identifier	taxonID	type	CVterm	format	language	title	description	additionalInformationURL	UsageTerms	rights	Owner	contributor	creator	bibliographicCitation
47DE685535F0518C8E1AC4092C68D514.text	47DE685535F0518C8E1AC4092C68D514.taxon	http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text	http://rs.tdwg.org/ontology/voc/SPMInfoItems#GeneralDescription	text/html	en	Prosymna angolensis Boulenger 1915	<div><p>Prosymna angolensis Boulenger, 1915</p><p>Figs 4, 7, 8, 9, 10 Common names: Angolan Shovel-snout snake (English);  Cobra-de-focinho-de-pá-de-Angola (Portuguese).</p><p>Chresonymy.1</p><p>Prosymna frontalis: Bocage 1873: 218, 1882: 288, 1895: 98; Boulenger 1894: 248, 1896: 641.</p><p>Prosymna ambigua: Monard 1931: 104, 1937: 123; Mertens 1937: 13.</p><p>Prosymna ambigua ambigua: Mertens 1938: 439; Loveridge 1958: 151.</p><p>Prosymna angolensis: Boulenger 1915: 208; Chabanaud 1916: 439; Monard 1937: 114, 122; Bogert 1940: 59; Mertens 1955: 94, 1971: 86; Hellmich 1957: 66; Loveridge 1958: 149; FitzSimons 1962: 161, 1966: 53, 1970: 104; Isemonger 1968: 129; Broadley 1980: 512, 1990: 227, 1995: 48; Auerbach 1987: 178; Branch 1998: 84, 2018: 64; Broadley et al. 2003: 187 (in part); Marais 2004: 236; Broadley and Blaylock 2013: 219; Herrmann and Branch 2013: 8; Wallach et al. 2014: 568; Baptista et al. 2019: 118; Chippaux and Jackson 2019: 283,  Ceríaco et al. 2021a: 16 (in part).</p><p>When Boulenger (1915) described  P. angolensis, he did not designate a precise type locality nor a type specimen for that matter. Later, Loveridge (1958) proposed designating  Huíla as the type locality, but it was Broadley (1980) that finally restricted the type locality to Caconda by designating a lectotype of the material he examined on his visit to Museu Bocage, Lisbon (MBL), Portugal in 1968. The reasons for this change in the proposed type locality, were that the  Huíla specimen was unaccounted for, as well as the Caconda material was in the best overall condition to represent the species. He initially designated MBL 1606b as the lectotype, but with the destruction of the MBL collection, he designated one of the remaining Caconda specimens in Naturhistorischen Museums in Wien (NMW 19275b) as the replacement neotype (see Gemel et al. 2019).</p><p>Material examined.</p><p>Neotype (Fig. 10). NHMW 19275:2, collected from Caconda (approx. -13.73537, 15.06720, 1662 m a.s.l.),  Huíla Province, Angola  . Neotype designated by Donald Broadley (1980).  Additional material. MBL 1609, Angola (no precise locality),  Angola;   MBL 1605a,  Bibala, Angola ;   MBL 1605b,  Bibala, Angola ;  CHL 0521, Bicuar NP, Angola;   NMW 19275:1,  Caconda, Angola ;   NMW 19275:2,  Caconda, Angola ;   MBL 1606a,  Caconda, Angola ;   MBL 1606b (original lectotype),  Caconda, Angola ;   MBL 1606c,  Caconda, Angola ; MBL 1608, Caconda, Angola;  USBN 20035, Luanda, Angola;  CAS 84181, Luanda, 3 mile S of airport, Angola;   MBL 1607, Maconjo =  Maconge, Angola ;   MCZ 32468,  Missao
do Dondi Bela Vista
, Angola ;   MBL 1604, interior of  Mossamedes, Angola ; UM 20178, Goeverega, Botswana;   UM 21271, 15 km WSW of  Katima Mulilo, Namibia ;  SMF 46614, Karakuwisa, Kavango, Namibia;   TM 55043,  Katima Mulilo, Namibia ;   UM 24204,  Katima Mulilo, Namibia ;   SAM ZR16574,  Namutoni, Namibia ;   NMZB 9532, NE of  Waterberg, Namibia ;   NMZB 13953, Inyokene,  Nyamandhlovo, Zimbabwe ;   NMZB 13787, Malinbdi Siding,  Hwange, Zimbabwe ;   NMZB 13788, Malinbdi Siding,  Hwange, Zimbabwe  .</p><p>General description.</p><p>See Table 2 for summarised meristic data. Dorsal scales smooth, arranged in 17-15-15 (rarely 19-15-15) rows at midbody, scale row reduction takes place between ventral scales 16-20 (males) and 14-49 (females); one (sometimes two or three on supracaudal scales) apical pits; 126-163 (126-155 males, 134-163 females) smooth ventral scales; 16-28 (22-28 males, 16-25 females) paired subcaudal scales; rostral is acutely angular horizontally; internasal is single and bandlike; 1 preocular; 1 (rarely 0 or 2) postocular; temporals mostly 1+2 (rarely 2+2, 2+3); mostly 6 supralabials, with 3rd and 4th entering the orbit (rarely 5 (2, 3) or 7 (3, 4)); 7 infralabials, with first 3 in contact with the chin shield (rarely 8 (3)), cloacal scale entire.