Although several species of rodents thrive in high elevation alpine ecosystems on Africa’s highest peaks (Happold, 2013), their upper elevation limits are poorly known because most biological surveys and natural history studies occur at lower elevations where the species are more common. Documenting the upper elevation limits of rodent species is important to better understand their behavior, nutrition, physiology, distributional and morphological changes associated with climate change, and interactions with humans at the upper limits of their range (Moritz et al., 2008; Storz et al., 2010, 2020; Beever et al., 2011; Rowe et al., 2014; Gebrezgiher et al., 2022; Saraiva & Grigione 2022). The mesic four-striped grass rat Rhabdomys dilectus (De Winton, 1897) is one of five currently recognized species within the genus that are distinguishable only by molecular traits (Rambau et al., 2003; Castiglia et al., 2012; du Toit et al., 2012; Monadjem et al., 2015). Disjunct populations occur in a variety of mesic ecosystems spanning a high range of elevations in southern and eastern Africa (du Toit et al., 2012; Monadjem et al., 2015). Its highest reported elevations are 4200 m on Mount Elgon, Uganda or Kenya (Clausnitzer & Kityo 2001; Happold, 2013), 4180 m on Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania (
{"title":"New High Elevation Records for the Mesic Four-Striped Grass Rat Rhabdomys dilectus on Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania","authors":"Floyd E. Hayes, Miranda Dodd, Valentin Moser","doi":"10.2982/028.113.0201","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2982/028.113.0201","url":null,"abstract":"Although several species of rodents thrive in high elevation alpine ecosystems on Africa’s highest peaks (Happold, 2013), their upper elevation limits are poorly known because most biological surveys and natural history studies occur at lower elevations where the species are more common. Documenting the upper elevation limits of rodent species is important to better understand their behavior, nutrition, physiology, distributional and morphological changes associated with climate change, and interactions with humans at the upper limits of their range (Moritz et al., 2008; Storz et al., 2010, 2020; Beever et al., 2011; Rowe et al., 2014; Gebrezgiher et al., 2022; Saraiva & Grigione 2022). The mesic four-striped grass rat Rhabdomys dilectus (De Winton, 1897) is one of five currently recognized species within the genus that are distinguishable only by molecular traits (Rambau et al., 2003; Castiglia et al., 2012; du Toit et al., 2012; Monadjem et al., 2015). Disjunct populations occur in a variety of mesic ecosystems spanning a high range of elevations in southern and eastern Africa (du Toit et al., 2012; Monadjem et al., 2015). Its highest reported elevations are 4200 m on Mount Elgon, Uganda or Kenya (Clausnitzer & Kityo 2001; Happold, 2013), 4180 m on Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania (","PeriodicalId":143820,"journal":{"name":"Journal of East African Natural History","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141711077","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract A new species of herpelid caecilian, Boulengerula endauensis sp. nov. is described from Endau Hill Forest, Kitui County, Kenya. The new species differs from all other Boulengerula species in having tentacles that are positioned equidistant between the corner of the mouth and snout tip. It can also be distinguished by its body colour, which is predominantly brownish pink as compared to the others, the majority of which are bluish to purple. The new species is very similar to B. denhardti in body colour and both species have a high average number (> 160) of body rings (annular grooves). Boulengerula endauensis sp. nov. differs from B. denhardti by having a lower body length to body width ratio and more posteriorly positioned tentacles on the head. Boulengerula denhardti occurs in the Tana River Delta area in Lake Kenyatta forest-Lamu at the coastal strip about 250 kilometres to the south-east from B. endauensis. The discovery of this species, on an isolated arid montane rocky hill, influenced by the Indian Ocean moist winds, may indicate that characteristically similar hills could harbour additional new Boulengerula species.
