Abstract
Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo are relatively unknown in terms of their herpetological diversity. Based on specimens collected in the Congolese region of the Katanga and the northeast of Angola during the first decades of the twentieth century, de Witte and Laurent independently suggested, based on morphological and coloration differences, that populations of T. megalura of these regions could belong a new “race”. We compared specimens of T. megalura (including the type specimens of T. megalura and T. massaiana) with Angolan and Katangan museum specimens as well as newly collected specimens from Angola. Coloration pattern and morphological characters, in combination with substantial divergence in the 16S mitochondrial gene, confirm the distinctiveness of the west Central African form, and it is here described as a new species. Data regarding its natural history, ecology and global distribution are presented.
References
Allen, K.E., Tapondjou, W.P., Welton, L.J. & Bauer, A.M. (2017) A new species of Trachylepis (Squamata: Scincidae) from Central Africa and a key to the Trachylepis of West and Central Africa. Zootaxa, 4268 (2), 255–269.
https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4268.2.5Bauer, A.M., Shea, G. & Günther, R. (2003) An annotated catalogue of the types of scincid lizards (Reptilia, Squamata, Scincidae) in the collections of the Museum für Naturkunde der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (ZMB). Mitteilungen aus dem Museum für Naturkunde zu Berlin, 79 (2), 253–321.
https://doi.org/10.1002/mmnz.20030790204Blackburn, D.C., Greenbaum, E., Fabrezi, M., Meirte, D., Plumptre, A. J., & Stanley, E.L. (2016) The distribution of the Bururi Long-Fingered Frog (Cardioglossa cyaneospila, Family Arthroleptidae), a poorly known Albertine Rift endemic. Zootaxa, 4170 (2), 355–364.
https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4170.2.8
Branch, W.R. & Conradie, W. (2015) IV. Herpetofauna da região da Lagoa Carumbo. In: Huntley, B. & Francisco, P. (Eds.), Avaliação Rápida da Biodiversidade da Região da Lagoa Carumbo, Lunda Norte—Angola. Ministério do Ambiente de Angola, Luanda, Angola, pp. 194–209.
Branch, W.R., Haacke, W., Vaz Pinto, P., Conradie, W., Baptista, N., Verburgt, L. & Verissimo, L. (2017) Loveridge’s Angolan geckos, Afroedura karroica bogertii and Pachydactylus scutatus angolensis (Sauria, Gekkonidae): new distribution records, comments on type localities and taxonomic status. Zoosystematics and Evolution, 93 (1), 157–166.
https://doi.org/10.3897/zse.93.10915
Broadley, D.G. (1998) Introduction to Reptilia. Karl Patterson Schmidt and the reptile volumes based on the collections of the American Museum of Natural History Congo Expedition 1909–1915. In: Schmidt, K.P. & Noble, G.K. (Eds.), Contributions to the Herpetology of the Belgian Congo. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles in cooperation with the Herpetological Association of Africa, Ithaca, pp. ix–xxxiii.
Broadley, D.G. (2000) A review of the genus Mabuya in southeastern Africa (Sauria: Scincidae). African Journal of Herpetology, 49 (2), 87–110.
https://doi.org/10.1080/21564574.2000.9635437
Broadley, D.G. & Cotterill, F.P.D. (2004) The reptiles of southeast Katanga, an overlooked ‘hot spot’. African Journal of Herpetology, 53 (1), 35–61.
https://doi.org/10.1080/21564574.2004.9635497
Broadley, D.G. & Howell, K.M. 1991. A check list of the reptiles of Tanzania, with synoptic keys. Syntarsus, 1, 1–70.
Ceríaco, L.M.P., Bauer, A.M., Blackburn, D.C. & Lavres, A.C.F.C. (2014) The herpetofauna of the Capanda Dam region, Malanje, Angola. Herpetological Review, 45 (4), 667–674.
