At the edge of extinction: a first herpetological assessment of the proposed Serra do Pingano Rainforest National Park in Uíge Province, northern Angola

Abstract

We systematically assess the herpetofaunal diversity of the Serra do Pingano Forest Ecosystem (SPFE) and additional localities throughout the northern Angolan province of Uíge during four independent Rapid Assessment (RA) field campaigns held between 2013 and 2019. These assessments represent the first systematic surveys of amphibians and reptiles from the province, and thus we provide the first province-wide species list. We collected data on the status and current threats to amphibians and reptiles in the proposed Serra do Pingano Rainforest National Park and were able to document 33 species of reptiles from Uíge province. Of the 33 species recorded from the province, 10 species are exclusively found in the SPFE. Amphibian surveys yielded 47 amphibian species from the province. These include 14 new country records and additional records that may represent undescribed species. This raises the amphibian count for Angola to at least 133 species, which includes 18 species exclusively found within the SPFE. Species-richness estimators indicate that more species should be detected if survey efforts are intensified. The species composition in the SPFE is unique and consists of a high proportion of forest specialists with restricted ranges and species found nowhere else in the country. This emphasizes today’s paramount importance of the SPFE, which is threatened by increasing agricultural encroachment and uncontrolled timber extraction and charcoal production. These principal factors need to be controlled and/or abandoned in already impacted areas. Conservation strategies should particularly consider the strict protection of remaining intact forests and both lentic and lotic aquatic systems. They are not only crucial for safeguarding a significant number of species that depend on these habitats for reproduction; they also provide key ecosystem services to the local population. Angola, and Uíge province in particular, is at a crossroads concerning decisions and trade-offs among utilization, conservation, and preservation of its forests and, thus, substantial parts of the country’s biodiversity. The establishment of a National Protected Area in the Serra do Pingano Ecosystem is therefore a necessary and urgently needed first step towards protecting Angola’s national biodiversity heritage.

Between sand, rocks and branches: an integrative taxonomic revision of Angolan Hemidactylus Goldfuss, 1820, with description of four new species

“…Hemidactulus longicephalus LINEAGE 1 and 2 appear to be essentially arboreal, and most specimens from both lineages were collected under similar circumstances, while H. paivae was always found foraging or closely associated with large rock boulders or rocky cliffs and therefore is here considered to be a rock-dwelling form. Interestingly, one specimen from Uíge Province, genetically assigned to H. longicephalus LINEAGE 1 (MTD 49869) and previously assigned to H. paivae (Ernst et al 2020), was recovered from inside a cave wall and displayed unusual features, such as a much paler coloration that was maintained even after preservation. Additional specimens collected nearby in forest environment (MTD 49868, MTD 49870), assigned to H. paivae (Ernst et al 2020), clustered genetically with the previous H. longicephalus LINEAGE 1, but displayed distinc species coloration and behavior (Ernst et al 2020).…”

“…In the last two decades, Angolan herpetological knowledge has greatly improved, thanks to enhanced social stability and accessibility to previously unexplored regions, which helped to unearth this incredible local biodiversity (Marques et al 2018;). These efforts have led to the description of new species (Haacke 2008;Conradie et al 2012Conradie et al , 2020Stanley et al 2016;Marques et al 2019aMarques et al ,b, 2020Branch et al 2019bBranch et al , 2021Ceríaco et al 2020a,b,c;Hallerman et al 2020), the rediscovery of several poorly known species, and documenting new range extensions and additions to the country's species list (Branch and Conradie 2013;Conradie and Bourquin 2013;Ceríaco et al 2014;Ernst et al 2014Ernst et al , 2015Ceríaco et al 2016;Branch 2018;Branch et al 2019a;Vaz Pinto et al 2019;Baptista et al 2019Baptista et al , 2020Ernst et al 2020Ernst et al , 2021.…”

Congolius, a new genus of African reed frog endemic to the central Congo: A potential case of convergent evolution

“…However, we refrain from making systematic conclusions for these two genera, as our study was not designed to solve this question. A future research on the phylogenetic position of Callixalus , as well as Chrysobatrachus (rediscovered in 2011 29 ), Alexteroon (revision of the genus is in preparation 30 ), Arlequinus , and Kassinula is needed to reveal a complete genus-level phylogenetic reconstruction of Hyperoliidae.…”

A new species of Rain Frog (Brevicipitidae, Breviceps) endemic to Angola

“…The central and eastern localities of B. ombelanonga, as well as the latter from either B. adspersus or B. poweri, may be separated by drainage basins; however, with no contemporary sampling across regions spanning hundreds of kilometers, it is difficult to test these broad biogeographic hypotheses. Many recent initiatives have improved the current state of knowledge of Angola's herpetofauna, as well as to identify priority areas for future field survey work (Ceríaco et al 2014(Ceríaco et al , 2016Conradie et al 2016;Heinicke et al 2017;Marques et al 2018;Baptista et al 2019;Butler et al 2019;Ernst et al 2020), yet these efforts have still only scratched the surface. Additional, comprehensive field surveys, particularly those with focused/specialized efforts to record hard-to-find, seasonal, and/or fossorial taxa (e.g., by deploying pitfall traps, drift fence arrays, artificial refuges, etc., for an extended period of time or repeatedly throughout the year), should be priorities in the near future.…”

“…Angola's long civil war, which lasted from 1975 to 2002, effectively stifled biological exploration and discovery (for additional summary, see Marques et al 2018). Recent surveys, many by authors of this manuscript, have produced the only contemporary records of Angola's herpetofauna (e.g., Ceríaco et al 2014Ceríaco et al , 2016Conradie et al 2016;Heinicke et al 2017;Marques et al 2018;Baptista et al 2019;Butler et al 2019;Ernst et al 2020), including the only recent records of Breviceps in Angola. The nearest samples with confident identifications and associated genetic data are at least 600 km away (i.e., B. adspersus in Namibia and B. poweri in Zambia; Nielsen et al 2018).…”