title: When colour patterns reflect phylogeography: new species of Dasypeltis (Serpentes: Colubridae: Boigini) from West Africa.
abstract: Six colour phases are currently known in the genus Dasypeltis in West Africa, three in the D. scabra complex and three in the D. fasciata complex. Molecular phylogenetic analysis reveals that all correspond to distinct species. D. parascabra sp. nov. is described from wet savannah areas of Guinea and Ivory Coast. D. latericia is given full specific rank. The validity of D. sahelensis, D. gansi and D. confusa - three species recently described on the basis of colour pattern and biogeography - is confirmed. D. fasciata is confined to rain forest areas of West and Central Africa. D. scabra is absent from West Africa.
authors: Institut de recherche pour le développement, UMR CoRéUs, Nouméa, New Caledonia. sebastien_trape@yahoo.fr
authors: Sébastien
authors: S
authors: Trape
authors: Oleg
authors: O
authors: Mediannikov
authors: Jean-François
authors: JF
authors: Trape
mesh_terms: D000354:Africa, Western; D000818:Animals; D017812:Colubridae / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics; D017124:Conserved Sequence; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D005260:Female; D034582:Integumentary System / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D058974:Phylogeography; D010858:Pigmentation; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S