Ceríaco, L.M.P., De Sá, S.A.C., Bandeira, S., Valério, H., Stanley, E.L., Khun, A.L., Marques, M.P., Vindum, J.V., Blackburn, D.C. & Bauer, A.M. (2016a) Herpetological Survey of Iona National Park and Namibe Regional Natural Park, with a Synoptic List of the Amphibians and Reptiles of Namibe Province, Southwestern Angola. Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, Series 4, 63 (2), 15–61.
Ceríaco, L.M.P., Marques, M.P. & Bandeira, S.A. (2016b) Anfíbios e Répteis do Parque Nacional da Cangandala. Instituto Nacional da Biodiversidade e Áreas de Conservação, Angola & Museu Nacional de História Nacional e da Ciência da Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal, 97 pp.
Ceríaco, L.M.P., Marques, M.P. & Bauer, A.M. (2016c) A review of the genus Trachylepis (Sauria: Scincidae) from the Gulf of Guinea, with descriptions of two new species in the Trachylepis maculilabris (Gray, 1845) complex. Zootaxa, 4109 (3), 284–314.
https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4109.3.2
Ceríaco, L.M.P., Marques, M.P., Bandeira, S., Agarwal, I., Stanley, E. L., Bauer, A.M., Heinicke, M.P. & Blackburn, D.C. (2018a) A new earless species of Poyntonophrynus (Anura, Bufonidae) from the Serra da Neve Inselberg, Namibe Provincce, Angola. ZooKeys, 780, 109–136.
https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.780.25859
Ceríaco L.M.P., Marques, M.P., Bandeira, S., Blackburn, D.C. & Bauer, A.M. (2018b) Herpetological survey of Cangandala National Park, with a synoptic list of the amphibians and reptiles of Malanje Province, central Angola. Herpetological Review, 49 (3), 408–431.
Conradie, W., Branch, W.R., Measey, G.J. & Tolley, K.A. (2012a) A new species of Hyperolius Rapp, 1842 (Anura: Hyperoliidae) from the Serra da Chela Mountains, south-western Angola. Zootaxa, 3269, 1–17.
Conradie, W., Measey, G.J., Branch, W.R. & Tolley, K.A. (2012b) Revised phylogeny of African sand lizards (Pedioplanis), with the description of two new species from south-western Angola. African Journal of Herpetology, 61 (2), 91–112.
https://doi.org/10.1080/21564574.2012.676079
Conradie, W. Branch, W.R. & Tolley, K.A. (2013) Fifty Shades of Grey: giving colour to the poorly know Angolan Ashy reed frog (Hyperoliidae: Hyperolius cinereus), with the description of a new species. Zootaxa, 3635 (3), 201–223.
https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3635.3.1
Conradie, W., Bills, R. & Branch, W.R. (2016) The herpetofauna of the Cuando Cubango, Cuito and lower Cuando river catchments of south-eastern Angola. Amphibian & Reptile Conservation, 10 (2), 6–36.
de Queiroz, K. (1998) The general lineage concept of species, species criteria, and the process of speciation. In: Howard, D.J. & Berlocher, S.H. (Eds.), Endless Forms: Species and Speciation. Oxford University Press, New York, pp. 57–75.
de Witte, G.-F. (1933) Reptiles récoltés au Congo Belge par le Dr H. Schouteden et par M. G.-F. de Witte. Annales du Musée du Congo Belge, Zoologie, Série I, 3 (2), 53–100, 4 pls.
de Witte, G.-F. (1953) Exploration du Parc National de l’Upemba. Vol. 6. Reptiles. Institut des Parcs Nationaux du Congo Belge, Brussels, 322 pp.
