage
Thelotornis capensis mossambicanus Broadley 1979
Thelotornis mossambicanus Broadley 2001
1978 Thelotornis capensis shilsi Derleyn (Broadley 2001)

Distribution: Burundi, Congo-Kinshasa, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique (incl. Bazaruto Archipelago [incl. Benguerua]), Somalia, Tanzania (incl. Mafia), Zambia, Zimbabwe.


Thelotornis usambaricus

Usambara Vine Snake

Usambara-Lianennatter

Usambara-liansnog

2001 Thelotornis usambaricus Broadley

Distribution: Kenya, Mozambique, Tanzania.