</p><p>Skull osteology and teeth (Figs 7 - 9). Based on the examination of a single female specimen (SAM ZR16574, Namutoni, Namibia),  P. angolensis presents a compact and rigid skull, which is common among  Prosymna species. It has an unfused braincase and nasal bones. Parietals are fused and the fronto-lateral portion presents a sharp edge that forms the edge of the orbital rim. Postorbital bone is absent. Premaxilla has a reduced ascending nasal process with a small groove between the ascending process and frontal portion of the bone. Premaxilla lies between the ventral laminae of nasals with a high profile of the anterior portion which curves shapely to finish on a convex profile. Maxilla and premaxilla are in contact. Nasal bones are reduced and display a wing-shape with a narrower anterior portion. Septomaxilla is a well-developed bone, in broad contact with the premaxilla, frontal, vomer, prefrontal and frontal bones. Vomer well developed with perforated dorsolateral portion of the bone. Maxilla reduced anteriorly with an elongated pick-shaped palatine process, with seven or eight laterally reduced curved tooth loci, followed by four enlarged and lancet-shaped tooth loci. Palatine with three reduced teeth and an enlarged dorsal and curved vomerine process that reinforces the internal portion of the orbit. Pterygoid is a thin elongated bone. Supratemporal is an enlarged bone in broad contact with the quadrate and participates in the lateral movement of the lower jaw. The lower jaw consists of compound, splenial, coronoid, and dentary bones. Coronoid and splenial bones are reduced, almost vestigial. Dentary with eight or nine small sharp tooth loci, with first third clear of any teeth.</p><p>Colouration in life (Fig. 4). The head is yellowish-brown with variable darker black markings that can be absent. Most commonly there is an anterior black band across the frontal, followed by a pair of black blotches around the orbits, supraoculars and parietals. A distinct black nuchal spot or collar is often present. The dorsal colouration varies from having mostly small paired black longitudinal vertebral spots (similar to  P. sundevalli) to a speckled pattern (similar to  P. lineata) on a pale yellowish-brown to grey ground colour. Ventrum and outermost two or three dorsal scale rows yellowish white.</p><p>Hemipenis . Short hemipenis with a length that reaches the 9-10th ventral scales (Broadley 1980).</p><p>Size. Males vary from 160-248 (208.7  ± 29.8) mm SVL and 22-30 (26.5  ± 2.7) mm TL, with the largest male measuring 248+28 = 276 mm (NMZB 9532, NE of Waterberg, Namibia). Females vary from 127-305 (224.7  ± 51.1) mm SVL and 12-27 (19.9  ± 3.7) mm TL, with the largest female measuring 305+22 = 327 mm (SMF 32541, Cubal, Angola). Bocage (1895) mentioned an unsexed individual (probably a female) that measured 331+29 = 360 mm, but this specimen was unaccounted for in MBL.</p><p>Natural history.</p><p>This is a semi-fossorial species that feeds exclusively on reptile eggs, using its blade-like rear maxillary teeth to puncture the eggs, similar to other  Prosymna species.</p><p>Distribution and habitat.</p><p>Currently the species is known to occur in three main geographic clusters: west-central Angola, north-central Namibia and isolated records from the Zambezi Region in north-eastern Namibia, northern Botswana and north-western Zimbabwe (Fig. 2). However, it is possible that this distribution might be more continuous, given this is a rarely observed species that mostly emerges to the surface only after good rains (Heinicke et al. 2020). The records from Luanda (USBN 20035 and CAS 84181) and northern Angola (IICT/R 14-1957) require verification. This species is associated with savanna with an annual rainfall of 500-1200 mm (Broadley 1980). In southwestern Angola it has been found in miombo woodland in sandy soils (Baptista et al. 2019). In the eastern Zambezi Region and northern Botswana, the species is associated with drier savanna in deep Kalahari sands (Broadley 1980).</p><p>Localities.</p><p>Angola: Bela-Vista ( Missão do Dondi), -12.36667, 16.20000 (Hellmich 1957: 66); interior of Benguela (Bocage 1895: 98); Bibala, -14.76667, 13.36667 (Bocage 1873: 218); Bicuar National Park, Woodland trapline 1, -15.09441, 14.83831 (Baptista et al. 2019: 118); Caconda, -13.73537, 15.06720 (Bocage 1895: 151); Cubal, -13.03333, 14.73333 (Mertens 1938: 439); Ebanga, -12.73333, 14.73333 (Monard 1937: 123);  Huíla, -15.08333, 13.55000 (Bocage 1895: 98); Luanda and 'Luanda, 3 mi S of  airport’, -8.83333, 13.26667 (Broadley 1980: 515); Maconjo, -15.016667, 13.2000 (Bocage 1895: 98); interior of Mossamedes (Bocage 1873: 218); Quibula, -12.28333, 14.68333 (Bocage 1895: 98); Posto do Milando (-8.81667, 17.56667) ( Ceríaco et al. 2021a: 16). Quindumbo, -12.46667, 14.93333 (Bocage 1895: 98); Quissange, -12.43333, 14.05000 (Bocage 1895: 98); Tundavala, -14.82018, 13.404217 (Justin Nicolau photo). Botswana: Joverega (Geoverega), - 19.13333, 24.25 (Broadley 1980: 515). Namibia: Grootfontein, -19.55012, 18.10965 (Francois Theart photo); Karakuwisa, -18.933333, 19.733333 (Mertens 1955: 94); Katima Mulilo, -17.5, 24.266667 (Broadley 1980: 515); Namutoni, -18.807624, 16.940288 (FitzSimons 1962: 161); 15 km WSW of Katima Mulilo, -17.61448, 24.20593 2 (Broadley 1980: 515); Otjozondjupa Region, -19.08800, 18.83300 (http://www.the-eis.com/atlas/?q=details/snake-record&amp;occurrence_id=654386). Zimbabwe: Malindi Siding, Hwange, -18.74885, 27.01852 (Broadley 1995: 48); Inyokene, Nyamandlovu, -19.93333, 28.06667 (Broadley 1995: 48).