Geology Reference
In-Depth Information
Table 9.3. Subspecies of amphibians and rptiles in Ta nganyika-Nyasa orests
Location
Usambaras
Ulugurus, Uzungwa
Rungwe
East Usambara, Nguru
West Usambara
Ulugurus
Uzungwa, Ubena, Ukinga, Rungwe and Poroto mts
Nika Plateau
Malawi and Mt Rungwe
Matengo Highlands
Uzungwa
N Pare mts, Usambara mts?
Subspecies
Probrvicps macrodactylus macrodaylus
(Nieden,
1926)
Probrvicps macroacylus loveridgei
(Parker,
1931)
Probrvicps macroacylus runwensis
(Loveridge,
1932)
Chamaeleo fischeri fischeri
(Reichenow,
1887)
Chamaeleo ischei multituberulatus
(Nieden,
1913)
Chamaeleo ischei uluuuensis
(Loveridge,
1957)
Chamaeleo goetzei goetzei
(Tornier,
1899)
Chamaeleo goetzei nyikae
(Loveridge,
1953)
Melanosps ater ater
(Gunther,
1873)
Melanosps ater matengoensis
(Loveridge,
1942)
Melanosps ater zunwensis
(Loveridge,
1942)
Melanosps ater longicaua
(Tornier,
1900)
former, Loveridge (1957) recognised subspecific
epithets only for Probrevicps macrodaylus.
More subspecies have been described for
repile populaions. In the Chamaeleotscheri com-
plex, much remains to be leaned about the status
of the various subspecific forms described (see
Wederkinch, 1982) in the Usambaras. Loveridge
(1957) recognised many subspecies of Chamaeleo
tschei on mountains as far away as Mount Kenya,
ilimanjaro and Hanang; I follow Broadley
&
Howell (1991) in assigning many of these isolated
populaions speciic rank.
Bohme (1982) described a subspecies,
Chamaeleo laterispinis brookesiomis, from airly
dry woodland in the Uzungwas at Kibao lyayi, 85
m
southwest from the ype localiy of the species
near Mufindi, which is moist evergreen forest. He
has since (Bohme, 1987) synonomised it with .
laterispinis. Brygoo
&
Roux-Esteve (1981)
recognised a number of subspecies of Melanosps
ater but have admitted that the validity of at least
some of these is quesionable. The same authors
raised what was regarded as a populaion that was
only subspeciically differeniated to ull species
level as Melanosps loveridgei.
occur in the Tanganyika-Nyasa forests. Of those,
84% (75/89) are restricted to those (and some
coastal forests); 77.3% (82/106) occur in the
Easten Arc forests and of these, 65.8% (54/82)
are strictly endemic to Tanzania's Easten Arc. If
one includes those species resricted
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to the
Easten Arc forests and coastal forests, the
endemics rise to 71.9% (59/82).
Comparing diversiies in those forests for
which data are available (Table 9.4), greatest
diversiy is found in the Usambaras and the Ulu-
gurus, and numbers of species decrease as one
moves south towards the Uzungwas. Mount
Rungwe, volcanic in origin, has fewer forms, and
forests in Malawi have even fewer forest-
dependent species. The Taita Hills, at the
ereme north of the Tanganyika-Nyasa forests,
also have very few forest species. The volcanic
Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Meru have no
known forest-dependent amphibians and only two
forest repiles. Diversity in the coastal orests is
also low.
Are there real differences between the diversi-
ies of the two Usambara blocks or between the
Usambaras and the Ulugurus? The West Usam-
baras have been much less thoroughly collected
and studied than the East, but even some of the
amphibians and repiles described from the East
Usambaras are sill known only from one or two
specimens. Much more major, long-term field
work is needed in the Usambaras and the Ulu-
Divesiy
A total of 106 species of forest-dependent
amphibians and repiles are found in the easten
forests of Africa (Table 9.1) and 83.9% (89/106)
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