摘要 本文描述了产自肯尼亚基图伊县恩道山森林的一种新的硬骨鱼类--Boulengerula endauensis sp.。该新种与其他所有 Boulengerula 种类的不同之处在于其触手位于嘴角与鼻尖之间的等距离位置。它的体色主要为棕粉色，而其他物种的体色大多为蓝色至紫色。新种的体色与 B. denhardti 非常相似，两个物种的体环（环状凹槽）平均数量都很高（大于 160 个）。Boulengerula endauensis sp. nov. 与 B. denhardti 的不同之处在于其体长与体宽的比例较低，头部触手的位置更靠后。Boulengerula denhardti 出现在塔纳河三角洲地区的肯雅塔湖森林-拉穆沿海地带，距离 B. endauensis 东南方约 250 公里。受印度洋潮湿风的影响，在一个孤立的干旱山地岩石山上发现了这一物种，这可能预示着具有类似特征的山地可能蕴藏着更多的 Boulengerula 新物种。
{"title":"A New Species of Caecilian in the Genus Boulengerula from Endau Hill in South-Eastern Kenya","authors":"P. Malonza, V. Wasonga","doi":"10.2982/028.112.0701","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2982/028.112.0701","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract A new species of herpelid caecilian, Boulengerula endauensis sp. nov. is described from Endau Hill Forest, Kitui County, Kenya. The new species differs from all other Boulengerula species in having tentacles that are positioned equidistant between the corner of the mouth and snout tip. It can also be distinguished by its body colour, which is predominantly brownish pink as compared to the others, the majority of which are bluish to purple. The new species is very similar to B. denhardti in body colour and both species have a high average number (> 160) of body rings (annular grooves). Boulengerula endauensis sp. nov. differs from B. denhardti by having a lower body length to body width ratio and more posteriorly positioned tentacles on the head. Boulengerula denhardti occurs in the Tana River Delta area in Lake Kenyatta forest-Lamu at the coastal strip about 250 kilometres to the south-east from B. endauensis. The discovery of this species, on an isolated arid montane rocky hill, influenced by the Indian Ocean moist winds, may indicate that characteristically similar hills could harbour additional new Boulengerula species.","PeriodicalId":143820,"journal":{"name":"Journal of East African Natural History","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-12-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139151866","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ABSTRACT Ant studies conducted in Rwanda have reported a total of 105 ant species. However, this is an underestimation of the total ant richness since Rwanda is in a region rich in biodiversity. To fill the gaps, ants have been sampled in planted forests, coffee plantations, and different other land use types since 2017. Specimens have been collected using pitfall traps and hand collection, digitized, and identified to subfamily, genus, and species level. Results indicated that five ant species were found in Rwanda for the first time. These are Camponotus acvapimensis, Camponotus schoutedeni, Camponotus sericeus, Odontomachus assiniensis and Tetramorium sericeiventre. Specimens are deposited at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Science and the Rwanda Ant Collection. We recommend more ant studies focussing on their mode of living. This will result in more ant species newly recorded in the country and possibly new to science.
{"title":"First Record of Five Ant Species (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Rwanda","authors":"Venuste Nsengimana, W. Dekoninck","doi":"10.2982/028.112.0601","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2982/028.112.0601","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Ant studies conducted in Rwanda have reported a total of 105 ant species. However, this is an underestimation of the total ant richness since Rwanda is in a region rich in biodiversity. To fill the gaps, ants have been sampled in planted forests, coffee plantations, and different other land use types since 2017. Specimens have been collected using pitfall traps and hand collection, digitized, and identified to subfamily, genus, and species level. Results indicated that five ant species were found in Rwanda for the first time. These are Camponotus acvapimensis, Camponotus schoutedeni, Camponotus sericeus, Odontomachus assiniensis and Tetramorium sericeiventre. Specimens are deposited at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Science and the Rwanda Ant Collection. We recommend more ant studies focussing on their mode of living. This will result in more ant species newly recorded in the country and possibly new to science.","PeriodicalId":143820,"journal":{"name":"Journal of East African Natural History","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139228378","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ABSTRACT Climate change is posing an ever-increasing threat to wildlife around the world, making it a primary concern and driver of various changes including in habitat, species composition and disease transmission and, therefore important towards setting conservation priorities. We investigated the relative abundance and current and future distribution of small mammal species in the Selous ecosystem, Tanzania. We captured a total of 674 small mammal individuals belonging to 22 species, including 16 rodents, 2 insectivores, 3 carnivores and 1 primate. Acomys ngurui was the most dominant species, while Steatomys parvus was the rarest. Abundance was significantly different between habitats. Maxent models suggested that most of the current highly suitable small mammal habitats will shrink by the year 2050, and species will be forced to concentrate in a few areas within and outside the ecosystem. It is recommended that climate change impacts be properly considered when developing conservation areas' general management plans and planning for new protected areas.
