Pub Date : 2021-07-09DOI: 10.1080/21564574.2021.1938244
PR Jordaan, Jca Steyl
ABSTRACT Following a fire event, an abnormally high number of Chamaesaura macrolepis (Cope 1862) road mortalities were observed on two sections of tar road south of Maputo Special Reserve, Maputo Province, Mozambique. Although most specimens were driven over by vehicles, three intact individuals were collected on the shoulder of the tarred road surface, without exhibiting any external signs of vehicular trauma or thermal damage. Histopathological examination of dissected tissues revealed acute skeletal and cardiac myopathy in all three specimens, suggesting a novel facet of faunal responses to fire and the physical strain exerted to avoid these conditions. No reports of fire associated exertion myopathy could be located for any other animals in the available literature.
{"title":"Fire associated exertion myopathy as a mechanism contributing to mortality in Chamaesaura macrolepis (Cope 1862)","authors":"PR Jordaan, Jca Steyl","doi":"10.1080/21564574.2021.1938244","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/21564574.2021.1938244","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Following a fire event, an abnormally high number of Chamaesaura macrolepis (Cope 1862) road mortalities were observed on two sections of tar road south of Maputo Special Reserve, Maputo Province, Mozambique. Although most specimens were driven over by vehicles, three intact individuals were collected on the shoulder of the tarred road surface, without exhibiting any external signs of vehicular trauma or thermal damage. Histopathological examination of dissected tissues revealed acute skeletal and cardiac myopathy in all three specimens, suggesting a novel facet of faunal responses to fire and the physical strain exerted to avoid these conditions. No reports of fire associated exertion myopathy could be located for any other animals in the available literature.","PeriodicalId":49247,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Herpetology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2021-07-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/21564574.2021.1938244","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45588935","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-01-02DOI: 10.1080/21564574.2021.1886185
B. Maritz, Aadam Rawoot, R. van Huyssteen
ABSTRACT The lack of detailed natural history information required to precisely characterise the diets of many organisms often results in the use of generalised descriptions of those diets. These descriptions can become dogmatic, and should be challenged with novel observational data when those data become available. We tested the characterisation of cape centipede eaters (Aparallactus capensis) as centipede-eating specialists that consume centipedes to the exclusion of other prey types. We dissected 62 preserved A. capensis specimens and identified stomach contents. Fifteen specimens contained a total of 16 prey items, all of which were identifiable as centipedes. Taking a simulation approach, we calculate the probability of all known wild prey items (n = 21) being centipedes under a range of different simulated diets. We show that if cape centipede eaters do eat non-centipede prey, they do so very infrequently. Although all reported prey items for A. capensis are from the order Scolopendromorpha, a survey of 453 citizen science records of South African centipedes suggests that members of this order account for two thirds of all observations. These data do not allow us to reject the hypothesis that cape centipede eaters consume different centipede prey proportionally to what the encounter.
