An official website of the United States government
The genus Rhoptropus comprises nine recognized species of diurnal geckos endemic to the arid regions of Angola and Namibia. Seven species occur in Angola, including the widespread R. boultoni and the poorly known Angolan endemics R. benguellensis and R. montanus, formerly recognized as subspecies of R. boultoni. While R. benguellensis is relatively widespread in the Angolan Escarpment highlands, R. montanus is geographically restricted to the Huíla Plateau. Recent fieldwork on the Serra da Neve inselberg, a herpetological diversity hotspot in southwestern Angola, revealed the presence of an undescribed species of Rhoptropus at an elevation of approximately 1600 m. An integrative taxonomic approach combining coloration, morphological and molecular data supports the recognition of this population as a distinct taxonomic unit with affinities to R. montanus, which we describe herein as Rhoptropus nivimontanus sp. nov. The discovery of a new species of Rhoptropus endemic to Serra da Neve is discussed in the biogeographic context of the region.
more »
« less
A new species of African legless skink, genus Acontias Cuvier, 1816 “1817” (Squamata: Scincidae) from Serra da Neve inselberg, south-western Angola
During a recent survey of the Serra da Neve inselberg in southwestern Angola, a population of lance-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 rupicolous species such as A. percivali and 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.
more »
« less
- Award ID(s):
- 2146654
- PAR ID:
- 10507925
- Publisher / Repository:
- Taylor and Francis
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- African Journal of Herpetology
- Volume:
- 72
- Issue:
- 2
- ISSN:
- 2156-4574
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 145-162
- Subject(s) / Keyword(s):
- Acontinae taxonomy endemism speciation systematics
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
More Like this
-
-
Four species of the genusPanaspis–P. cabindae,P. wahlbergi,P. maculicollisandP. 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 ericaesp. nov.andP. mundavambosp. 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.more » « less
-
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 km2. 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.more » « less
-
Approximately 238 species of reptiles are found in the highlands and escarpments of Angola and Namibia (HEAN). Of the 430 species present in the two countries in total, 46 are strictly endemic (or nearly so) to the HEAN and another 16 have extensive portions of their ranges in these areas. Geckos constitute the majority of HEAN endemics with 32 species; in addition, there are nine cordylids, six skinks, four lacertids and one chameleon, as well as nine snakes (in five families) and a single tortoise comprising the remainder. Many of these species are substrate specialists and therefore rock types and textures may be a more important determinant of their distributions than elevation per se. Reptile diversity is greatest in the larger highland areas of the Khomas Hochland and Angolan Planalto, but many areas support at least some regional highland endemics including the Marginal Mountain Chain and Central Escarpment, and the Serra do Môco and the Serra da Neve in Angola, and the Karasberge, Waterberg and the Otavi, Erongo, Numib, Tiras, Baynes and Otjihipa mountains as well as numerous inselberg clusters (e.g., Huns–Orange and Huab outliers) in Namibia. The vast majority of the highland taxa have been assessed as Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), with several taxa considered Data Deficient or Near Threatened and only three Vulnerable. Most highland and escarpment areas in Angola and Namibia remain woefully understudied from a herpetological perspective and the description of 20% of the endemics in the last ten years suggests that true reptile diversity remains underestimated.more » « less
-
Abstract Spiny lizards (genus Sceloporus) have long served as important systems for studies of behavior, thermal physiology, dietary ecology, vector biology, speciation, and biogeography. The western fence lizard, Sceloporus occidentalis, is found across most of the major biogeographical regions in the western United States and northern Baja California, Mexico, inhabiting a wide range of habitats, from grassland to chaparral to open woodlands. As small ectotherms, Sceloporus lizards are particularly vulnerable to climate change, and S. occidentalis has also become an important system for studying the impacts of land use change and urbanization on small vertebrates. Here, we report a new reference genome assembly for S. occidentalis, as part of the California Conservation Genomics Project (CCGP). Consistent with the reference genomics strategy of the CCGP, we used Pacific Biosciences HiFi long reads and Hi-C chromatin-proximity sequencing technology to produce a de novo assembled genome. The assembly comprises a total of 608 scaffolds spanning 2,856 Mb, has a contig N50 of 18.9 Mb, a scaffold N50 of 98.4 Mb, and BUSCO completeness score of 98.1% based on the tetrapod gene set. This reference genome will be valuable for understanding ecological and evolutionary dynamics in S. occidentalis, the species status of the California endemic island fence lizard (S. becki), and the spectacular radiation of Sceloporus lizards.more » « less
- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
-
Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1080/21564574.2023.2246487