{"title":"Current and Potential Future Distribution of Small Mammals in the Selous Ecosystem, Tanzania","authors":"Aenea Saanya, L. Mulungu, A. Massawe, R. Makundi","doi":"10.2982/028.112.0501","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2982/028.112.0501","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Climate change is posing an ever-increasing threat to wildlife around the world, making it a primary concern and driver of various changes including in habitat, species composition and disease transmission and, therefore important towards setting conservation priorities. We investigated the relative abundance and current and future distribution of small mammal species in the Selous ecosystem, Tanzania. We captured a total of 674 small mammal individuals belonging to 22 species, including 16 rodents, 2 insectivores, 3 carnivores and 1 primate. Acomys ngurui was the most dominant species, while Steatomys parvus was the rarest. Abundance was significantly different between habitats. Maxent models suggested that most of the current highly suitable small mammal habitats will shrink by the year 2050, and species will be forced to concentrate in a few areas within and outside the ecosystem. It is recommended that climate change impacts be properly considered when developing conservation areas' general management plans and planning for new protected areas.","PeriodicalId":143820,"journal":{"name":"Journal of East African Natural History","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139235048","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ABSTRACT The age structures of five East African elephant clans culled between 1965 and 1969 are established. Combined, calves of the year formed the largest annual class, declines in age classes were steep to puberty, levelled out until about 30 years, then accelerated, but twice as fast in males as in females. This pattern did not hold good for clans examined separately. In two, calves of the year were fewer than their precursors and annual age classes showed asynchronous variation between clans. The similarity of these age class shapes to Kenya's Amboseli Elephant Research Project's 46 year findings based on known-age animals, suggests that while a clan's age peaks and depressions are unique to it, the pattern may be characteristic of savanna elephant clans more widely. Male mortality post 30 was steep in areas without hunting and attributed to musth-related fighting, to which human hunting was additional where it had occurred.
{"title":"Observations on Five Savanna Elephant Clan Age Structures","authors":"I. Parker","doi":"10.2982/028.112.0301","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2982/028.112.0301","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT The age structures of five East African elephant clans culled between 1965 and 1969 are established. Combined, calves of the year formed the largest annual class, declines in age classes were steep to puberty, levelled out until about 30 years, then accelerated, but twice as fast in males as in females. This pattern did not hold good for clans examined separately. In two, calves of the year were fewer than their precursors and annual age classes showed asynchronous variation between clans. The similarity of these age class shapes to Kenya's Amboseli Elephant Research Project's 46 year findings based on known-age animals, suggests that while a clan's age peaks and depressions are unique to it, the pattern may be characteristic of savanna elephant clans more widely. Male mortality post 30 was steep in areas without hunting and attributed to musth-related fighting, to which human hunting was additional where it had occurred.","PeriodicalId":143820,"journal":{"name":"Journal of East African Natural History","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"122809440","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ABSTRACT For research and to reduce numbers, between 1965 and 1969, 2900 elephants from five clans were culled in Uganda's Murchison Falls National Park and the Nyika Biome of Kenya and Tanzania, and examined post-mortem. The incidence of congenital male and female tusklessness either bilaterally or unilaterally is compared among five clans. Anatomical dissection of males provided 15 cases of unilateral congenital tusklessness, but no male bilateral congenital tusk cases. Female congenital bilateral tusklessness in the five clans combined was 1.5%, and congenital unilateral lack of a tusk was 3.3%. Female congenital tusklessness in the Nyika Biome, which is close to the coast and maritime trade, was higher than in central west Uganda deep in the continent. This might reflect centuries of selective hunting for ivory. The ages at which tusks in both genders emerge through the gingivae is documented and varied between 1 and 5 years.
{"title":"Tusklessness and Tusk Eruption in East African Savanna Elephant","authors":"I. Parker","doi":"10.2982/028.112.0401","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2982/028.112.0401","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT For research and to reduce numbers, between 1965 and 1969, 2900 elephants from five clans were culled in Uganda's Murchison Falls National Park and the Nyika Biome of Kenya and Tanzania, and examined post-mortem. The incidence of congenital male and female tusklessness either bilaterally or unilaterally is compared among five clans. Anatomical dissection of males provided 15 cases of unilateral congenital tusklessness, but no male bilateral congenital tusk cases. Female congenital bilateral tusklessness in the five clans combined was 1.5%, and congenital unilateral lack of a tusk was 3.3%. Female congenital tusklessness in the Nyika Biome, which is close to the coast and maritime trade, was higher than in central west Uganda deep in the continent. This might reflect centuries of selective hunting for ivory. The ages at which tusks in both genders emerge through the gingivae is documented and varied between 1 and 5 years.","PeriodicalId":143820,"journal":{"name":"Journal of East African Natural History","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"116229434","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ABSTRACT Phrynobatrachus rillingi, new large puddle frog in which males are more than 30 mm in snout-vent-length, is described from the montane areas of the Nyambene Hills, Meru County in Kenya. Some of the key morphological characters include; having extensive pedal webbing, breeding males with nuptial pads or swollen thumbs and femoral glands. The new species is only known from museum specimens that are more than 50 years old, and there is need for fieldwork and more phylogenetic work.