Ernst, R., Nienguesso, A.B., Lautenschläger, T., Barej, M.F., Schmitz, A. & Hölting, M. (2014) Relicts of a forested past: southernmost distribution of the hairy frog genus Trichobatrachus Boulenger, 1900 (Anura: Arthroleptidae) in the Serra do Pingano region of Angola with comments on its taxonomic status. Zootaxa, 3779 (2), 297–300.
https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3779.2.10
Ernst, R., Schmitz, A., Wagner, P., Branquima, M.F. & Hölting, M. (2015) A window to central African forest history: distribution of the Xenopus fraseri subgroup south of the Congo Basin, including a first country record of Xenopus andrei from Angola. Salamandra, 51 (2), 147–155.
Evans, B.J., Greenbaum, E., Kusamba, C., Carter, T.F., Tobias, M.L., Mendel, S.A. & Kelley, D.B. (2011) Description of a new octoploid frog species (Anura: Pipidae: Xenopus) from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with a discussion of the biogeography of African clawed frogs in the Albertine Rift. Journal of Zoology, London, 283, 276–290.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7998.2010.00769.x
Fischer, J.G. (1884) Über einige afrikanische Reptilien, Amphibien und Fische des Naturhistorischen Museums I. Über die von Herrn Dr. G.A. Fischer in Massai Gebiete (Ost Afrika) auf seiner in Veranlassung der geographischen Gesellschaft in Hamburg unternommenen Expedition. Jahrbuch der Hamburgischen Wissenschaftlichen Anstalten, 1, 1–32.
Greenbaum, E. & Kusamba, C. (2012) Conservation implications following the rediscovery of four frog species from the Itombwe Natural Reserve, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Herpetological Review, 43, 253–259.
Greenbaum, E., Villanueva, C.O., Kusamba, C., Aristote, M.M. & Branch, W.R. (2011) A molecular phylogeny of Equatorial African Lacertidae, with the description of a new genus and species from eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 163, 913–942.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1096-3642.2011.00732.x
Greenbaum, E., Tolley, K.A., Joma, A. & Kusamba, C. (2012a) A new species of chameleon (Sauria: Chamaeleonidae: Kinyongia) from the northern Albertine Rift, Central Africa. Herpetologica, 68, 60–75.
https://doi.org/10.1655/HERPETOLOGICA-D-11-00026.1
Greenbaum, E., Stanley, E.L., Kusamba, C., Moninga, W.M., Goldberg, S.R. & Bursey, C.R. (2012b) A new species of Cordylus (Squamata: Cordylidae) from the Marungu Plateau of south-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. African Journal of Herpetology, 61, 14–39.
https://doi.org/10.1080/21564574.2012.666505
Hallermann, J. (1998) Annotated catalogue of the type specimens of the herpetological collection in the Zoological Museum of the University of Hamburg. Mitteilungen aus dem Hamburgischen Zoologischen Museum und Institut, 95, 197–223.
Hughes, D.F., Kusamba, C., Behangana, M. & Greenbaum, E. (2017) Integrative taxonomy of the Central African forest chameleon, Kinyongia adolfifriderici (Sauria: Chamaeleonidae), reveals underestimated species diversity in the Albertine Rift. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 181, 400–438.
https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlx005
Kingdon, R. & Spawls, S. (2010) A new gregarious species of Trachylepis (Reptilia: Sauria: Scincidae) from Lolui Island, Lake Victoria, Uganda, with a key to Ugandan Trachylepis. African Journal of Herpetology, 59 (2), 123–132.
https://doi.org/10.1080/21564574.2010.508220
Lantermann, W. & Lantermann, Y. (2008) Skinke in den Usambara-Bergen im Nordosten Tansanias. Reptilia, Münster, 13 (71), 75–77.
Laurent, R. (1964) Reptiles et amphibiens de l’Angola (troisième contribution). Publicações Culturais. Companhia de Diamantes de Angola, 67, 1–165.
