Added 13 March 2014.
A monotypic genus restricted to the West Africa.
The species was originally considered a part of the large genus Tropidonotus before being reassigned in the twentieth century to Natrix, and finally in the 1970s to Afronatrix. Rossman and Eberle give the characteristics of the genus as follows: dorsal scales in 21 rows or more; single pair of anferior temporals; anal plate divided; keeled subcaudals; palatine with short spur extending medially toward the vomerine process; supertemporal considerably shortened; hemipenis moderately bilobed with simple sinistral sulcus and the nude apical area not very extensive.
I have not heard of this snake being kept by hobbyists.
|
Scientific Name |
Common Name |
Distribution |
Size |
Notes |
|
Afronatrix |
||||
|
A. anoscopus |
African Brown Water Snake |
Senegal, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon |
SVL 35½cm/14", TL 26½cm/10½" |
Scalation details: rostral twice as broad as deep; internasals small, very narrow anteriorly; frontal elongate; loreal deeper than long; 1 preocular, 2 postoculars; single anterior temporal; eye separated from supralabials by series of small suboculars; 9 supralabials; 5 infralabials in contact with the anterior chinshields, which are shorter than the posterior; latter separated from each other by scales; scales in 23 rows, all keeled except 1st; 143 ventrals; anal plate divided; 73 subcaudals. Other: snout short, obtuse; . Coloration: dark plumbeous brown above; blackish vertical bars, alternating either side; underneath dirty brownish-white, with each shield brown at the base. Reproduction: no details available. [SOURCE: Boulenger] |
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