</p></div>	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/47DE685535F0518C8E1AC4092C68D514	Public Domain	No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.		Pensoft via Plazi	Conradie, Werner;Keates, Chad;Baptista, Ninda L.;Lobon-Rovira, Javier	Conradie, Werner, Keates, Chad, Baptista, Ninda L., Lobon-Rovira, Javier (2022): Taxonomical review of Prosymna angolensis Boulenger, 1915 (Elapoidea, Prosymnidae) with the description of two new species. ZooKeys 1121: 97-143, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1121.85693, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1121.85693
08424C0A45F15E4FABB80A90FAEC1D6A.text	08424C0A45F15E4FABB80A90FAEC1D6A.taxon	http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text	http://rs.tdwg.org/ontology/voc/SPMInfoItems#GeneralDescription	text/html	en	Prosymna confusa Conradie & Keates & Baptista & Lobón-Rovira 2022	<div><p>Prosymna confusa sp. nov.</p><p>Figs 6, 7, 8, 9, 13 Common names: Plain Shovel-snout Snake (English);  Cobra-de-focinho-de-pá-lisa (Portuguese).</p><p>Chresonymy.</p><p>Prosymna angolensis: Bogert 1940: 59; Monard 1937: 123 (in part); Broadley 1980: 152 (in part).</p><p>Prosymna ambigua: Branch 2018: 64, fig. 24; Pietersen et al. 2021: 96, fig.</p><p>Monard (1937) was the first to document a uniformly grey specimen from Ebanga. This was followed by Bogert (1940) who documented a specimen from Capelongo (AMNH R50504) that also exhibited a uniform pale brown dorsum with small white spots (similar to  P. meleagris pattern). This uniform dorsum colouration is in agreement with the new specimen collected from coastal Angola (Branch 2018) and this colouration is very distinct from the other two species, yellowish grey with paired small black dorsum spots in  P. angolensis and bright yellow with fused black blotches in  P. lisima sp. nov.</p><p>Material examined.</p><p>Holotype (female). PEM R24013, collected from 20 km west of <a href="https://tb.plazi.org/GgServer/search?materialsCitation.longitude=13.45806&amp;materialsCitation.latitude=-14.27583" title="Search Plazi for locations around (long 13.45806/lat -14.27583)">Lola</a> on the road northwest to Camacuio, on the edge of Bentiaba River (-14.27583, 13.45806, 791 m a.s.l.), Namibe Province, Angola by William R. Branch, Pedro Vaz Pinto and  João S. de Almeida on 2 November 2015.</p><p>Additional material tentatively assigned to the new species.</p><p>AMNH 50504, Capelongo, approx. -14.46645, 16.29241,  Huíla Province, Angola (Bogert 1940: 59); Ebanga, approx. -12.73333, 14.73333, Benguela Province, Angola (Monard 1937: 123)  .</p><p>Diagnosis.</p><p>The new species differs from other  Prosymna species in the following characters: rostral sharply depressed and angular (vs. rounded in  P. visseri); presence of a single band-like internasal (vs. paired internasals in  P. somalica,  P. bivittata,  P. sundevalli,  P. lineata); dorsal scales smooth (keeled in  P. janii); midbody scale rows 15-17 (vs. 19-21 in  P. pitmani); six supralabials, with 3rd and 4th entering orbit (vs. five supralabials, with 2nd and 3rd entering orbit in  P. meleagris and  P. greigerti); single apical pits on dorsal scales (vs. paired apical pits in  P. ruspolii); lower number of ventral scales in both sexes (116-129 vs. 153-199 in  P. frontalis); dorsum uniform dark grey (vs. scarlet head and dark body in  P. ornatissima). It further differs from its closest congeners in the  Prosymna angolensis group: one postocular (vs. two in  P. lisima sp. nov.), dorsum uniform grey (vs. dorsum with large mostly fused black blotches in  P. lisima sp. nov. and mostly smaller paired longitudinal rows of grey to black spots in  P. angolensis), postorbital bone absence (vs. present in  P. lisima sp. nov.), presence of two well-develop palatine teeth (vs. four to five in  P. lisima sp. nov. and three reduced teeth in  P. angolensis), fused braincase (vs. unfused in  P. angolensis and  P. lisima sp. nov.) and two frontal foramina (vs. three to four in  P. angolensis and  P. lisima sp. nov.).</p><p>Etymology.</p><p>When the late Bill Branch collected the holotype, he was unsure of its identification and referred to it as an unusual specimen that could not be assigned to any known species from Angola. He later referred to it as  P. ambigua (Branch 2018), presumably based on its uniform grey colouration. The name confusa is a reflection of the confusion this specimen has caused and of the general confusion in the  P. angolensis group.