Grayia ornata

Grayia ornata

Taxonavigation

Taxonavigation: Colubroidea

Superregnum: Eukaryota Cladus: Amorphea Cladus: Obazoa Cladus: Opisthokonta Cladus: Holozoa Cladus: Filozoa Cladus: Choanozoa Regnum: Animalia Subregnum: Eumetazoa Cladus: ParaHoxozoa Cladus: Bilateria Cladus: Nephrozoa Superphylum: Deuterostomia Phylum: Chordata Cladus: Olfactores Subphylum: Vertebrata Infraphylum: Gnathostomata Cladus: Eugnathostomata Cladus: Osteichthyes Cladus: Sarcopterygii Cladus: Rhipidistia Cladus: Tetrapodomorpha Cladus: Eotetrapodiformes Cladus: Elpistostegalia Cladus: Stegocephali Cladus: Tetrapoda Cladus: Reptiliomorpha Cladus: Amniota Cladus: Sauropsida Classis: Reptilia Cladus: Eureptilia Cladus: Romeriida Cladus: Diapsida Cladus: Neodiapsida Cladus: Sauria Cladus: Lepidosauromorpha Superordo: Lepidosauria Ordo: Squamata Cladus: Unidentata, Episquamata Cladus: Toxicofera Subordo: Serpentes Cladus: Caenophidia Superfamilia: Colubroidea

Familia: Colubridae
Subfamilia: Grayiinae
Genus: Grayia
Species: Grayia ornata

Name

Grayia ornata (Bocage, 1866)

• Syntypes (n=3): MB unnumbered (2 specimens) and ZMB 7772.
• Type locality: “interior d'Angola (Duque de Bragança)”.

Combinations

• Macrophis ornatus Bocage, 1866: 47 [original combination]
• Glaniolestes ornatus — Peters, 1877: 617 [subsequent combination]
• Grayia ornata — Mocquard, 1897: 8 [subsequent combination]

References

Primary references

• Bocage, J.V.B. 1866. Lista dos reptis das possessões portuguezas d'Africa occidental que existem no Museu Lisboa. Jornal de Sciências Mathematicas, Physicas e Naturaes 1: 37–56. BHL

Additional references

• Chaney, T., Pauwels, O.S.G., Nagy, Z.T., Gvoždík, V., Kusamba, C., Badjedjea, G., Masudi, F.M., Akuboy, J.B., Ernst, R., Trape, J.-F., Chirio, L., Conradie, W., Keates, C., Wallach, V., Zassi-Boulou, A.-C., Vaughan, E.R. & Greenbaum, E. 2024. Phylogenetics and Integrative Taxonomy of African Water Snakes (Squamata: Colubridae: Grayia). Herpetological Monographs 38(1): 1–52. DOI: 10.1655/HERPMONOGRAPHS-D-23-00002.1 Reference page. 

Links

• Uetz, P., Freed, P., Aguilar, R., F. Reyes, J. Kudera & Hošek, J. (eds.) 2026. Grayia ornata. The Reptile Database. Accessed on 7 February 2020.
• Kusamba, C., Chippaux, J.-P. & Gonwouo, N.L. 2020. IUCN: Grayia ornata  (Least Concern). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020: e.T13265980A13265988. DOI: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T13265980A13265988.en. Accessed on 28 July 2025.

Vernacular names

• English: Ornate African Water Snake