Turtles and Tortoises of Togo: Historical Data, Distribution, Ecology, and Conservation

Segniagbeto, Gabriel Hoinsoudé; Bour, Roger; Ohler, Annemarie; Dubois, Alain; Rödel, Mark‐Oliver; Trape, Jean François; Fretey, Jacques; Petrozzi, Fabio; Luiselli, Luca

doi:10.2744/ccb-1080.1

Cited by 15 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 24 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Indeed, we found that, in Togo, most specimens were found in Guinea savannah (see also Branch 2007; Chirio and LeBreton 2007), but also inhabited rainforest patches and hilly forests, which represent the exclusive habitat types of K. erosa and K. homeana in this country (Segniagbeto et al 2014(Segniagbeto et al , 2015. Nigerian individuals were also often observed inside forest and dense bush patches.…”

Section: Habitat Selectionmentioning

confidence: 91%

“…Both in Nigeria and in Togo, K. nogueyi individuals from forest sites tend to be darker and more uniformly colored in the carapace than savannah specimens (our unpublished observations). Thus, we documented for the first time that a third Kinixys, K. nogueyi, also may widely occur inside the forested zones of West Africa, where it co-occurs in sympatry or at least in contiguous parapatry with the two forest species K. homeana and K. erosa (Segniagbeto et al 2014). All previously available literature (e.g., Branch 2007) considered K. nogueyi to be a typical savannah inhabitant, although most of published data likely referred to the closely related Kinixys belliana.…”

Section: Habitat Selectionmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…In Togo, data on tortoises were collected opportunistically during random surveys of potentially suitable habitat (forests, forest -savannah mosaics, and Guinea savannahs; Segniagbeto et al 2014). Field data were collected during the Ph.D. research project of the first author and during other specific research projects as follows.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Aspects of the ecology of the tortoiseKinixys nogueyi(Lataste, 1886) in Togo and Nigeria (West Africa)

Segniagbeto¹,

Eniang²,

Petrozzi³

et al. 2014

Tropical Zoology

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In this study, the sex ratio, habitat use, and diet of free-ranging Kinixys nogueyi are examined. Sex ratio and habitat use were examined in Togo and Nigeria (West Africa), and food habits only in Nigeria. Sex ratios were equal in both populations. Tortoises had clear habitat preferences in both countries, and the Nigerian population exhibited seasonal but not inter-sexual differences in habitat selection. The present study demonstrated that this species inhabits not only Guinea savannahs and relatively wet savannahs, as already reported in the literature, but also rainforest patches and hilly forests, especially in Togo. Food remains in the feces of Nigerian specimens belonged to plants and fungi as well as to animals, with inter-seasonal but not inter-sexual differences in dietary composition. In particular, there was a significant shift from a diet based mostly on animal food in the dry season towards a mainly vegetarian diet in the wet season.

show abstract

Section: Habitat Selectionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Section: Habitat Selectionmentioning

confidence: 94%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Aspects of the ecology of the tortoiseKinixys nogueyi(Lataste, 1886) in Togo and Nigeria (West Africa)

Segniagbeto¹,

Eniang²,

Petrozzi³

et al. 2014

Tropical Zoology

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…For instance, one specimen of C. elegans, deposited in the Zoological Museum of Berlin (ZMB 16011), is labelled as coming from Togo, and Tornier (1901) and Loveridge and Williams (1957) referred to specimens from Kete Krachi, Togo (ZMB 16012) and Jendi (Yendi), Togo. However, these localities are now in Ghana as a result of post-colonial changes to political boundaries (Gramentz 2008; Segniagbeto et al 2014). At the time the Kete Krachi specimen was collected, the village was located on the eastern banks of the White Volta River near the confluence with the Oti River; however, this area was subsequently flooded in the mid-1960s when Lake Volta formed behind the Akosombo Dam (Gramentz 2008).…”

Section: 4mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Kete Krachi was relocated farther north on the shores of the lake, but it is not known if C. elegans still inhabits the lake. The species is known to occur at Sansanné-Mango (10°21'N, 0°28'E), upstream from Lake Volta, in the Oti River, Togo (Segniagbeto et al 2014).…”

Section: 4mentioning

confidence: 99%

Cyclanorbis elegans (Gray 1869) – Nubian Flapshell Turtle.

