Citation: Midtgaard, Rune. RepFocus - A Survey of the Reptiles of the World. (www.repfocus.dk).
Latest update:
July 4th, 2026.
 
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Genus
Amblyodipsas
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Purple-glossed Snakes
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Purpurglanznattern
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Purpurglanssnoge
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1849 |  |
Choristodon Smith [not Choristodon Jonas 1844 (Mollusca)] (type species: Choristodon concolor Smith 1849) |
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1857 | |
Amblyodipsas Peters (type species: Calamaria microphthalma Bianconi 1852) |
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1866 | |
Calamelaps Günther (type species: Calamaria unicolor Reinhardt 1843 |
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1888 | |
Rhinocalamus Günther (type species: Rhinocalamus dimidiatus Günther 1888) |
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1895 | |
Clothelaps Jan (type species: Atractaspis hildebrandtii Peters 1877) |
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1947 | |
Choristocalamus Witte & Laurent [substitute name for Choristodon Smith 1849] |
Contents:
9 species, of which 3 (33.3%) are endemic.
Endemism: 0%  100%
Remarks:
Previously included
Xenocalamus.
Distribution:
SubSaharan Africa.
Reported from:
Angola,
Benin,
Botswana,
Burkina Faso,
Cameroon,
Central African Republic,
Chad,
Congo-Kinshasa,
Eswatini,
Gambia,
Ghana,
Guinea,
Guinea-Bissau,
Ivory Coast,
Kenya,
Malawi,
Mali,
Mozambique
(incl.
Bazaruto Archipelago),
Namibia,
Nigeria,
Senegal,
Sierra Leone,
Somalia,
South Africa
(Eastern Cape,
Gauteng,
KwaZulu-Natal,
Limpopo,
Mpumalanga,
North West Province),
South Sudan,
Tanzania,
Togo,
Uganda,
Zambia,
Zimbabwe.
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Meristic and other data
of the world's snakes.
Compiled by
V. Wallach
Key to abbreviations
Head drawings of the
genus Amblyodipsas.
Compiled by V. Wallach
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Amblyodipsas concolor
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Natal Purple-glossed Snake, KwaZulu-Natal Purple-glossed Snake
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Natal-Purpurglanznatter
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Natal-purpurglanssnog
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1849 | |
Choristodon concolor Smith |
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Calamelaps concolor Boulenger 1896 |
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Choristocalamus concolor Witte & Laurent 1947 |
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Amblyodipsas concolor Broadley 1971 |
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1905 | |
Calamelaps mironi Mocquard (Broadley 1983) |
Distribution:
Eswatini,
South Africa
(Eastern Cape,
KwaZulu-Natal,
Limpopo,
Mpumalanga),
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Amblyodipsas dimidiata
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Mpwapwa Purple-glossed Snake
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Mpwapwa-Purpurglanznatter
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Mpwapwa-purpurglanssnog
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1888 | |
Rhinocalamus dimidiatus Günther |
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Amblyodipsas dimidiata Broadley 1971 |
Distribution:
Tanzania.
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Amblyodipsas katangensis
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Katanga Purple-glossed Snake, Wedge-snouted Purple-glossed Snake
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Katanga-Purpurglanznatter, Keilschnauzen-Purpurglanznatter
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Katanga-purpurglanssnog, Kilesnudet Purpurglanssnog
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1942 | |
Amblyodipsas katangensis Witte & Laurent |
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1951 | |
Amblyodipsas katangensis ionidesi Loveridge |
Other common names:
ionidesi: Ionides' Purple-glossed Snake
Distribution:
Congo-Kinshasa,
Tanzania,
Zambia.
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Amblyodipsas microphthalma
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Eastern Purple-glossed Snake, White-lipped Snake
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Östliche Purpurglanznatter
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Østlig Purpurglanssnog
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1852 | |
Calamaria microphthalma Bianconi |
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Amblyodipsas microphthalma Peters 1856 |
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1986 | |
Amblyodipsas microphthalma nigra Jacobsen |
Other common names:
nigra: Soutpansberg Purple-glossed Snake
Distribution:
Mozambique
(incl.