</p><p>Description of holotype</p><p>(Fig. 13). Adult female measuring 240 mm SVL+29 mm TL = 269 mm total length. The body is cylindrical and elongated, tapering gradually to a very short tail, 10.8% total length, tail tip with prominent spike. Dorsal scales smooth, with single apical pits, in 17-15-15 scale rows, scale row reduction from 17 to 16 take place at ventral number 29 with the fusion of 3rd and 4th dorsal scale row on right side and from 16 to 15 at ventral 32 with the fusion of 3rd and 4th dorsal scale row on left side; 151 ventral scales; cloaca entire; 26 subcaudal scales. Head in dorsal view (Fig. 13B): head narrow and rounded, barely wider than  ‘neck’; rostral clearly visible from above, much broader than long (2.84  × 1.47 mm); a single narrow internasal, which is much longer than wide (2.40  × 0.57 mm) and in broad contact with the rostral anteriorly, posteriorly in broad contact with prefrontal and laterally with nasals; single band-like prefrontal which is longer than wide (3.71  × 1.25 mm), in contact laterally with loreal and posteriorly with the frontal and supraocular scales; frontal pentangular, almost as long as wide (2.97  × 3.14 mm), nearly equal in length to the distance to snout (2.91 mm), more than double than prefrontal width (3.14 vs. 1.25 mm), and three quarters the length of the parietals (3.14 vs. 2.43 mm), in contact laterally with narrow supraoculars, and posteriorly with two very large parietals; paired parietals longer than wide (2.28  × 2.43 mm), in contact posteriorly with each other and laterally with temporals. Head in ventral view (Fig. 13C): rostral clearly visible from below, protruding well past jawline; mental small, triangular; infralabials eight on right side and nine on left side, first three in contact with single paired chin shields, 1st infralabials in contact with each other; additional three rows of smaller gular scales present before the start of ventral scales. Head in lateral view (Fig. 13D): snout sharply pointed, longer than the horizontal diameter of eye (ED/SL = 0.45); rostral large with acutely horizontal angular edge, excavated below; nostril is oval shaped, piercing divided nasal, and directed backwards; nasal scale longer than wide, with anterior part in full contact with rostral, posterior lower corner in contact with 1st supralabial, upper section in contact with internasal scale and prefrontal and posteriorly with loreal and prefrontal; nasal suture present and intersecting loreal; single small loreal as long as wide (0.84  × 0.84 mm), in contact below with 1st and 2nd supralabial, above with prefrontal, anteriorly with nasal and posteriorly with single preocular; single preocular on both sides in contact anteriorly with loreal and above with supraocular and prefrontal, posteriorly with loreal; eye large 16.50% HL, vertical diameter (1.53 mm), two thirds as deep as distance between eye and lip (0.42); pupil round; one postoculars, in contact with 4th upperlabial, 1st temporal scale, supraocular, and parietal; temporals 1+2; narrow elongated supraocular in contact anteriorly with preocular and prefrontal, posteriorly with the postocular and above with frontal; five supralabials on both sides with 3rd and 4th in contact with eye on right and 2nd, 3rd and 4th on left, 5th and 6th supralabial the largest.</p><p>Colouration. In life (Fig. 6). Dorsum uniform grey with the anterior edges of scales with a white spot, outermost two to three scale rows white, with only the first outermost scale row of tail white. Nape with a faint collar that is three scale rows wide. The prefrontal and internasal black compared to the rest of the head being grey. Eye black. Ventrum white. In preservative (Fig. 13). Same as in life, but the grey faded and became brown. Ventrum beige.</p><p>Additional material variation. See Table 2 for summarised meristic data. Only data of three females were available, but the assignment of historical material to  P. confusa sp. nov. still requires confirmation. Dorsal scales smooth and in 17-17-15 rows at midbody; 143-155 smooth ventral scales; 17-26 paired subcaudal scales; one preoculars; one postoculars; temporals 1+2; five or six supralabials, with 3rd and 4th entering the orbit; seven infralabials, with first three in contact with the 1st chin shield, cloacal scale entire. Largest female: 240+29 mm (holotype PEM R24013). The colouration is similar to the holotype, except that in the Capelongo specimen (AMNH R50504) the white spots are much more conspicuous (Fig. 14). The specimen from Ebanga is unaccounted for (Broadley 1980), but Monard (1937) described the colouration as uniform grey above.