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An island in a sea of sand: a first checklist of the herpetofauna of the Serra da Neve inselberg, southwestern Angola

Marques MP, Parrinha D, Lopes-Lima M, Tiutenko A, Bauer AM, Ceríaco LM (2024)

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Publication Language: English

Publication Type: Journal article, Original article

Publication year: 2024

Journal

Book Volume: 1201

Pages Range: 167–217

URI: https://zookeys.pensoft.net/article/120750/

DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1201.120750

Abstract

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 occurring in Serra da Neve and compare its fauna with that of the surrounding habitats at lower elevations, as well as an examination of the phylogeographic affinities of the inselberg taxa. A total of 60 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 49 species of reptiles, belonging to 32 genera and 12 families. Of these, one amphibian and seven reptiles from seven different genera are strictly endemic, turning the inselberg into the richest region in southwestern Africa with respect to strict endemics, with a total of 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 other 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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How to cite

APA:

Marques, M.P., Parrinha, D., Lopes-Lima, M., Tiutenko, A., Bauer, A.M., & Ceríaco, L.M. (2024). An island in a sea of sand: a first checklist of the herpetofauna of the Serra da Neve inselberg, southwestern Angola. ZooKeys, 1201, 167–217. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1201.120750

MLA:

Marques, Mariana P., et al. "An island in a sea of sand: a first checklist of the herpetofauna of the Serra da Neve inselberg, southwestern Angola." ZooKeys 1201 (2024): 167–217.

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