Baker¹,

Diagne²,

Luiselli³

2015

Chelonian Research Monographs

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The Nubian Flapshell Turtle, Cyclanorbis elegans (Family Trionychidae), is a large softshell turtle (total carapace length up to 700 mm) from north central Africa. It is the largest and least ossified member of the flapshell subfamily Cyclanorbinae. This highly aquatic species occurs in large rivers of the Sahelo-Sudanese belt from the Mole River in northern Ghana to the Sobat River of South Sudan. The flesh and cartilaginous portions of the shell are known to be consumed in Ghana and South Sudan; however, the species is likely hunted for food throughout its range. In South Sudan, turtle eggs are collected by pastoralists who bring their cattle to feed on the "toic" grasslands that form when the floodwaters of the Nile recede. Records of this species are rare and it is in need of immediate conservation attention. DistriBution. -Benin, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Ethiopia (probably), Ghana, Nigeria, South Sudan, Sudan, Togo. Large river systems of the Sudanian and Guinea savannah including the Volta River drainage in Ghana and northern Togo, the Niger River, and the White Nile basin of South Sudan and Sudan. synonymy. -Baikiea elegans Gray 1869, Cyclanorbis elegans, Cyclanosteus elegans, Tetrathyra baikii Gray 1865 (partim), Cyclanorbis oligotylus Siebenrock 1902. suBsPecies. -No subspecies recognized. status. -IUCN 2015

show abstract

Community Characteristics of Sympatric Freshwater Turtles from Savannah Waterbodies in Ghana

et al. 2021

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Despite increasing pressures on freshwater resources worldwide, and the threatened status of most freshwater turtles, there is still limited knowledge of habitat use and niche partitioning in Afrotropical freshwater turtle communities. In this study, we describe habitat associations, community diversity, and temporal patterns of occurrence of freshwater turtle species in the Dahomey Gap ecoregion of Ghana (West Africa). We gathered data from 13 sites in central Ghana and along the Sene Arm of Lake Volta in the Digya National Park (Bono East Region). We employed opportunistic short-term surveys (at seven sites) together with longer-term (six-months duration) standardized evaluations of turtle presence and numbers in different habitats (at six sites). In addition, we interviewed shers in the Lake Volta area to explore their perception about turtle abundance trends. Overall, 210 turtle individuals belonging to four species (Trionyx triunguis, Cyclanorbis senegalensis, Pelomedusa sp. and Pelusios castaneus) were recorded; for 139 individuals the precise capture sites and habitat type were recorded, whereas 71 individuals were observed in market places and were not considered in our analyses. We observed three sympatric species at the local scale of the various study sites. In each site, the dominant species was either C. senegalensis or Pelomedusa sp. However, Pelomedusa sp. was the most abundant species in temporary waterbodies whereas C. senegalensis was more numerous in permanent ones. A Multiple Correspondence Analysis visualized that, in permanent waterbodies all species were associated with similar physical habitat variables. C. senegalensis and T. triunguis were more abundant in localities containing woody emergent vegetation and inorganic substrate. In a Canonical Correspondence Analysis, we show that the density of herbaceous emergent vegetation was more important for P. castaneus than for C. senegalensis. Interviews with local people suggested that freshwater turtles do not have any special marketing interest for them, but that over shing may have considerably affected the population density of these semiaquatic reptiles. Overall, Comparisons of diversity metrics between our study areas and previous literature revealed that turtle community composition was substantially the same, both qualitatively and quantitatively, all throughout the savannahs of West Africa.

show abstract

Turtles and Tortoises of Togo: Historical Data, Distribution, Ecology, and Conservation

Cited by 15 publications

References 24 publications

Aspects of the ecology of the tortoiseKinixys nogueyi(Lataste, 1886) in Togo and Nigeria (West Africa)

Aspects of the ecology of the tortoiseKinixys nogueyi(Lataste, 1886) in Togo and Nigeria (West Africa)

Cyclanorbis elegans (Gray 1869) – Nubian Flapshell Turtle.

Community Characteristics of Sympatric Freshwater Turtles from Savannah Waterbodies in Ghana

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About