{"title":"Testing assertions of dietary specialisation: a case study of the diet of Aparallactus capensis","authors":"B. Maritz, Aadam Rawoot, R. van Huyssteen","doi":"10.1080/21564574.2021.1886185","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/21564574.2021.1886185","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT The lack of detailed natural history information required to precisely characterise the diets of many organisms often results in the use of generalised descriptions of those diets. These descriptions can become dogmatic, and should be challenged with novel observational data when those data become available. We tested the characterisation of cape centipede eaters (Aparallactus capensis) as centipede-eating specialists that consume centipedes to the exclusion of other prey types. We dissected 62 preserved A. capensis specimens and identified stomach contents. Fifteen specimens contained a total of 16 prey items, all of which were identifiable as centipedes. Taking a simulation approach, we calculate the probability of all known wild prey items (n = 21) being centipedes under a range of different simulated diets. We show that if cape centipede eaters do eat non-centipede prey, they do so very infrequently. Although all reported prey items for A. capensis are from the order Scolopendromorpha, a survey of 453 citizen science records of South African centipedes suggests that members of this order account for two thirds of all observations. These data do not allow us to reject the hypothesis that cape centipede eaters consume different centipede prey proportionally to what the encounter.","PeriodicalId":49247,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Herpetology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2021-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/21564574.2021.1886185","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45785588","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-01-02DOI: 10.1080/21564574.2020.1860140
Sharon Holt, L. Horwitz, B. Wilson, D. Codron
ABSTRACT The leopard tortoise (Stigmochelys pardalis) is among the most ubiquitously distributed chelonian species in Africa. As with other chelonians, however, the species’ slow growth rate, coupled with low survivorship of juveniles, make it susceptible to declines under regimes of environmental perturbation. Here we studied the impact of electrified fences, a key source of mortality for many South African terrestrial vertebrate taxa, on leopard tortoise mortality in the Free State Province (Jacobsdal district) and Northern Cape Province (Strydenburg district), and its implications for survivorship of this population. Our results show a strong selection bias towards larger (breeding age) individuals that, given the life history of the species, should have strong (negative) consequences for populations. Using data for tortoise populations from other regions as a baseline for survivorship rates in populations unaffected by fencing, we derived a size-structure matrix model to evaluate the impact on population growth rates. Population projections, taking into account variation in survivorship and reproductive rates across and within size classes, indicated substantially higher risk of negative population growth (and eventual extinction) in populations affected by electrified fences. These results confirm that fencing is a conservation problem for the leopard tortoise population in this, and probably other regions, and highlights an urgent need for more intensive regulation of electrified fencing practices among landowners.
{"title":"Leopard tortoise Stigmochelys pardalis (Bell, 1928) mortality caused by electrified fences in central South Africa and its impact on tortoise demography","authors":"Sharon Holt, L. Horwitz, B. Wilson, D. Codron","doi":"10.1080/21564574.2020.1860140","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/21564574.2020.1860140","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT The leopard tortoise (Stigmochelys pardalis) is among the most ubiquitously distributed chelonian species in Africa. As with other chelonians, however, the species’ slow growth rate, coupled with low survivorship of juveniles, make it susceptible to declines under regimes of environmental perturbation. Here we studied the impact of electrified fences, a key source of mortality for many South African terrestrial vertebrate taxa, on leopard tortoise mortality in the Free State Province (Jacobsdal district) and Northern Cape Province (Strydenburg district), and its implications for survivorship of this population. Our results show a strong selection bias towards larger (breeding age) individuals that, given the life history of the species, should have strong (negative) consequences for populations. Using data for tortoise populations from other regions as a baseline for survivorship rates in populations unaffected by fencing, we derived a size-structure matrix model to evaluate the impact on population growth rates. Population projections, taking into account variation in survivorship and reproductive rates across and within size classes, indicated substantially higher risk of negative population growth (and eventual extinction) in populations affected by electrified fences. These results confirm that fencing is a conservation problem for the leopard tortoise population in this, and probably other regions, and highlights an urgent need for more intensive regulation of electrified fencing practices among landowners.","PeriodicalId":49247,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Herpetology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2021-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/21564574.2020.1860140","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44358793","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-01-02DOI: 10.1080/21564574.2020.1832152
L. Ceríaco, Ana Lisette Arellano, Robert C. Jadin, M. P. Marques, Diogo Parrinha, J. Hallermann
ABSTRACT The taxonomic status of the São Tomé and Príncipe islands ‘Cobras Jitas’, genus Boaedon, has been a subject of confusion. Historically, these island populations have been referred to as part of either the Boaedon fuliginosus species complex or Boaedon capensis species complex, two of the most taxonomically challenging groups of African snakes, or considered a distinct taxonomic entity, B. bedriagae. Here we review the São Tomé and Príncipe populations through a combination of morphological and molecular data. Our results suggest that each island population represents a unique species. After a thorough review of the taxonomic and nomenclatural history of the group, we revalidate B. bedriagae, restricting the application of this name to the São Tomé population by the designation of a lectotype. We also describe the Príncipe population as a new species, Boaedon mendesi sp. nov. This description has implications to our understanding of the diversity and phylogeographic patterns of the Gulf of Guinea Oceanic Islands.
