The specific epithet, duerdeni, is in honor of James Edwin Duerden (1865–1937) of the Albany Museum, Grahamstown, South Africa.

[1] In his original description Gough described A. duerdeni as being cream-colored above and below, referring to a faded specimen stored in alcohol.

[5] In life A. duerdeni is uniformly blackish-brown or gray dorsally, and it is white or creamish-pink ventrally.

The rostral has a rounded horizontal edge, and the portion visible from above is a little longer than its distance from the frontal.

[2] A venomous species, A. duerdeni can inflict a serious bite requiring medical attention, but no human fatality has been recorded.