A new species of African legless skink, genus
            <i>Acontias</i>
            Cuvier, 1816 “1817” (Squamata: Scincidae) from Serra da Neve inselberg, south-western Angola

Marques, Mariana P.; Parrinha, Diogo; Tiutenko, Arthur; Lopes-Lima, Manuel; Bauer, Aaron M.; Ceríaco, Luis M. P.

doi:10.1080/21564574.2023.2246487

Cited by 3 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“… mukwando is more closely related to A. percivali , a species endemic to the Eastern Arc Mountains of northeastern Tanzania and southeast Kenya, than to other lineages of the complex occurring in Namibia and Angola ( Marques et al 2023b ). This pattern is also present in the new species Panaspis sp.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This recently described species is only known from the Serra da Neve inselberg and considered a strict endemic. It was found hiding under rocks and active on leaf-litter in Miombo-dominated landscapes ( Marques et al 2023b ).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This is especially true for East-African Afromontane inselberg regions, as in the case of Mount Namuli and Mount Mabu in Mozambique (e.g., Timberlake et al 2009 ; Portik et al 2013a , 2013b ; Brand et al 2011 ; Bayliss et al 2014 ) or Mount Mulanje in Malawi ( Curran et al 2012 ). Due to this interest, in recent years several new endemic animal species, such as amphibians ( Ceríaco et al 2018 ; Conradie et al 2018 ), reptiles ( Branch et al 2005 ; Branch and Bayliss 2009 ; Branch and Tolley 2010 ; Portik et al 2013b ; Branch et al 2014 , 2019 ; Marques et al 2019 , 2020 , 2023a , 2023b ), invertebrates ( Congdon et al 2010 ; Daniels and Bayliss 2012 ; Bilton 2014 ; Daniels et al 2014 , 2020 ), and mammals ( Monadjem et al 2010 ; Taylor et al 2012 ; Simmons et al 2021 ) have been described from inselbergs across Africa. Several studies have also provided inventories of the herpetofauna ( Michael et al 2008 ; Kirchhof et al 2010 ; Conradie et al 2016a ; Bittencourt-Silva et al 2020 ) and plant diversity ( Rabarimanarivo et al 2019 ; Porembski and Barthlott 2000 ; Burke 2003 ; Kandziora et al 2022 ; Brand et al 2019 ) of these inselbergs across the continent.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The inselberg is covered by a Miombo forest habitat, contrasting with the surrounding lowland habitats, which are mainly dominated by Namibian woodland savanna and arid areas of Namib Desert ( Grandvaux-Barbosa 1970 ). Although its biodiversity is still poorly known, and systematic surveys have only recently begun, the inselberg is already known to harbor an impressive number of strictly endemic species of amphibians and reptiles, such as Poyntonophrynus pachnodes Ceríaco, Marques, Bandeira, Agarwal, Stanley, Heinicke, Blackburn & Bauer, 2018, Cordylus phonolithos Marques, Ceríaco, Stanley, Bandeira, Agarwal & Bauer, 2019, Lygodactylus baptistai Marques, Ceríaco, Buehler, Bandeira, Janota & Bauer, 2020, Afroedura praedicta Branch, Schmitz, Lobón-Rovira, Baptista, António & Conradie, 2021, and Acontias mukwando Marques, Parrinha, Tiutenko, Lopes-Lima, Bauer & Ceríaco, 2023 ( Ceríaco et al 2018 ; Marques et al 2019 , 2020 , 2023b ; Branch et al 2021 ), with at least three other reptile species currently being described (MPM unpubl. data; DP unpubl.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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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,

Parrinha,

Lopes-Lima

et al. 2024

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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 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.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

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

Marques,

Parrinha,

Lopes-Lima

et al. 2024

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A treasure trove of endemics: two new species of snake-eyed skinks of the genus Panaspis Cope, 1868 (Squamata, Scincidae) from the Serra da Neve Inselberg, southwestern Angola

P. Marques,

Parrinha,

Lopes-Lima

et al. 2024

EvolSyst

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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 ericaesp. nov. and P. 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.

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Two new Poyntonophrynus species (Anura: Bufonidae) highlight the importance of Angolan centers of endemism

Baptista,

Vaz Pinto,

Keates

et al. 2023

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The pygmy toad genus Poyntonophrynus is endemic to southern Africa. The morphology of these small toads is conserved. They are usually dully colored, and are predominately adapted to arid conditions. During recent surveys in Angola we found Poyntonophrynus specimens that were not assignable to known species. Using an integrative approach, based on mitochondrial and nuclear DNA, morphology, osteology, biogeography and ecology, we identified three new lineages, and describe two of them as new species. All three lineages are closely related to P. pachnodes, an Angolan endemic species, but they are geographically isolated from it. The new species are morphologically distinguishable, and are associated with two of the most important Angolan centers of endemism: the western escarpment and the central highlands. In order to get a more comprehensive understanding of the osteology of the genus, we also provide an osteological characterization of P. dombensis, which was not available to date. Our findings i) increase the number of earless species in the genus Poyntonophrynus, ii) emphasize southwestern Africa as the cradle of diversification in this genus, iii) report the occurrence of Poyntonophrynus in humid environments, thus showing that these toads are ecologically more variable than previously thought, and iv) underline the importance of further biodiversity studies in Angolan centers of endemism.

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A new species of African legless skink, genus Acontias Cuvier, 1816 “1817” (Squamata: Scincidae) from Serra da Neve inselberg, south-western Angola

Cited by 3 publications

References 31 publications

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

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

A treasure trove of endemics: two new species of snake-eyed skinks of the genus Panaspis Cope, 1868 (Squamata, Scincidae) from the Serra da Neve Inselberg, southwestern Angola

Two new Poyntonophrynus species (Anura: Bufonidae) highlight the importance of Angolan centers of endemism

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