{"title":"Taxonomic revision of the Jita snakes (Lamprophiidae: Boaedon) from São Tomé and Príncipe (Gulf of Guinea), with the description of a new species","authors":"L. Ceríaco, Ana Lisette Arellano, Robert C. Jadin, M. P. Marques, Diogo Parrinha, J. Hallermann","doi":"10.1080/21564574.2020.1832152","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/21564574.2020.1832152","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT The taxonomic status of the São Tomé and Príncipe islands ‘Cobras Jitas’, genus Boaedon, has been a subject of confusion. Historically, these island populations have been referred to as part of either the Boaedon fuliginosus species complex or Boaedon capensis species complex, two of the most taxonomically challenging groups of African snakes, or considered a distinct taxonomic entity, B. bedriagae. Here we review the São Tomé and Príncipe populations through a combination of morphological and molecular data. Our results suggest that each island population represents a unique species. After a thorough review of the taxonomic and nomenclatural history of the group, we revalidate B. bedriagae, restricting the application of this name to the São Tomé population by the designation of a lectotype. We also describe the Príncipe population as a new species, Boaedon mendesi sp. nov. This description has implications to our understanding of the diversity and phylogeographic patterns of the Gulf of Guinea Oceanic Islands.","PeriodicalId":49247,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Herpetology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2021-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/21564574.2020.1832152","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43394105","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-01-02DOI: 10.1080/21564574.2021.1891977
J. M. Ngwava, C. D. Barratt, E. Boakes, Beryl A. Bwong, A. Channing, Olivia Couchman, S. Lötters, P. Malonza, V. Muchai, Julius K. Nguku, Joash O. Nyamache, N. Owen, V. Wasonga, S. Loader
ABSTRACT The frog Arthroleptides dutoiti Loveridge, 1935, endemic to Mount Elgon, East Africa was last collected in 1962 and has not been observed since. The species is regarded as Critically Endangered by the IUCN Red List and is a priority species on the Zoological Society of London’s EDGE (Evolutionarily Distinct, Globally Endangered) project, given its Red List status and phylogenetic distinctiveness. We analyse temporal patterns of abundance (1934–2014) of A. dutoiti and the remainder of the Mount Elgon amphibian assemblage to infer the probability of re-encountering A. dutoiti and assess whether declines are species specific to A. dutoiti, or whether they are assemblage-wide phenomena. Our results show that for localities where surveys have been repeatedly conducted, A. dutoiti is likely to be locally extinct. Declines are observed in other Mount Elgon amphibians, encompassing both specialists and generalists. Causal factors for declines are unknown, but habitat change might be important, given the high degree of forest loss in the area, especially since the turn of the 20th century. Urgent sampling of preferred microhabitats of A. dutoiti at the type locality and surrounding areas beyond those included in our study are required to determine whether or not the species is extinct. Impacts on other taxonomic groups would also be useful to understand so that it can be determined how broad the changes are for the Mount Elgon biota.
{"title":"Species-specific or assemblage-wide decline? The case of Arthroleptides dutoiti Loveridge, 1935 and the amphibian assemblage of Mount Elgon, Kenya","authors":"J. M. Ngwava, C. D. Barratt, E. Boakes, Beryl A. Bwong, A. Channing, Olivia Couchman, S. Lötters, P. Malonza, V. Muchai, Julius K. Nguku, Joash O. Nyamache, N. Owen, V. Wasonga, S. Loader","doi":"10.1080/21564574.2021.1891977","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/21564574.2021.1891977","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT The frog Arthroleptides dutoiti Loveridge, 1935, endemic to Mount Elgon, East Africa was last collected in 1962 and has not been observed since. The species is regarded as Critically Endangered by the IUCN Red List and is a priority species on the Zoological Society of London’s EDGE (Evolutionarily Distinct, Globally Endangered) project, given its Red List status and phylogenetic distinctiveness. We analyse temporal patterns of abundance (1934–2014) of A. dutoiti and the remainder of the Mount Elgon amphibian assemblage to infer the probability of re-encountering A. dutoiti and assess whether declines are species specific to A. dutoiti, or whether they are assemblage-wide phenomena. Our results show that for localities where surveys have been repeatedly conducted, A. dutoiti is likely to be locally extinct. Declines are observed in other Mount Elgon amphibians, encompassing both specialists and generalists. Causal factors for declines are unknown, but habitat change might be important, given the high degree of forest loss in the area, especially since the turn of the 20th century. Urgent sampling of preferred microhabitats of A. dutoiti at the type locality and surrounding areas beyond those included in our study are required to determine whether or not the species is extinct. Impacts on other taxonomic groups would also be useful to understand so that it can be determined how broad the changes are for the Mount Elgon biota.","PeriodicalId":49247,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Herpetology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2021-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/21564574.2021.1891977","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42768631","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-01-02DOI: 10.1080/21564574.2021.1921058
