Common name: centipede eaters. Aparallactus is a genus of rear-fanged mildly venomous snakes in the family Atractaspididae. The genus is endemic to Africa. 11 species are recognized as being valid.
Description Species in the genus Aparallactus have a short maxilla, with 6-9 small teeth followed by a large grooved fang situated below the eye. The anterior mandibular teeth are the longest. The head is small, not distinct from the neck. The eye is small, with a round pupil. The nasal is entire or divided. There is no loreal scale. The body is cylindrical. The tail is moderate or short. The dorsal scales are smooth, without pits, and are arranged in 15 rows. The ventrals are rounded. The subcaudals are single (not divided nor paired).Boulenger GA (1896). Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History), Volume III., Containing the Colubridæ (Opisthoglyphæ and Proteroglyphæ) .... London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiv + 727 pp. + Plates I–XXV. (Genus Aparallactus, pp. 255–256).
Snakebite and medical relevance Although members of the genus produce venom, they appear to be relatively harmless, given their small size (usually < 60 cm) and burrowing lifestyle. Spawls & Branch do not list them as "dangerous". As of 2026, Pubmed does not list any publications listing any snakebite resulting from this genus.
Species Genus Aparallactus -- 11 speciesSpeciesTaxon authorSubspecies*Common nameGeographic rangeA. capensisTA. Smith, 1849bocagei luebberti punctatolineatusCape centipede-eaterRepublic of South Africa, Eswatini, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Democratic Republic of the Congo.A. guentheriBoulenger, 1895————black centipede-eaterZimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Kenya, Angola, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zanzibar.A. jacksonii(Günther, 1888)————Jackson's centipede-eaterEthiopia, north Tanzania, south Sudan, Kenya, Somalia, Uganda.A. lineatus(W. Peters, 1870)————lined centipede-eaterGuinea, Liberia, Ghana, Cameroon.A. lunulatus(W. Peters, 1854)nigrocollaris scorteccireticulated centipede-eaterZimbabwe, Mozambique, Republic of South Africa, Eswatini, Zambia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana to Eritrea, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Somalia, Central African Republic, Cameroon, Botswana, Tanzania.A. modestus(Günther, 1859)ubangensiswestern forest centipede-eaterCentral African Republic, Uganda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, Nigeria, Togo, Benin, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Cameroon, Gabon.A. moeruensisde Witte & Laurent, 1943————Zaire centipede-eaterSouth Democratic Republic of the Congo.A. nigerBoulenger, 1897————Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast.A. nigriceps(W. Peters, 1854)————Mozambique centipede-eaterSouth eastern Mozambique around Inhambane.A. turneriLoveridge, 1935————Malindi centipede-eaterCoastal Kenya.A. werneriBoulenger, 1895————Usambara centipede-eaterEastern Tanzania, Usambara and Uluguru Mountains. *) Not including the nominate subspecies. T) Type species.
See also Snakebite.
References
Further reading Branch, Bill (2004). Field Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of Southern Africa. Third Revised edition, Second impression. Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis Books. 399 pp. . (Genus Aparallactus, p. 63).