Species perceived to be dangerous are more likely to have distinctive local names

Table 1 Snakes of medical importance in Mozambique

Family	Common name	Scientific name	Expected to occur in the study area
Atractaspidae	Bibron’s Stilleto Snake	Atractaspis bibronii Smith, 1849	X
Viperidae	Puff Adder	Bitis arietans (Merrem, 1820)	X
Viperidae	Gaboon Viper	Bitis Gabonica (Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854)
Viperidae	Swamp Viper	Proatheris superciliaris (Peters, 1855)
Elapidae	Green Mamba	Dendroaspis angusticeps (Smith, 1849)
Elapidae	Black Mamba	Dendroaspis polylepis Günther, 1864	X
Elapidae	Rinkhals	Hemachatus haemachatus (Bonnaterre, 1790)^a
Elapidae	Snouted Cobra	Naja annulifera Peters, 1854
Elapidae	Forest Cobra	Naja subfulva Laurent, 1955^b	X
Elapidae	Black Necked Spitting Cobra	Naja nigricollis Reinhardt, 1843
Elapidae	Mozambique Spitting Cobra	Naja mossambica Peters, 1854	X
Colubridae	Boomslang	Dispholidus typus (Smith, 1828)	X
Colubridae	Southern Vine Snake	Thelotornis capensis Smith, 1849
Colubridae	Mozambican Vine Snake	Thelotornis mossambicanus Smith, 1849	X

^aThere are no confirmed collections of Rinkhals (Hemachatus haemachatus) in Mozambique, but it has been collected in Zimbabwe near the border with Mozambique, so the species likely occurs within Mozambique as well
^bCorrected from N. melanoleuca [15] to N. subfulva following Wüster, Chirio [31]

ISSN: 1746-4269