The herpetological collections of the Instituto de Investigação Científica Tropical, Lisbon, are amongst the most important collections from the former Portuguese territories in Africa and Asia. The ...collection comprises more than 5000 preserved specimens, including type specimens of nine taxa,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
, and
. The collection was abandoned in the early years of 2000s and was at risk of being lost. In this paper the entire collection is reviewed, a catalogue provided of the extant specimens, and a brief account of the history of herpetological research at IICT given. Details are also provided on the recovery of the collection and a protocol to rescue abandoned collections.
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The Serra da Neve inselberg in Namibe Province, southwestern Angola is the second highest peak of Angola with an elevation of 2489 m. It remains one of the least explored regions in the country, ...despite several endemic species having been recently described from this inselberg. Here we provide an inventory of the amphibian and reptile species ocurring in Serra da Neve and compare its fauna with that of the surrounding habitats at lower elevations. We also examine the phylogenetic affinities of the inselberg taxa. A total of 59 herpetological taxa were recorded for the Serra da Neve inselberg and its immediate surroundings. These include 11 species of amphibians, belonging to nine genera and seven different families, and 48 species of reptiles, belonging to 32 genera and 12 families. Of these, one amphibian and seven reptiles from seven different genera are strictly endemic, making the inselberg the richest region in southwestern Africa with respect to strict endemics, with one endemic reptile taxa per 127 km
. Not surprisingly, most of the recorded taxa belong to clades that are endemic, or at least strongly associated, with southern Africa, but two are representatives of central African clades, and another two are more closely related to eastern African highland taxa. We also provide comments on the threats to the conservation of this endemic-rich inselberg.
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Four species of the genus Panaspis – P. cabindae , P. wahlbergi , P. maculicollis and P. mocamedensis – are currently known from Angola. The analysis of recently collected specimens from Serra da ...Neve Inselberg, an isolated mountain located in northern Namibe Province, revealed unexpected taxonomic diversity in the group. Using an integrative taxonomy approach based on morphological and DNA sequence data, with both mitochondrial (16S) and nuclear (RAG-1) genes, we were able to distinguish two distinct populations, described here as two new species, Panaspis ericae sp. nov. and P. mundavambo sp. nov. Both species are assumed to be endemic to the inselberg. This reinforces our notion of southwestern Angola as a hotspot of skink diversity, and highlights the urgent need for the conservation of Serra da Neve.
Several specimens of
Pachydactylus angolensis
, a poorly known Angolan endemic gecko, have recently been collected in southern Angola, considerably increasing its known distribution range. Previous ...observations led to the hypothesis that two different morphological forms exist in the country—a coastal form and an inland form. Based on the morphological examination of historical and recently collected specimens, as well as on newly generated molecular data, we conducted a taxonomic revision of this putative species complex. The results support the separation of these two forms as two different species. The coastal form belongs to the nominotypic population, while the inland form is here described as a new species,
Pachydactylus maiatoi
sp. nov.
. A brief comment on the biogeographical implications of this discovery is also provided.
Abstract The Corubal (Guinea-Bissau) is a wild but underexplored river in West Africa. This study underscores the potential of environmental DNA (eDNA) surveys to fill biodiversity knowledge gaps in ...the region. We filtered large water volumes at 11 sites along the watershed, amplified multiple molecular markers, and performed high PCR (polymerase chain reaction) replication and in-depth sequencing. We recorded 2589 amplicon sequence variants, with accumulation curves indicating the need for additional sampling to achieve a thorough survey. The taxonomic assignments were constrained by the scarcity of genomic resources. We recorded 125 species of aquatic and terrestrial vertebrates, including 21 new to the country, predominantly fish (61.9%). Surprisingly, crocodiles were not detected, despite their known presence. There were 11 imperiled species, two of which are Critically Endangered (Western chimpanzee and the mussel Pleiodon ovatus). Our findings support the conservation importance of the Corubal, provide a baseline for future monitoring, and highlight the challenges and opportunities of eDNA surveys in remote tropical rivers.
Recent integrative taxonomic studies of the agamid genus Acanthocercus Fitzinger, 1843 have shown that Angola harbors three different taxa, all within the Acanthocercus atricollis (Smith, 1849) ...species complexA. cyanocephalus (Falk, 1925) in the northeastern parts of the country, A. margaritae Wagner et al. 2021 in the southern regions, and an unnamed species in the central and northwestern parts of Angola. Using the previously published molecular data as evidence of phylogenetic support and newly collected morphological, meristic and coloration data, we here describe this unnamed lineage as a new species. The new species is morphologically very similar to A. cyanocephalus, but it can easily be differentiated from the latter by the coloration pattern of displaying males, with a blue coloration restricted to the head region, and by its inferior scale counts compared to other species of the A. atricollis complex group. As reported in other studies in this group, male breeding coloration is an effective trait for diagnosing these morphologically conserved species. This description raises the number of Acanthocercus species recognized to 15 and is another contribution revealing the rich but still incompletely described herpetological diversity of Angola.
During a recent survey of the Serra da Neve inselberg in south-western Angola, a population of legless skinks of the genus Acontias was found. Only three species of this genus have been recorded for ...the country so far - A. occidentalis, A. kgalagadi and A. jappi. Using an integrative approach and combining molecular and morphological data we found that the Serra da Neve population represents a new species, closely related to species such as A. percivali and some members of the A. occidentalis species complex. In this paper, we describe this population as a new species, Acontias mukwando
sp. nov. and provide brief comments on its conservation and biogeography.
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The genus Trachylepis is currently represented by 21 species in Angola, most of them part of nomenclaturally and taxonomically challenging species complexes. In this study we present an integrative ...taxonomic revision of the genus in Angola and describe seven new species: Trachylepis attenboroughi, sp. nov., Trachylepis bouri, sp. nov., Trachylepis hilariae, sp. nov., Trachylepis ovahelelo, sp. nov., Trachylepis suzanae, sp. nov., Trachylepis vunongue, sp. nov., and Trachylepis wilsoni, sp. nov. As result of our taxonomic revisions, 25 valid Trachylepis species are now confirmed from Angola. A phylogenetic analysis using a combination of mitochondrial (16S, ND2) and nuclear (RAG1) markers, as well as morphological data, supports the recognition of the new species. In addition, data support the revalidation of Trachylepis albopunctata (Bocage, 1867), Trachylepis notabilis (Peters, 1879), and Trachylepis ansorgii (Boulenger, 1907). We also provide a redefinition of Euprepes anchietae Bocage, 1866, which we synonymize with Trachylepis maculilabris (Gray, 1845). Given that the type material for Trachylepis albopunctata, T. angolensis, and T. anchietae has been lost or destroyed, we designate neotypes for the purpose of nomenclatural stability. The description of the new species and the revision and revalidation of previously described Angolan species contribute to a better understanding of the taxonomy and biogeography of the genus, as well as to the general biogeographic patterns and evolution of the Angolan fauna.
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.
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