Common names: Transvaal quill-snouted snake.

Xenocalamus transvaalensis is a species

Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...

 of venomous

Venomous snake

"Poisonous snake" redirects here. For true poisonous snakes, see Rhabdophis.Venomous snakes are snakes which have venom glands and specialized teeth for the injection of venom...

 rear-fanged snake

Snake

Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...

 in the family Atractaspididae

Atractaspididae

The Atractaspididae are a family of snakes found in Africa and the Middle East. Currently, 12 genera are recognized.-Description:This family includes many genera formerly classed in other families, on the basis of fang type. It includes fangless , rear-fanged , fixed-fanged , and viper-like species...

. It is endemic to Africa

Africa

Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...

. No subspecies are recognized.

Geographic range

It is found in Botswana

Botswana

Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana , is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa. The citizens are referred to as "Batswana" . Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name after becoming independent within the Commonwealth on 30 September 1966...

, southern Mozambique

Mozambique

Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...

, Republic of South Africa (former Northern Transvaal and former Zululand

Zululand

Zululand may refer to:* Zulu Kingdom * Colony of Natal, which included Zululand between 1897 and 1910* Natal Province, which included Zululand between 1910 and 1980* KwaZulu, a Bantustan in South Africa...

), and Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...

.

Description

Dorsum black; ventrum white. Males may attain 37 cm (14½ inches) in total length; females, 31.5 cm (12⅜ inches).

Conservation status

This species is listed as Data Deficient (DD) on the IUCN Red List of threatened species (v2.3, 1994). This means that there is inadequate information to make a direct, or indirect, assessment of the risk of extinction based on its distribution and/or population status. This species may be well studied, and its biology well known, but appropriate data on abundance and/or distribution is lacking. Therefore, this not a category of threat or Lower Risk, but an indication that more information is required, as well as an acknowledgement of the possibility that future research will show that threatened classification is appropriate. It is important to make positive use of whatever data are available. In many cases, great care should be exercised in choosing between DD and threatened status. If the range of the species is suspected to be relatively circumscribed, or if a considerable period of time has elapsed since the last record of the species, then threatened status may well be justified. Year assessed: 1996.