</p><p>Skull osteology and teeth (Figs 7 - 9). The holotype presents a compact and rigid skull common among  Prosymna species with fused braincase, fused parietal, and unfused frontal and nasal bones. Postorbital bone is absent. Parietal with a fronto-lateral sharp edge that participates virtually as posterior edge of the orbital rim. Premaxilla has a well-developed and robust ascending nasal process that lies between the ventral laminae of the nasals with low profile of the anterior portion which gradually slope to a narrow tip and two elongated maxillary process in contact with the maxilla. Nasal bones are medium large bones in contact with frontal and premaxilla. Septomaxilla is a well-developed bone, in broad contact with premaxilla, frontal, vomer, prefrontal and frontal bone. The vomer is well developed with performed dorsolateral portion of the bone. Maxillary is reduced anteriorly with an elongated pick-shaped palatine process with six to seven laterally reduced curved tooth loci, followed by four to five enlarged lancet-shaped tooth loci. Palatine with two well developed teeth and an enlarged dorsal and curved vomerine process. Pterygoid is a thin elongated bone. Supratemporal is in broad contact with the quadrate and participates in the lateral movement of the lower jaw. The lower jaw is comprised of compound, splenial, coronoid, and dentary bones. Coronoid and splenial bones are reduced, almost vestigial. Dentary bone with six tooth loci.</p><p>Hemipenis . Unknown. Bogert (1940) suggested it to be similar to  P. ambigua . However,  Prosymna ambigua is unique in having a very long  ‘telescopic’ hemipenis that is longer than the tail, which is not present in the  Prosymna sundevalli group (Broadley 1980). The latter group, to which  P. confusa sp. nov. belongs, is characterised by its short hemipenes (8-10th ventral scales long vs. longer than tail in  P. ambigua), low number of flounces (5-6 vs. more than 50 in  P. ambigua) and straight retractor muscle (telescopic in  P. ambigua).  Prosymna frontalis shares a similar hemipenile structure with  P. ambigua .</p><p>Natural history notes.</p><p>The holotype was found actively moving around near a large rock outcrop during the day.</p><p>Distribution and habitat.</p><p>This species is endemic to southwestern Angola (Fig. 2), and appears to be associated with  Colophospermum mopane woodlands, dry savannas, and semi-desert shrublands (Barbosa 1970). The new specimen was found in sandy plains with scattered low granite outcrops, with varying degrees of short grass cover and scattered bushes. Vegetation included  Colophospermum mopane,  Ficus sp.,  Senegalia (=  Acacia) mellifera,  Commiphora sp.,  Boscia foetida, and  Salvadora persica . The two additional historical specimens from Ebanga and Capelongo that are tentatively assigned to this species occurred in similar dry habitat.</p></div>	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/08424C0A45F15E4FABB80A90FAEC1D6A	Public Domain	No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.		Pensoft via Plazi	Conradie, Werner;Keates, Chad;Baptista, Ninda L.;Lobon-Rovira, Javier	Conradie, Werner, Keates, Chad, Baptista, Ninda L., Lobon-Rovira, Javier (2022): Taxonomical review of Prosymna angolensis Boulenger, 1915 (Elapoidea, Prosymnidae) with the description of two new species. ZooKeys 1121: 97-143, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1121.85693, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1121.85693
C426FC3804F05675ADACBDAF58995DB5.text	C426FC3804F05675ADACBDAF58995DB5.taxon	http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text	http://rs.tdwg.org/ontology/voc/SPMInfoItems#GeneralDescription	text/html	en	Prosymna lisima Conradie & Keates & Baptista & Lobón-Rovira 2022	<div><p>Prosymna lisima sp. nov.</p><p>Figs 5, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12 Common names: Kalahari Shovel-snout snake (English);  Cobra-de-focinho-de-pá-do-kalahari (Portuguese).</p><p>Chresonymy.</p><p>Prosymna angolensis: Broadley 1971: 82, 1980: 512 (in part); Broadley et al. 2003: 187 (in part); Pietersen et al. 2021: 97, fig.; Conradie et al. 2021: 265.</p><p>Material examined.</p><p>Holotype (male). PEM R23512, collected from <a href="https://tb.plazi.org/GgServer/search?materialsCitation.longitude=18.36025&amp;materialsCitation.latitude=-12.68866" title="Search Plazi for locations around (long 18.36025/lat -12.68866)">Cuito River</a> source lake (-12.68866, 18.36025, 1426 m a.s.l.), Moxico Province, Angola by Werner Conradie and James Harvey on 26 November 2016  .   