Thirty years of amphibian surveys in the Ukagurus Mountains of Tanzania reveal new species, yet others are in decline

Liedtke, H. Christoph; Lyakurwa, John V.; Lawson, Lucinda P.; Menegon, Michele; Garrido-Priego, Marina; Mariaux, Jean; Ngalason, Wilirk; Channing, Alan; Owen, Nisha; Bittencourt-Silva, Gabriela B.; Wilkinson, Mark; Larson, Joanna G.; Loader, Simon P.

doi:10.1080/21564574.2022.2043945

Cited by 3 publications

(4 citation statements)

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“…Given its small distribution and habitat loss, Hyperolius ukaguruensis sp. nov. is likely to be of high conservation concern [ 9 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Mamiwa-Kisara North Forest Reserve in the Ukaguru Mountains was sampled over a seven-night period starting on the 18 th of February 2019 for a total of approximately 200 person-hours ( Fig 1 ) [ 9 ]. Rains had begun in the region, but the typical heavy spring rains had not yet started for the year.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Specimens were collected in and around the edge of montane forest in a swamp. Collecting across the Ukaguru Mountains has been patchy [9], so it is not clear if H. ukaguruensis sp. nov. has a localized distribution.…”

Section: Plos Onementioning

confidence: 99%

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Diversification of spiny-throated reed frogs (Anura: Hyperoliidae) with the description of a new, range-restricted species from the Ukaguru Mountains, Tanzania

et al. 2023

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The spiny-throated reed frog species group is a small radiation of Hyperolius frogs from East Africa. Unlike many members of the genus which have relatively wide distributions, these species tend to be small-range endemics found in montane and submontane forests. Recent discovery of a golden-hued frog with the clade-specific traits of spines on their gular discs prompted a morphological and genetic exploration of the distinctness of this new lineage and relationships to other members of the clade. Genetic (mitochondrial and nuclear loci) results resolved many sister-relationships, but deeper nodes in the phylogeny were poorly resolved. A reduced-representation genome-wide Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) dataset was able to fully resolve the phylogenetic relationships within this clade, placing this new lineage, here named after the mountain range in which is it found–H. ukaguruensis sp. nov., as an early diverging lineage within the group. This new species is distinct from all other spiny-throated reed frogs, necessitating further understanding as a single-mountain endemics vulnerable to habitat loss and potential decline. Morphometric analyses identify clear morphological characteristics that are distinct for the herein described species, most noticeably in that the eyes are significantly smaller than other members of the genus for which we have samples.

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“…Given its small distribution and habitat loss, Hyperolius ukaguruensis sp. nov. is likely to be of high conservation concern [ 9 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Diversification of spiny-throated reed frogs (Anura: Hyperoliidae) with the description of a new, range-restricted species from the Ukaguru Mountains, Tanzania

et al. 2023

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“…Across amphibians, some early evidence suggested that the risk of declines increased towards higher elevations in tropical species associated with streams (Stuart, 2008;Stuart et al, 2004), potentially owing to the disease chytridiomycosis caused by the fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) (Pounds et al, 2006;Scheele et al, 2019). These findings have been reinforced by local-scale evidence that population declines and extinction risk among amphibians can increase towards higher elevations (Leary et al, 2018;Liedtke et al, 2022;Lips, 1998;Lips et al, 2004;Meza-Parral & Pineda, 2015;Ortega-Andrade et al, 2021;Saber et al, 2019;Saeed et al, 2021;Sandvoß et al, 2020;Tchassem Fokoua et al, 2019). However, a generalization of this phenomenon is missing given the lack of a comprehensive test of this hypothesis at global scale for amphibians.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Risk of extinction increases towards higher elevations across the world's amphibians

Guirguis,

Goodyear,

Finn

et al. 2023

Global Ecol Biogeogr

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AimLife in mountains is associated with multiple features that increase the risk of demographic collapses in populations – small geographic ranges, short breeding seasons, specialization to harsh climates – leading to the hypothesis that extinction risk is exacerbated in species inhabiting higher elevations. Here, we implement the first test of this hypothesis across the amphibian tree of life – the tetrapods with the largest proportion of montane species, and nature's most threatened animals.LocationGlobal.Time PeriodPresent.Major Taxa StudiedClass Amphibia.MethodsWe collated a dataset spanning 8042 species from across all three amphibian orders (Anura, Caudata and Gymnophiona). We preformed phylogenetic logistic regressions to test the predictions that extinction risk increases with elevation, and whether this effect is caused by factors previously hypothesised to drive high‐elevation declines, including restrictions on species' geographic ranges, variation in their life histories and the presence of infectious disease.ResultsGlobally, extinction risk increases towards higher elevations. At order‐level, this relationship holds for frogs and salamanders. Even when controlling for geographic range size, life histories and infectious disease, extinction risk increases with elevation for amphibians combined and frogs globally, and in the Americas. In contrast, whereas extinction risk is greater among high‐elevation Eurasian amphibians, this relationship is explained by larger body sizes and lower fecundity.Main ConclusionsOur analyses indicate that after considering factors previously thought to explain the increase in extinction risk towards higher elevations (e.g., geographic range size, disease), elevation remains a significant predictor of amphibian extinction risk. Given that the only available tests of this hypothesis in other tetrapods (birds and reptiles) conflict with our findings, we suggest that physiological or life‐history features of amphibians may explain this observed phenomenon.

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Kimboza, a Small Lowland Forest With an Outstanding Herpetofauna Diversity in East Africa

Lyakurwa,

Loader,

Ngalason

et al. 2024

Ecology and Evolution

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The Eastern Arc Mountains (EAM) and Coastal forests of Tanzania are renowned for harboring large number of threatened and endemic vertebrate species, yet most of these areas have been partially studied. The Kimboza Nature Forest Reserve (KNFR) is a small forest which is in transition between the EAM and Coastal forests, and among the poorly surveyed areas for amphibians and reptiles. We conducted systematic surveys across the KNFR in 2012 and between 2020 and 2023 using a range of approaches with the aim of establishing a comprehensive and updated list of reptile and amphibian species and assess the contribution of EAM and Coastal forests to the KNFR's herpetofauna. We identified 77 species, 29 amphibians and 48 reptiles, substantially updating previous species lists. Three of these species (Kinyongia magomberae, Trachylepis boulengeri and Philothamnus macrops) represent range extensions from previously known ranges. Fourteen species are endemic to East Africa, 11 of them being restricted to Tanzania. These results make the KNFR the richest forest reserve for herpetofauna per square km in Tanzania, and most similar in its composition to the Coastal, rather than Eastern Arc forests. With the caveats concerning taxonomic uncertainties and the inequalities of sampling intensity across the region, this study shows that the KNFR is an important area that deserves conservation attention. The KNFR, like other Coastal forests, is under significant pressure from anthropogenic activities which call for an urgent action to protect this small but rich forest.

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Thirty years of amphibian surveys in the Ukagurus Mountains of Tanzania reveal new species, yet others are in decline

Cited by 3 publications

References 58 publications

Diversification of spiny-throated reed frogs (Anura: Hyperoliidae) with the description of a new, range-restricted species from the Ukaguru Mountains, Tanzania

Diversification of spiny-throated reed frogs (Anura: Hyperoliidae) with the description of a new, range-restricted species from the Ukaguru Mountains, Tanzania

Risk of extinction increases towards higher elevations across the world's amphibians

Kimboza, a Small Lowland Forest With an Outstanding Herpetofauna Diversity in East Africa

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