Ana Pereira, Mohamed Amine Samlali, Abderrahim S'khifa, T. Slimani, D. Harris
ABSTRACT Although dietary studies are essential to design effective conservation strategies for amphibians, non-invasive studies using microscopy assessment of faecal material are known to have limitations. We assessed the use of DNA metabarcoding to determine diet in the Moroccan painted frog Discoglossus scovazzi. Nineteen families of insects were identified, and resolution of prey taxonomy to the family level identified differences between adult males and females not seen at the order level. Several prey items could be identified to the species level, providing identifications that add towards the determination of the insect diversity of the habitat. However, the 16S primers used only amplified insect prey, so a notable part of the diet could not be surveyed. Multiple markers will be needed to obtain information across the whole prey spectrum of these generalist amphibians.
{"title":"A pilot study on the use of DNA metabarcoding for diet analysis in a montane amphibian population from North Africa","authors":"Ana Pereira, Mohamed Amine Samlali, Abderrahim S'khifa, T. Slimani, D. Harris","doi":"10.1080/21564574.2021.1921058","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/21564574.2021.1921058","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Although dietary studies are essential to design effective conservation strategies for amphibians, non-invasive studies using microscopy assessment of faecal material are known to have limitations. We assessed the use of DNA metabarcoding to determine diet in the Moroccan painted frog Discoglossus scovazzi. Nineteen families of insects were identified, and resolution of prey taxonomy to the family level identified differences between adult males and females not seen at the order level. Several prey items could be identified to the species level, providing identifications that add towards the determination of the insect diversity of the habitat. However, the 16S primers used only amplified insect prey, so a notable part of the diet could not be surveyed. Multiple markers will be needed to obtain information across the whole prey spectrum of these generalist amphibians.","PeriodicalId":49247,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Herpetology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2021-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/21564574.2021.1921058","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42275163","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2020-08-31DOI: 10.1080/21564574.2020.1798291
M. Bates, A. Bauer
ABSTRACT William Roy Branch (1946–2018) was the most prolific Africa-based herpetologist of his era. His 659 herpetological contributions, spanning 47 years, include field and photographic guides, taxonomic revisions, phylogenies, ecological studies, annotated checklists, conservation assessments, type catalogues, notes on natural history, geographical distribution and snakebite, book reviews, editorials, obituaries, tributes and prefaces. Bill authored eight book titles, including his monumental Field Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of Southern Africa (1988, revised in 1998), The Dangerous Snakes of Africa with Steve Spawls (1995, revised in 2020) and Tortoises, Terrapins and Turtles of Africa (2008). He edited the Red Data Book – Reptiles and Amphibians (1988) and was a co-editor of its successor, the Atlas and Red List of the Reptiles of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland (2014). In addition to a corpus of faunal and systematic works, the topics of his publications also include reptile husbandry, karyology, snake hemipenes, snake venom, reptile diets and reproduction. Appendices presented here include a detailed bibliography of his herpetological publications; a chronological list of all the reptile and amphibian taxa he described; and details of patronyms named in his honour. Bill described 68 new taxa comprising 51 species (37 lizards [18 geckos], 7 chelonians, 4 snakes, 3 frogs), 15 genera (14 lizards, 1 snake), one subfamily (Platysaurinae) and one family (Xenodactylidae). Additional species bearing his name are expected to be published within the next few years. He was the most productive South Africa-based author of reptile names (65) in the modern era. As of 2020, he had been honoured by seven patronyms (one lizard, three snakes and one frog species, and a lizard and snake genus).