Paratypes (five males). PEM R27381, collected from <a href="https://tb.plazi.org/GgServer/search?materialsCitation.longitude=19.278095&amp;materialsCitation.latitude=-13.526579" title="Search Plazi for locations around (long 19.278095/lat -13.526579)">Quembo River</a> lower bridge (-13.526579, 19.278096, 1248 m a.s.l.), Moxico Province, Angola by Werner Conradie, Chad Keates and  Timóteo Júlio on 27 November 2019 ;   PEM R23457 -8, collected from <a href="https://tb.plazi.org/GgServer/search?materialsCitation.longitude=19.04709&amp;materialsCitation.latitude=-13.13586" title="Search Plazi for locations around (long 19.04709/lat -13.13586)">Quembo River</a> source (-13.13586, 19.04709, 1368 m a.s.l.), Moxico Province, Angola by Werner Conradie on 3 November 2016 ;   PEM R23483, <a href="https://tb.plazi.org/GgServer/search?materialsCitation.longitude=19.1296&amp;materialsCitation.latitude=-13.00164" title="Search Plazi for locations around (long 19.1296/lat -13.00164)">Cuando River</a> source (-13.00164, 19.1296, 1372 m a.s.l.) Moxico Province, Angola by Werner Conradie and James Harvey on 17 November 2016 ;   PEM R23510, collected from <a href="https://tb.plazi.org/GgServer/search?materialsCitation.longitude=18.36025&amp;materialsCitation.latitude=-12.68866" title="Search Plazi for locations around (long 18.36025/lat -12.68866)">Cuito River</a> source lake (-12.68866, 18.36025, 1426 m a.s.l.), Moxico Province, Angola by Werner Conradie and James Harvey on 26 November 2016  .   Paratypes (two females). PEM R23456, collected from <a href="https://tb.plazi.org/GgServer/search?materialsCitation.longitude=19.04709&amp;materialsCitation.latitude=-13.13586" title="Search Plazi for locations around (long 19.04709/lat -13.13586)">Quembo River</a> source (-13.13586, 19.04709, 1368 m a.s.l.), Moxico Province, Angola by Werner Conradie on 3 November 2016 ;   PEM R23511, <a href="https://tb.plazi.org/GgServer/search?materialsCitation.longitude=18.36025&amp;materialsCitation.latitude=-12.68866" title="Search Plazi for locations around (long 18.36025/lat -12.68866)">Cuito River</a> source lake (-12.68866, 18.36025, 1426 m a.s.l.), Moxico Province, Angola by Werner Conradie and James Harvey on 26 November 2016  .</p><p>Additional material assigned to the new species.</p><p>NMZB-UM 10096, Kalabo (approx. -14.99391, 22.67795), Zambia; NMZB-UM 21272, 15 km WSW of <a href="https://tb.plazi.org/GgServer/search?materialsCitation.longitude=16.3&amp;materialsCitation.latitude=-14.46667" title="Search Plazi for locations around (long 16.3/lat -14.46667)">Katima Mulilo</a> (approx. -17.61448, 24.20593), Namibia. A specimen from Kuvangu [= Vila-da-Ponte], -14.46667, 16.3000 (Monard 1937: 123) has two postoculars and the characteristic confluent blotched dorsal pattern and might belong to this new species, but this needs verification and is thus tentatively referred to the new species  .</p><p>Diagnosis.</p><p>The new species differs from other  Prosymna in the following characters: rostral sharply depressed and angular (vs. rounded in  P. visseri); presences of a single band-like internasals (vs. paired internasals in  P. somalica,  P. bivittata,  P. sudevalli,  P. lineata); dorsal scales smooth (keeled in  P. janii); midbody scale rows 15-17 (vs. 19-21 in  P. pitmani); 6 supralabials, with 3rd and 4th entering orbit (vs. 5 supralabials, with 2nd and 3rd entering orbit in  P. meleagris and  P. greigerti); single apical pits on dorsal scales (vs. paired apical pits in  P. ruspolii); lower number of ventral scales in both sexes (116-129 vs. 153-199 in  P. frontalis); dorsum with dark black spots (vs. scarlet head and dark body in  P. ornatissima; uniform dark brown to grey in  P. ambigua and  P. stuhlmanni). It further differs from its closest congener,  P. angolensis, in having two post oculars (vs. one), dorsal large black blotches mostly fused (vs. mostly small paired dorsal grey to black spots), postorbital bone present (vs. absent) and by the presence of four to five well-developed palatine teeth (vs. three reduced teeth).</p><p>Etymology.</p><p>The name lisima is derived from the locally spoken Luchaze language in the region of the type locality meaning  ‘source’ . The full phrase used, ' Lisima Lwa Mwondo ', is translated as "source of life". This is a reference to central Angola, a high rainfall area where some of the most important rivers in Angola arise. This water makes it its way to the Okavango Delta, sustaining wildlife and local communities in Angola, Namibia and Botswana.</p><p>Description of holotype</p><p>(Fig. 11). See Table 4 for further details and meristic data for the holotype. The body is cylindrical and elongated, tapering gradually to a very short tail, 13% total length, tail tip with a prominent spike. Dorsal scales smooth with single apical pits (some suprasubcaudal scales have two apical pits) in 17-15-15 scale rows, scale row reduction from 17 to 16 take place at ventral number 17 with the fusion of 3rd and 4th dorsal scale rows on left side and from 16 to 15 at ventral 23 with the fusion of 3rd and 4th dorsal scale rows on right side; 122 ventral scales; cloaca entire; 13 paired subcaudal scales. Head in dorsal view (Fig. 11B): head narrow and rounded, barely wider than  ‘neck’; rostral clearly visible from above, much broader than long (3.39  × 1.06 mm); a single narrow internasal, which is much longer than wide (2.73  × 0.67 mm) and in broad contact with the rostral anteriorly, posteriorly in