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Capital: Kinshasa
Population: 70,916,400
Languages: French
Currency: Congolese Franc

CONGO-KINSHASA
Democratic Republic of Congo

as ZAIRE

1987

REPTILES
(SG 1273-1278)


2z Mangeur d'oeufs Africain Dasypeltis scaber	5z Agame des colons Agama agama	10z Python royal Python regius


15z Cameleon a Cape Chamaeleo dilepis	25z Mamba vert Dendroaspis jamesoni

50z Cobra a cou noir
Naja nigricollis

	Name on stamp	Current name	Accepted common name
2z	Dasypeltis scaber	Dasypeltis scabra	Common egg-eating snake
5z	Agama agama	Agama agama	Common agama (male)
10z	Python regius	Python regius	Royal or Ball python
15z	Chamaeleo dilepis	Chamaeleo dilepis	Flap-necked chameleon
25z	Dendroaspis jamesoni	Dendroaspis jamesoni	Jameson's mamba
50z	Naja nigricollis	Naja nigricollis	Black-necked spitting cobra

A very smart set of stamps featuring two lizards and four snakes, all of which occur within the borders of the Democratic Republic of Congo, and curiously only one slight name change since 1987, the the Common egg-eating snake (Dasypeltis scabra).

series featur

as DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO

2002

SNAKES
(SG n/a)


5cf Elaphe obsoleta	5cf Thamnophis sirtalis	5cf Dasypeltis scabra
5cf Coronella austriaca	5cf Lampropeltis getulus	5cf Storeria occipitomaculata

	Name on stamp	Current name	Accepted common name
5cf	Elaphe obsoleta	Pantherophis alleghaniensis	Eastern ratsnake
5cf	Thamnophis sirtalis	Thamnophis sirtalis	Eastern gartersnake
5cf	Dasypeltis scabra	Dasypeltis scabra	Common egg-eating snake
5cf	Coronella austriaca	Coronella austriaca	Smooth snake
5cf	Lampropeltis getulus	Lampropeltis getula	Common kingsnake
5cf	Storeria occipitomaculata	Storeria occipitomaculata	Redbelly snake

After the Zaire snake stamp this is a step backwards into lazy stamp design. The common egg-eating snake (Dasypeltis scabra) appears again, a Congolese species and this time with the correct suffix to its name, but something tells me that was just luck because the other five snakes are about as African as a polar bear. The ratsnake (Pantherophis alleghaniensis), gartersnake (Thamnophis sirtalis), kingsnake (Lampropeltis getula) and Redbelly snake (Storeria occipitomaculata) are from the USA while the Smooth snake (Coronella austriaca) is western European and would achieve a great deal more on a British stamp, being our rarest and most protected reptile. These stamps, with their obligatory Boy Scout fleur-de-lis and Guide Guide shamrock, are obviously produced by the same company that prepared similar stamps for Benin and pre-Independance Timor. And unfortunately, Congo-Kinshasa issued even more poor stamps in 2004.

2004

TREEFROGS
(SG n/a)


150cf Hyla gratiosa	150cf Hyla arborea
150cf Phyllomedusa iheringi	150cf Hyla leucophylata

	Name on stamp	Current name	Accepted common name
150cf	Hyla gratiosa	Hyla gratiosa	Florida treefrog
150cf	Hyla arborea	Hyla arborea	European green treefrog
150cf	Phyllomedusa iheringi	Phyllomedusa iheringi	Southern walking leaf-frog
150cf	Hyla leucophylata	Dendropsohus leucophyllatus	White leaf-frog

Four treefrogs, one from Europe, one from N.America and two from S.America, and the Congo is the largest area of tropical rainforest in Africa - need I say more!

