No abstract

A new species of East African caeciliid caecilian, Boulengerula niedeni spec. nov. (Amphibia: Gymnophiona) is described based on a series of 11 specimens from Sagalla Hill, an isolated mountain block of the Taita Hills in southern Kenya. It differs from all other Boulengerula, except B. taitanus (Loveridge), in being pigmented with whitish marked annular grooves and from B. taitanus by its distinctive brownish colouration, an exposed sphenethmoid, a higher mean number of annuli and vertebrae, and different phallus morphology.

While the international pet trade and habitat destruction have been extensively discussed as major threats to the survival of the pancake tortoise (Malacochersus tornieri), the impact of climate change on the species remains unknown. In this study, we used species distribution modelling to predict the current and future distribution of pancake tortoises in Zambezian and Somalian biogeographical regions. We used 224 pancake tortoise occurrences obtained from Tanzania, Kenya and Zambia to estimate suitable and stable areas for the pancake tortoise in all countries present in these regions. We also used a protected area network to assess how many of the suitable and stable areas are protected for the conservation of this critically endangered species. Our model predicted the expansion of climatically suitable habitats for pancake tortoises from four countries and a total area of 90,668.75 km2 to ten countries in the future and an area of 343,459.60–401,179.70 km2. The model also showed that a more significant area of climatically suitable habitat for the species lies outside of the wildlife protected areas. Based on our results, we can predict that pancake tortoises may not suffer from habitat constriction. However, the species will continue to be at risk from the international pet trade, as most of the identified suitable habitats remain outside of protected areas. We suggest that efforts to conserve the pancake tortoise should not only focus on protected areas but also areas that are unprotected, as these comprise a large proportion of the suitable and stable habitats available following predicted future climate change.

A new species of chameleon is described from the humid montane forests on Mt. Nyiro in northern Kenya. The new species is clearly distinct from its congeners by external morphology, especially the gular field with long pointed appendicular scales, and geographical isolation. Based on both the morphology and molecular phylogenetic data, we place the new species into the recently described genus Kinyongia.

A new species of chameleon, Trioceros nyirit sp. nov., is described from the northwest highlands of Kenya. It is morphologically similar to T. hoehnelii and T. narraioca, possessing a short rostral appendage, but differs from them by having a straight or weakly curved parietal crest and forward-pointing rostral projection. A phylogeny based on mitochondrial DNA shows that the proposed new taxon is a distinct clade within the bitaeniatus-group and a sister lineage to T. schubotzi. Its distribution appears to be restricted to the Cherangani Hills and adjacent Mtelo massif to the north. It is associated with afromontane forest edge, afroalpine ericaceous vegetation and also occurs in agricultural landscapes.