{"title":"William Roy Branch: Bibliography, taxonomic discoveries and patronyms","authors":"M. Bates, A. Bauer","doi":"10.1080/21564574.2020.1798291","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/21564574.2020.1798291","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT William Roy Branch (1946–2018) was the most prolific Africa-based herpetologist of his era. His 659 herpetological contributions, spanning 47 years, include field and photographic guides, taxonomic revisions, phylogenies, ecological studies, annotated checklists, conservation assessments, type catalogues, notes on natural history, geographical distribution and snakebite, book reviews, editorials, obituaries, tributes and prefaces. Bill authored eight book titles, including his monumental Field Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of Southern Africa (1988, revised in 1998), The Dangerous Snakes of Africa with Steve Spawls (1995, revised in 2020) and Tortoises, Terrapins and Turtles of Africa (2008). He edited the Red Data Book – Reptiles and Amphibians (1988) and was a co-editor of its successor, the Atlas and Red List of the Reptiles of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland (2014). In addition to a corpus of faunal and systematic works, the topics of his publications also include reptile husbandry, karyology, snake hemipenes, snake venom, reptile diets and reproduction. Appendices presented here include a detailed bibliography of his herpetological publications; a chronological list of all the reptile and amphibian taxa he described; and details of patronyms named in his honour. Bill described 68 new taxa comprising 51 species (37 lizards [18 geckos], 7 chelonians, 4 snakes, 3 frogs), 15 genera (14 lizards, 1 snake), one subfamily (Platysaurinae) and one family (Xenodactylidae). Additional species bearing his name are expected to be published within the next few years. He was the most productive South Africa-based author of reptile names (65) in the modern era. As of 2020, he had been honoured by seven patronyms (one lizard, three snakes and one frog species, and a lizard and snake genus).","PeriodicalId":49247,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Herpetology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2020-08-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/21564574.2020.1798291","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45769141","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2020-08-11DOI: 10.1080/21564574.2020.1798292
M. Bates, A. Bauer
ABSTRACT London-born William Roy Branch spent nearly 50 years working as a herpetologist while associated with Port Elizabeth Museum. Bill, as he was known, passed away at home in Port Elizabeth on 14 October 2018, at the age of 72, after battling motor neurone disease. This tribute summarises various aspects of his life, his achievements, and their significance to African herpetology, with special reference to his impact on the Herpetological Association of Africa. It documents his involvement in field work in southern Africa and elsewhere on the continent, which contributed to making the herpetological collection at Port Elizabeth Museum among the largest such collections in Africa. Bill was the most prolific Africa-based herpetologist of his era, having produced an astonishing 659 herpetological publications. He was author of 68 taxon names and had six taxa named in his honour. We also offer personal recollections of our associations with a man we were honoured to know and collaborate with.
{"title":"A tribute to William Roy Branch (1946–2018): Doyen of African Herpetology","authors":"M. Bates, A. Bauer","doi":"10.1080/21564574.2020.1798292","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/21564574.2020.1798292","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT London-born William Roy Branch spent nearly 50 years working as a herpetologist while associated with Port Elizabeth Museum. Bill, as he was known, passed away at home in Port Elizabeth on 14 October 2018, at the age of 72, after battling motor neurone disease. This tribute summarises various aspects of his life, his achievements, and their significance to African herpetology, with special reference to his impact on the Herpetological Association of Africa. It documents his involvement in field work in southern Africa and elsewhere on the continent, which contributed to making the herpetological collection at Port Elizabeth Museum among the largest such collections in Africa. Bill was the most prolific Africa-based herpetologist of his era, having produced an astonishing 659 herpetological publications. He was author of 68 taxon names and had six taxa named in his honour. We also offer personal recollections of our associations with a man we were honoured to know and collaborate with.","PeriodicalId":49247,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Herpetology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2020-08-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/21564574.2020.1798292","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48215062","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2020-07-08DOI: 10.1080/21564574.2020.1782483
W. Conradie, V. Deepak, Chad Keates, D. Gower
ABSTRACT The African natricine genus Limnophis is represented by two species: Limnophis bicolor Günther, 1865 and Limnophis bangweolicus (Mertens, 1936). They are stout-bodied, semi-aquatic snakes that mostly feed on fish and amphibians, and occur from Botswana and Namibia in the south throughout most of Zambia and Angola to the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the north. We gathered new material from the ranges of both species in Angola and Zambia in order to examine their taxonomic status and identify any overlooked diversity. We constructed a phylogenetic tree, based on three mitochondrial genes (16S, cytb, ND4) and one nuclear gene (cmos), which includes the first DNA sequence data for Limnophis. Three well-supported lineages were identified, each representing separate species. The taxonomic status of the two currently recognised species is validated, and we describe a new species of Limnophis from north-eastern Angola. The new species is distinguished from the others by the combination of distinct ventral and lateral head colouration and patterning, differences in head and ventral scalation, and uncorrected pairwise genetic distances to both L. bicolor and L. bangweolicus of 5.4–8.1% in cytb, 6.1–8.4% in ND4 and 2.7–8.3% in 16S.