{"title":"Phrynobatrachus rillingi (Anura: Phrynobatrachidae), a New Large Puddle Frog from Nyambene Hills, Kenya","authors":"P. Malonza","doi":"10.2982/028.112.0201","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2982/028.112.0201","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Phrynobatrachus rillingi, new large puddle frog in which males are more than 30 mm in snout-vent-length, is described from the montane areas of the Nyambene Hills, Meru County in Kenya. Some of the key morphological characters include; having extensive pedal webbing, breeding males with nuptial pads or swollen thumbs and femoral glands. The new species is only known from museum specimens that are more than 50 years old, and there is need for fieldwork and more phylogenetic work.","PeriodicalId":143820,"journal":{"name":"Journal of East African Natural History","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-04-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"121415692","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
M. De Meyer, Ramadhan Majubwa, Abdul Kudra Biyusa, Myriam Vandenbosch, M. Virgilio, M. Mwatawala
ABSTRACT A checklist of all records of dacine fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae: Dacinae) from Tanzania is provided, based on verified specimen records in natural history collections and literature records. In total, 117 Dacinae species are reported from the country, including six endemics. For each species the localities from which it was recorded are given, or a general distribution is provided. A list of geographic coordinates for the Tanzanian localities is included. The findings are shortly discussed in view of species richness, endemism and geographic distribution.
{"title":"A First Checklist of the Dacine Fruit Flies (Diptera, Tephritidae, Dacinae) of Tanzania","authors":"M. De Meyer, Ramadhan Majubwa, Abdul Kudra Biyusa, Myriam Vandenbosch, M. Virgilio, M. Mwatawala","doi":"10.2982/028.112.0101","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2982/028.112.0101","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT A checklist of all records of dacine fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae: Dacinae) from Tanzania is provided, based on verified specimen records in natural history collections and literature records. In total, 117 Dacinae species are reported from the country, including six endemics. For each species the localities from which it was recorded are given, or a general distribution is provided. A list of geographic coordinates for the Tanzanian localities is included. The findings are shortly discussed in view of species richness, endemism and geographic distribution.","PeriodicalId":143820,"journal":{"name":"Journal of East African Natural History","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-04-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"132291393","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Titus Adhola, O. Mwebi, Mary Wykstra, Moses Lolmodooni, A. Wandera, Lucy W. Njino, N. Oguge
ABSTRACT We conducted an attitudinal study on the socio-economic implications of human-carnivore conflict in an East African pastoralist landscape through a semi-structured questionnaire survey complemented by a locally organised community carnivore conservation workshop. We compared actual livestock predation rates by the large carnivores from a nine-year livestock predation dataset for Samburu County to perceived predation rates from our respondents. Our study revealed that perceived rates of livestock predation vis-à-vis actual rates of livestock predation by large carnivores in a modern pastoralist community setting are dissimilar. Even though community goodwill to embrace coexistence with wildlife persists, the perceived lack of equitable sharing of benefits from wildlife earnings nationally with local communities inadvertently reinforces negative views towards wildlife in general and carnivores specifically. Therefore, an increased participatory community approach in the management and conservation of wildlife needs to be addressed appropriately by policy makers for the benefit of the communities and wildlife.