broad contact with prefrontal and laterally with nasals; single band-like prefrontal which is longer than wide (3.70  × 1.30 mm), in contact laterally with loreal, and posteriorly with the frontal and supraocular scales; frontal pentangular, almost as long as wide (3.09  × 3.00 mm), nearly equal distance to snout (3.30 mm), shorter than prefrontals (3.0 vs. 3.70 mm), but nearly equal in length to the parietal scales (3.00 vs. 3.04 mm), in contact laterally with narrow supraoculars, and posteriorly with two very large parietals; paired parietals as wide as long (3.04  × 3.04 mm), in contact posteriorly with each other and laterally with temporals. Head in ventral view (Fig. 11C): rostral clearly visible from below, protruding well past jawline; mental small, triangular; infralabials seven, first three in contact with single paired chin shields, 1st infralabials in contact with each other; additional three or four rows of smaller gular scales present before start of ventral scales. Head in lateral view (Fig. 11D): snout sharply pointed, longer than the horizontal diameter of eye (ED/SL = 0.49); rostral large with acutely horizontal angular edge, excavated below; nostril is oval shaped, piercing a fully-divided nasal, and directed backwards; nasal scale longer than wide, with anterior part in full contact with rostral, posterior lower corner in contact with 1st supralabial and above with internasal scale and prefrontal; nasal suture present and intersecting 1st supralabial in uppermost corner; single small loreal as long as wide (0.7  × 0.7 mm), in contact below with 1st and 2nd supralabial, above with prefrontal, anteriorly with nasal and posteriorly with single preocular; a single preocular on the right side and two on the left side in contact anteriorly with loreal and prefrontal and above with supraocular, posteriorly protruding of loreal overlap with preoculars to create a small flap; eye large 19.36% headlight, vertical diameter (1.47 mm) two thirds as deep as distance between eye and lip (0.99 mm); pupil round; two postoculars, the lower one largest and in contact with 4th and 5th supralabials, first temporal scale and parietal, the upper smaller in contact with both supraocular and parietal; temporals 1+2 on both sides; narrow elongated supraocular in contact anteriorly with preocular, posteriorly with upper postocular and parietal and above with frontal; six supralabials, 3rd and 4th contacting eye, 5th and 6th supralabial the largest.</p><p>Colouration. In life (Figs 5C, 11B-D). Dorsum bright yellow-brown with 27 irregular fused black blotches that extend along the back from the nape onto the tail. Each dorsal scale has a darker edge giving it a faint reticulated pattern. Dorsolaterally, between the black vertebral blotches, there is a cluster of 2-4 scales with black edges. The large black nape blotch originates at the posterior margin of the frontal and runs through the parietal onto the dorsal scales, and is approximately nine scale rows deep and eleven scale rows wide. Each vertebral black blotch varies from 4-8 scale rows deep and 3-7 scale row wide. Some of the blotches are fused to form a continuous zig-zag pattern. Frontal and prefrontal sutures have a dark edge forming a pale grey crossbar. Eyes black. Ventrum cream-white, with the two outermost dorsal scale rows same colour as ventrum. In preservative (Fig. 11A). Same as in life, but yellow-brown colouration faded and the dark edges became more noticeable. Ventrum beige.</p><p>Paratype and additional material variation. See Table 2 and 4 for full meristic data. Dorsal scales smooth and in 17-17-15 rows at midbody; 116-124 (116-124 males, 117-129 females) smooth ventral scales; 18-26 (22-26 males, 18-24 females) paired subcaudal scales; one (rarely two) preoculars; two postoculars; temporals mostly 1+2; mostly six supralabials, with 3rd and 4th entering the orbit; seven infralabials, with first three in contact with the chin shield, cloacal scale entire; 21-36 fused dark dorsal spots. Largest female: 275+28 mm (NMZ UM 21272: 15 km WSW of Katima Mulilo); largest male: 198+25 mm (PEM R23458: Quembo River source). The colouration of the type material is in general in agreement with the holotype, except that the dorsal fused blotches vary in size, number and arrangement (Fig. 5A-C). The nape black blotch always originates at the anterior part of the frontal extending through the parietals to 7-9 dorsal scale rows deep, 11-15 scales wide and start from the 3rd-5th lateral dorsal scale row. The dorsum consists of 21-36 confluent black blotches that are 7-11 scales wide and three to four scales deep. One specimen (PEM R23456) exhibits a distinct dark interorbital band and internasal band. The only juvenile collected (PEM R27381, Fig. 5C) has small paired black blotches (two scales deep and four scales wide) on a lighter yellow ground colour, large head blotch starts at posterior frontal through parietals, seven scales wide.