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Morphological and molecular data of Coluber (sensu lato) andreanus and all recognised species of the Palaearctic whip snake genus Hierophis Fitzinger are presented. Morphologically, Andreas' racer shows remarkable similarities to dwarf snakes (Eirenis spp., Pseudocyclophis persicus). Derived conditions of head and body pholidosis including dorsal scale reduction pattern and the number of apical pits separate Eirenis Jan and C. (s.l.) andreanus from Hierophis spp. Character states strongly support sister group relationship of dwarf snakes to Andreas' racer. Molecular analyses confirm monophyly of Hierophis spp., C. (s.l.) andreanus, and dwarf snakes of the genus Eirenis, and paraphyly of Hierophis auct. MtDNA sequences indicate a basal position of the eastern Palaearctic H. spinalis vis-a-vis the western species group (H. cypriensis, H. gemonensis, H. viridiflavus). These taxa belong to an early radiation within whip and dwarf snakes. The eastern Mediterranean H. caspius, H. jugularis, and H. schmidti appear to represent a paraphyletic grouping including C. (s.l.) andreanus (12S rDNA sequence data). Conflicting molecular and morphological results are discussed and the character phylogeny of external morphological features is re-assessed.

External morphology, skull bones, vertebrae, visceral topography and hemipenis features of the Sokotra racer were examined. Considerable differences exist vis-a-vis Palaearctic and East African racers and the insular species is thus referred to a monotypic genus, Hemerophis. The isolated position of H. socotrae (Gunther, 1881) is confirmed by nucleotide sequences of two mitochondrial genes, cytochrome c oxydase I and 12S rRNA. As to its phylogenetic relationship, H. socotrae requires further comparison with Afrotropical colubrids. Based on morphology and molecular data (mtDNA), the whip snake Tyria najadum Eichwald and related eastern Mediterranean species, the East African Coluber florulentus group, and the Arabian endemics Zamenis elegantissimus Gunther and Z. variabilis Boulenger are referred to Platyceps Blyth. Hemorrhois Boie is composed of the western H. algirus (Jan) and H. hippocrepis (Linnaeus), and an eastern subgroup with H. nummifer (Reuss) and H. ravergieri (Menetries). Hemorrhois and Platyceps spp. belong to a monophyletic group including the mainly SaharoSindian genus Spalerosophis Jan. The composition and systematic content of Hierophis Fitzinger remain unclear. To judge from mtDNA data, eastern Mediterranean species including H. caspius (Gmelin) are much closer to Eirenis modestus (Martin) than to the purely European H. gemonensis (Laurenti) and H. viridiflavus (Lacepede). Additional studies with more taxa are necessary to scrutinize the sister group relationship of Eirenis Jan with Hierophis spp. and to assess their phylogenetic affinities with other Palaearctic racer genera.