{"title":"People, Predators, Practices and Perceptions: Socio-Economic Implications of Livestock Predation by African Large Carnivores in Samburu County, Northern Kenya","authors":"Titus Adhola, O. Mwebi, Mary Wykstra, Moses Lolmodooni, A. Wandera, Lucy W. Njino, N. Oguge","doi":"10.2982/028.111.0202","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2982/028.111.0202","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT We conducted an attitudinal study on the socio-economic implications of human-carnivore conflict in an East African pastoralist landscape through a semi-structured questionnaire survey complemented by a locally organised community carnivore conservation workshop. We compared actual livestock predation rates by the large carnivores from a nine-year livestock predation dataset for Samburu County to perceived predation rates from our respondents. Our study revealed that perceived rates of livestock predation vis-à-vis actual rates of livestock predation by large carnivores in a modern pastoralist community setting are dissimilar. Even though community goodwill to embrace coexistence with wildlife persists, the perceived lack of equitable sharing of benefits from wildlife earnings nationally with local communities inadvertently reinforces negative views towards wildlife in general and carnivores specifically. Therefore, an increased participatory community approach in the management and conservation of wildlife needs to be addressed appropriately by policy makers for the benefit of the communities and wildlife.","PeriodicalId":143820,"journal":{"name":"Journal of East African Natural History","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"128927641","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Venuste Nsengimana, Thacien Hagenimana, Joselyne Barakagwira, Jean de Dieu Nsenganeza, Suavis C. Iradukunda, Methode Majyambere, Olivier Basima Kizungu, Adrien Nkundimana, D. Umutoni, Rwasimitana Fabrice, Boniface Cyubahiro, Lombart MM Kouakou, Yeo Kolo, Jairus Shisungu Anale, K. Gómez, W. Dekoninck
ABSTRACT Tropical rain forests are inhabited by a wide range of plant and animal diversity. However, little is known about the diversity of ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) species in these areas. To fill the gap, a study has been conducted in seven sites inside Nyungwe National Park, a tropical rain forest located in South-Western Rwanda. Data have been collected in October 2021 through a quick sampling using pitfall traps, arboreal traps, baiting, Winklers, and hand searching of nests in leaf-litter, soil, rotten and fallen wood, and under stones. Collected ant specimens have been identified to subfamily, genus and species levels by using the identification keys. Names of species have been confirmed after comparing the findings with the specimens housed at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Science (Brussels, Belgium) and at Kiko Gomez's personal collection (Barcelona, Spain). A total of 7 subfamilies, 28 genera and 74 species were sampled. The subfamily Myrmicicnae had more genera and species compared with other subfamilies. Further, 9 genera and 43 species were collected in Rwanda for the first time, while 13 species were potentially undescribed ant pecies. High number of species has been sampled in the sites located in secondary forest at Karamba (53 species) and Pindura (33 species). We recommend intensive sampling in other locations of Nyungwe tropical rainforest and in the rest of Rwanda mountain tropical rain forests to get a clear view on the diversity of ant species in Rwanda.
{"title":"Checklist of Ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Species from Nyungwe Tropical Rain Forest, South-Western Rwanda","authors":"Venuste Nsengimana, Thacien Hagenimana, Joselyne Barakagwira, Jean de Dieu Nsenganeza, Suavis C. Iradukunda, Methode Majyambere, Olivier Basima Kizungu, Adrien Nkundimana, D. Umutoni, Rwasimitana Fabrice, Boniface Cyubahiro, Lombart MM Kouakou, Yeo Kolo, Jairus Shisungu Anale, K. Gómez, W. Dekoninck","doi":"10.2982/028.111.0203","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2982/028.111.0203","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Tropical rain forests are inhabited by a wide range of plant and animal diversity. However, little is known about the diversity of ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) species in these areas. To fill the gap, a study has been conducted in seven sites inside Nyungwe National Park, a tropical rain forest located in South-Western Rwanda. Data have been collected in October 2021 through a quick sampling using pitfall traps, arboreal traps, baiting, Winklers, and hand searching of nests in leaf-litter, soil, rotten and fallen wood, and under stones. Collected ant specimens have been identified to subfamily, genus and species levels by using the identification keys. Names of species have been confirmed after comparing the findings with the specimens housed at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Science (Brussels, Belgium) and at Kiko Gomez's personal collection (Barcelona, Spain). A total of 7 subfamilies, 28 genera and 74 species were sampled. The subfamily Myrmicicnae had more genera and species compared with other subfamilies. Further, 9 genera and 43 species were collected in Rwanda for the first time, while 13 species were potentially undescribed ant pecies. High number of species has been sampled in the sites located in secondary forest at Karamba (53 species) and Pindura (33 species). We recommend intensive sampling in other locations of Nyungwe tropical rainforest and in the rest of Rwanda mountain tropical rain forests to get a clear view on the diversity of ant species in Rwanda.","PeriodicalId":143820,"journal":{"name":"Journal of East African Natural History","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"130966679","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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