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Lycodonomorphus is a genus of lamprophiid water snake endemic in Africa. Although widespread, abundant and presumably an important component of many aquatic and semi-aquatic food webs, these snakes are poorly understood taxonomically, particularly from a phylogenetic perspective. With only four of the nine species currently sequenced, this study attempts to improve our understanding of the evolutionary relationships within the genus through the phylogenetic placement of one of the most elusive species, Lycodonomorphus obscuriventris. Collected in the Ramsar declared Makuleke Wetlands in northern Kruger National Park (South Africa), the sample used in this study not only yielded the first DNA sequences for the taxon but also represented the most northerly South African record, bridging the gap between the southern and northern populations. The snake was sequenced for three partial …