{"title":"Kissing cousins: a review of the African genus Limnophis Günther, 1865 (Colubridae: Natricinae), with the description of a new species from north-eastern Angola","authors":"W. Conradie, V. Deepak, Chad Keates, D. Gower","doi":"10.1080/21564574.2020.1782483","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/21564574.2020.1782483","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT The African natricine genus Limnophis is represented by two species: Limnophis bicolor Günther, 1865 and Limnophis bangweolicus (Mertens, 1936). They are stout-bodied, semi-aquatic snakes that mostly feed on fish and amphibians, and occur from Botswana and Namibia in the south throughout most of Zambia and Angola to the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the north. We gathered new material from the ranges of both species in Angola and Zambia in order to examine their taxonomic status and identify any overlooked diversity. We constructed a phylogenetic tree, based on three mitochondrial genes (16S, cytb, ND4) and one nuclear gene (cmos), which includes the first DNA sequence data for Limnophis. Three well-supported lineages were identified, each representing separate species. The taxonomic status of the two currently recognised species is validated, and we describe a new species of Limnophis from north-eastern Angola. The new species is distinguished from the others by the combination of distinct ventral and lateral head colouration and patterning, differences in head and ventral scalation, and uncorrected pairwise genetic distances to both L. bicolor and L. bangweolicus of 5.4–8.1% in cytb, 6.1–8.4% in ND4 and 2.7–8.3% in 16S.","PeriodicalId":49247,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Herpetology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2020-07-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/21564574.2020.1782483","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45604729","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2020-07-08DOI: 10.1080/21564574.2020.1778108
Ninda L. Baptista, K. Tolley, M. Bluhm, M. Finckh, W. Branch
ABSTRACT The Scaled Sandveld Lizard Nucras scalaris Laurent, 1964 is a poorly known lacertid endemic to north-eastern Angola and is only known from the type series collected more than half a century ago. The original description provided a comprehensive morphological description, but there was a lack of information regarding its evolutionary relationships and habitat associations. A recent discovery of N. scalaris from Cusseque, Bié Province, on the central Angolan plateau provided the opportunity to address some knowledge gaps of this species. A phylogenetic analysis confirmed its distinctiveness at the species level. Despite a limited dataset, the analysis suggests that N. scalaris is sister to N. broadleyi rather than N. lalandii, the latter having been assumed to be the sister species, because of morphological similarity between them. The new record of N. scalaris represents a range extension of more than 350 km to the southwest and extends the elevation range to 1 570 m above sea level, compared to previous known localities at about 1 300 m above sea level (Alto Cuílo and Alto Chicapa, in Lunda Sul Province). The specimen also provides new information on live coloration, as well as the habitat association of grassy shrubland that is dominated by geoxylic suffrutices (the so-called ‘underground forests’) characteristic of the Angolan Miombo Woodlands. This new information raises the question whether poor survey data have led to an under-estimation of faunal diversity in this peculiar and overlooked vegetation type, and reinforces the need for further surveys which could highlight the importance of this habitat.
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