Bazaruto Archipelago),
South Africa
(KwaZulu-Natal,
Limpopo).
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Amblyodipsas polylepis
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Common Purple-glossed Snake, Angolan Purple-glossed Snake, Twenty-one-scaled Purple-glossed Snake
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Gewöhnliche Purpurglanznatter
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Almindelig Purpurglanssnog
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1873 | |
Calamelaps polylepis Bocage |
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Calamelaps unicolor polylepis Loveridge 1942 |
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Amblyodipsas polylepis Broadley 1971 |
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1877 | |
Atractaspis Hildebrandtii Peters |
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Amblyodipsas polylepis hildebrandtii Broadley 1971 |
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1888 | |
Calamelaps miolepis Günther (Broadley 1983) |
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Calamelaps unicolor miolepis Broadley 1966 |
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1908 | |
Calamelaps warreni Boulenger (Broadley 1983) |
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Calamelaps unicolor warreni Loveridge 1957 |
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1915 | |
Calamelaps mellandi Boulenger (Broadley 1983) |
Other common names:
hildebrandtii: Tanzanian Purple-glossed Snake
Remarks:
Loveridge (1957) regarded hildebrandti as a synonym of unicolor.
Distribution:
Angola,
Botswana,
Congo-Kinshasa,
Eswatini,
Kenya,
Malawi,
Mozambique,
Namibia,
Somalia,
South Africa
(Gauteng,
KwaZulu-Natal,
Limpopo,
Mpumalanga,
North West Province),
Tanzania,
Zambia,
Zimbabwe.
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Amblyodipsas rodhaini
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Congolese Purple-glossed Snake, (Rodhain's Purple-glossed Snake)
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Kongolesische Purpurglanznatter
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Congolesisk Purpurglanssnog
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1930 | |
Rhinocalamus Rodhaini Witte |
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Calamelaps rodhaini Witte & Laurent 1947 |
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Amblyodipsas rodhaini Broadley 1971 |
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1951 | |
Calamelaps ventrimaculatus katangensis Witte [not Amblyodipsas katangensis Witte & Laurent 1942] |
Distribution:
Congo-Kinshasa.
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Amblyodipsas teitana
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Taita Hills Purple-glossed Snake
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Taita-Purpurglanznatter
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Taita-purpurglanssnog
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1971 | |
Amblyodipsas teitana Broadley |
Distribution:
Kenya.
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Amblyodipsas unicolor
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Equatorial Purple-glossed Snake, Western Purple-glossed Snake, Seventeen-scaled Purple-glossed Snake, Dull Purple-glossed Snake, False Burrowing Viper
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Westliche Purpurglanznatter
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Vestlig Purpurglanssnog
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1843 | |
Calamaria unicolor Reinhardt |
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Calamelaps unicolor Boulenger 1896 |
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Amblyodipsas unicolor Broadley 1971 |
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1906 | |
Calamelaps feae Boulenger (Broadley 1971) |
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1923 | |
Calamelaps niangarae Schmidt (Broadley 1971) |
Distribution:
Benin,
Burkina Faso,
Cameroon,
Central African Republic,
Chad,
Congo-Kinshasa,
Gambia,
Ghana,
Guinea,
Guinea-Bissau,
Ivory Coast,
Kenya,
Mali,
Nigeria,
Senegal,
Sierra Leone,
South Sudan,
Togo,
Uganda.
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Amblyodipsas ventrimaculata
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Kalahari Purple-glossed Snake, Spotted Purple-glossed Snake
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Kalahari-Purpurglanznatter
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Kalahari-purpurglanssnog
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1907 | |
Rhinocalamus ventrimaculatus Roux |
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Calamelaps ventrimaculatus Witte & Laurent 1947 |
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Amblyodipsas ventrimaculata Broadley 1971 |
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1921 | |
Calamelaps pellegrini Angel (Broadley 1983) |
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1958 | |
Calamelaps ventrimaculatus websteri Fitzsimons & Brain (Broadley 1983) |
Distribution:
Angola,
Botswana,
Namibia,
Zambia,
Zimbabwe.
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