Title:

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

Publication Year:
2016
Abstract:

Namibe Province is the southernmost province of Angola and, as the result of several expeditions from the nineteenth century to the present, it is one of the most herpetofaunally well-known areas of the country. The Province harbors a high diversity of amphibians and reptiles, including roughly one-third of the reptile taxa reported for Angola as a whole. In this paper we present the results of a joint herpetological expedition to Namibe Province in 2013 by the California Academy of Sciences and the Instituto Nacionalda  iodiversidade e Áreas de Conservação, as well as a synoptic list of all the herpetological bibliographic records for the taxa known from the Province. A total of 37 herpetological taxa was collected, including at least three (then) undescribed species, two new country records, and new records for rarely cited taxa in Angola. These taxa belong to four amphibian genera and 15 reptile genera. Species accounts are provided for each of the species collected. We also highlight biogeographic patterns, conservation issues, and possible future paths for the exploration and knowledge of the herpetofauna of Namibe. Keywords: amphibians, Angola, biogeography, conservation, geographic distribution, Namibe Province, reptiles.

Publication Title:

Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences

Volume:
4
Issue:
63
Pages:
15-61
Item Type:
Journal Article
Language:
en

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