SALAMANDERS
(SG n/a)


150cf Megalobatrachus japonicus	150cf Cryptobranchus alleganiensis
150cf Amphiuma means	150cf Amblystoma mexicanus

	Name on stamp	Current name	Accepted common name
150cf	Megalobatrachus japonicus	Andrias japonicus	Japanese giant salamander
150cf	Cryptobranchus alleganiensis	Cryptobranchus alleganiensis	Hellbender
150cf	Amphiuma means	Amphiuma means	Two-toed amphiuma
150cf	Amblystoma mexicanus	Amblystoma mexicanus	Tiger salamander

Salamanders are an unusual topic for stamps (outside of Yugoslavia) and it has to be admitted, they do not venture into Africa so these are bound to be no Congolese species, although stretching a point, an alternative name for the North American Two-toed amphiuma (Amphiuma means) is "Congo-eel". The other species here represented at N.American hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis), the related Japanese giant salamander (Andrias japonicus) and both adult and neonates phase of the Mexican Tiger salamander (Amblystoma mexicanus), the immature stage being the famous Axolotl. I think this is the one stamp sheet in this run of sheets I can excuse due to the unusual subject matter and its lack of African representatives.

TURTLES
(SG n/a)


150cf Testudo oculifera Testudo partalis	150cf Kachuga tectum Geoemyda trijuga Geoemyda spinosa
150cf Chrysemys picta Malaclemys terrapin Pseudemys ornata	150cf Testudo elephantopus

	Name on stamp	Current name	Accepted common name
150cf	Testudo oculifera	Psammobates oculifera	Serrated tortoise
150cf	Testudo partalis	Stigmochelys pardalis	Leopard tortoise
150cf	Kachuga tectum	Batagur tecta	Indian roofed turtle
	Geoemyda trijuga	Melanochelys trijuga	Indian black turtle
	Geoemyda spinosa	Heosemys spinosa	Spiny turtle
150cf	Chrysemys picta	Chrysemys picta	Painted turtle
	Malaclemys terrapin	Malaclemys terrapin	Diamondback terrapin
	Pseudemys ornata	Trachyemys ornata	Ornate slider
150cf	Testudo elephantopus	Chelonoides nigra	Galapagos giant tortoise

Nine turtles and tortoises on one sheet of four stamps, a bit crowded. And of those only two had the correct scientific names. As for distribution, there are two African species there, but neither occurs in Congo, three Asian species, three American and one from the Galapagos Islands. Disappointing.

CROCODILIANS
(SG n/a)


150cf Crocodylus cataphractus	150cf Alligator mississippiensis
150cf Crocodylus niloticus	150cf Alligator mississippiensis

	Name on stamp	Current name	Accepted common name
150cf	Crocodylus cataphractus	Mecistops cataphractus	Narrow-snouted crocodile
150cf	Alligator mississippiensis	Alligator mississippiensis	American alligator
150cf	Crocodylus niloticus	Crocodylus niloticus	Nile crocodile
150cf	Alligator mississippiensis	Alligator mississippiensis	American alligator

Two stamps with the American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis), wonder what happened there. The other two are crocodiles that do occur in Congo, the narrow-snouted crocodile (Mecistops cataphractus) and the ubiquitous Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus).

MONITOR LIZARDS
(SG n/a)


150cf Varanus salvator	150cf Varanus albigularis Varanus griseus
150cf Varanus niloticus	150cf Varanus komodoensis

	Name on stamp	Current name	Accepted common name
150cf	Varanus salvator	Varanus salvator	Water monitor
150cf	Varanus albigularis	Varanus albigularis	White-throated monitor
150cf	Varanus griseus	Varanus griseus	Desert monitor
150cf	Varanus niloticus	Varanus niloticus	Nile monitor
150cf	Varanus komodoensis	Varanus komodoensis	Komodo dragon

Five monitor lizards on four stamps, including the wide-ranging tropical African Nile monitor (Varanus niloticus). Also included is a N.African-Arabian species, a southern African species, a wide-spread Asian species and the Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis) from Indonesia.

CONSTRICTORS
(SG n/a)


150cf Python sebae	150cf Python reticulatus
150cf Boa canina	150cf Eunectes murinus

	Name on stamp	Current name	Accepted common name
150cf	Python sebae	Python sebae	Central African rock python
150cf	Python reticulatus	Broghammerus reticulatus	Reticulated python
150cf	Boa canina	Corallus caninus	Emerald tree boa
150cf	Eunectes murinus	Eunectes murinus	Green anaconda

Another African species, the African rock python (Python sebae), one Asian and two South American, but the Emerald tree boa (Corallus caninus) is actually a relatively small species, there could have been several other large species to include with the other giants.

Associated links on this site:
Congo-Kinshasa herps on non-herps stamps

Congo-Kinshasa first day covers

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