</p><p>Skull osteology and teeth (Figs 7 - 9). This species presents a compact and rigid skull, common among  Prosymna species with unfused braincase and nasal bones. Parietals are fused. Postorbital bone is present and contributes to the posterior edge of the orbital rim. Premaxilla has a short but robust ascending nasal process that lies between the ventral laminae of the nasals with low profile of the anterior portion which gradually slope ending in a moderate narrow tip and two elongated maxillary processes. Maxilla and premaxilla are in contact. Nasal bones are medium large bones in contact with frontal and premaxilla. Septomaxilla is a well-developed bone, in broad contact with the premaxilla, frontal, vomer, prefrontal and frontal bones. Vomer is well developed with a perforated dorsolateral portion. Maxillary is reduced anteriorly with an elongated pick-shaped palatine process with five or six laterally reduced curved tooth loci, followed by four to five enlarged lancet-shaped tooth loci, on same disposition. Palatine with four to five well developed teeth and an enlarged dorsal curved vomerine process. Pterygoid is a thin elongated bone. Supratemporal is in broad contact with the quadrate and participates in the lateral movement of the lower jaw. The lower jaw presents a compound bone, splenial, coronoid and dentary. Coronoid and splenial are reduced, almost vestigial. Dentary with eight tooth loci.</p><p>Hemipenis . Short simple structure, only reaching the 6-9th ventral scale. Single non-bifurcated sulcus. Ornamentation is flounced. Proximal third is smooth. Distal portion with four to five flounces that starts at the sulcal fold and encircle the whole organ, the most proximal often branched, forming a pocket of which the edges is smooth, tapering into a distal point. Retractor muscle is straight.</p><p>Natural history notes.</p><p>All specimens were caught in late November during the rainy season. At this time, many adult lacertids,  Ichnotropis capensis and  I. cf. grandiceps, were also observed mating in the same habitat.  Prosymna are well known to prey on soft-shell lizard eggs, and  P. lisima sp. nov. may actively seek out these  lacertids’ eggs. Only two of the females had stomach contents, while all the males had empty stomachs. The largest female (PEM R23456) had three empty lizard egg shells in the hind gut, three empty egg shells at the rear end of the stomach, and four undigested lizard eggs in the main stomach (Fig. 12). Another female (PEM R23511) had four undigested lizard eggs in the main stomach. All eggs measured ~ 11.0 mm in length and each had a lateral cut. The eggs in the main stomach also all had a lateral cut but still maintained their shape and were surrounded by calcified leaked yolk (due to the preservation process). The eggs at the rear and the hindgut were all undecomposed and compressed. One of the paratype females (PEM R23456) was gravid, and had three eggs in early developmental stages (16.8  × 4.2 mm). Interestingly, on two different occasions, three specimens (two males and one female) were caught on the same night in the same trap array. This may indicate that males were following females to breed.</p><p>Distribution and habitat.</p><p>Currently only known from east-central Angola, western Zambia and the Zambezi Region of north-eastern Namibia. In the region of Katima Mulilo (eastern Zambezi Region, Namibia) it occurs in sympatry with its sister species,  P. angolensis (Fig. 2). The tentative assigned material from Kuvango (Monard 1931) needs verification, but it agrees in colouration and morphology to the new species. This species is expected to be much more widely distributed in the Kalahari basin, as it seems to be associated with the deep Kalahari sands. The Angolan material occurs in Angolan moist miombo woodland, while the Zambian and Namibian material occurs in dry miombo woodland. The elevation ranges between 950 and 1450 m a.s.l. All newly collected specimens were captured in trap arrays set in sandy areas next to river source lakes or main rivers in eastern Angola (Conradie et al. 2021).</p></div>	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/C426FC3804F05675ADACBDAF58995DB5	Public Domain	No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.		Pensoft via Plazi	Conradie, Werner;Keates, Chad;Baptista, Ninda L.;Lobon-Rovira, Javier	Conradie, Werner, Keates, Chad, Baptista, Ninda L., Lobon-Rovira, Javier (2022): Taxonomical review of Prosymna angolensis Boulenger, 1915 (Elapoidea, Prosymnidae) with the description of two new species. ZooKeys 1121: 97-143, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1121.85693, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1121.85693
