Bothrolycus

Bothrolycus is a monotypic genus, meaning it holds just one recognized species: Bothrolycus ater, often called Günther's black snake. It belongs to the family Lamprophiidae, a large group of mostly African and Madagascan snakes that also includes the house snakes, wolf snakes, and many other ground-dwelling forms. Within that family it sits among the African members adapted to terrestrial and leaf-litter life rather than to trees or water, and it is grouped with other small, dark, secretive snakes of the equatorial forests.

The single species is found in the rainforests of Central and West Africa, including parts of Cameroon, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, and the broader Congo Basin region. As the name suggests, it is a dark, often blackish snake of modest size, typically well under a meter long. Like many forest-floor lamprophiids it has a smooth, glossy body and a head not strongly distinct from the neck, traits that suit a life spent burrowing through damp soil and pushing under fallen leaves. Because it is rarely seen and poorly studied, most of what can be said about it comes from the general biology of similar litter-dwelling snakes in its family.

This is not a snake of medical concern to people. Lamprophiids in this group are not front-fanged vipers or cobras, and Bothrolycus is regarded as harmless to humans, taking small prey such as amphibians, lizards, and invertebrates that it encounters on the forest floor. Most family members lay eggs and live quiet, hidden lives. Even so, no wild snake should be picked up or handled, since any bite from an unfamiliar animal can cause injury or infection. If a bite occurs and you are unsure of the species, treat it seriously and contact emergency care or, in the United States, Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222.