Loveridge, A. (1920) Notes on East African lizards collected 1915–1919, with description of a new genus and species of skink and new subspecies of gecko. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, 1920, 131–167.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7998.1920.tb07639.x
Loveridge, A. (1936) African reptiles and amphibians in the Field Museum of Natural History. Field Museum of Natural History, Zoological Series, 22 (1), 1–111.
https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.3069
Marques, M.P., Ceríaco, L.M.P., Blackburn, D.C. & Bauer, A.M. (2018) Diversity and distribution of the amphibians and terrestrial reptiles of Angola—Atlas of historical and bibliographic records (1840–2017). Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, Series 4, 65 (2), 1–501.
Mausfeld, P., Vences, M., Schmitz, A. & Veith, M. (2000) First data on the molecular phylogeography of scincid lizards of the genus Mabuya. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 17 (1), 11–14.
https://doi.org/10.1006/mpev.2000.0809
Medina, M.F., Bauer, A.M., Branch, W.R., Schmitz, A., Conradie, W., Nagy, Z.T., Hibbitts, T.J., Ernst, R., Portik, D.M., Nielsen, S.V., Colston, T.J., Kusamba, C., Behangana, M., Rödel, M.-O. & Greenbaum, E. (2016) Molecular phylogeny of Panaspis and Afroablepharus skinks (Squamata: Scincidae) in the savannas of sub-Saharan Africa. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 100, 409–423.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2016.04.026
Meek, S.E. (1910) Batrachians and reptiles from British East Africa. Field Museum of Natural History, Zoological Series, 7 (1), 403–414.
https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.2534
Neumann, O. (1905) Über nordost-afrikanische und arabische Kriechtiere im Anschluß an Gustav Tornier’s vorangehende Abhandlung. Zoologische Jahrbücher, 22, 389–404.
Peters, W.C.H. (1878) Über die von Hrn. J. M. Hildebrandt während seiner letzten ostafrikanischen Reise gesammelten Säugethiere und Amphibien. Monatsberichte der Königlichen Preussischen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin, 1878, 194–209.
Portillo, F. & Greenbaum, E. (2014a) At the edge of a species boundary: A new and relatively young species of Leptopelis (Anura: Arthroleptidae) from the Itombwe Plateau, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Herpetologica, 70, 100–119.
https://doi.org/10.1655/HERPETOLOGICA-D-12-00087
Portillo, F. & Greenbaum, E. (2014b) A new species of the Leptopelis modestus complex (Anura: Arthroleptidae) from the Albertine Rift of Central Africa. Journal of Herpetology, 48, 394–406.
https://doi.org/10.1670/13-043
Sindaco, R., Metallinou, M., Pupin, F., Fasola, M. & Carranza, S. (2012) Forgotten in the ocean: systematics, biogeography and evolution of the Trachylepis skinks of the Socotra Archipelago. Zoologica Scripta, 41, 346–36.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1463-6409.2012.00540.x
Spawls, S., Howell, K., Drewes, R. & Ashe, J. (2004) A Field Guide to the Reptiles of East Africa. Bloomsbury Publishing, London, 543 pp.
Spawls, S., Spawls, S., Howell, K. & Drewes, R. (2006) Pocket Guide to the Reptiles and Amphibians of East Africa. Bloomsbury Publishing, London, 240 pp.
Spawls, S., Howell, K., Hinkel, H. & Menegon, M. (2018) Field Guide to East African Reptiles. Bloomsbury Publishing, London, 624 pp.
Stanley, E.L., Ceríaco, L.M.P., Bandeira, S., Valério, H., Bates, M.F. & Branch, W.R. (2016) A review of Cordylus machadoi (Squamata: Cordylidae) in southwestern Angola, with the description of a new species from the Pro-Namib desert. Zootaxa, 4061 (3), 201–226.
https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4061.3.1
Uetz, P. & Hošek, J. (2018) The Reptile Database. Available from: http://www.reptile-database.org (accessed 5 November 2018)
Weinell, J.L. & Bauer, A.M. (2018) Systematics and phylogeography of the widely distributed African skink Trachylepis varia species complex. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 120, 103–117.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2017.11.014