Latest Articles from Zoosystematics and Evolution Latest 2 Articles from Zoosystematics and Evolution https://zse.pensoft.net/ Thu, 28 Mar 2024 15:35:31 +0200 Pensoft FeedCreator https://zse.pensoft.net/i/logo.jpg Latest Articles from Zoosystematics and Evolution https://zse.pensoft.net/ Diversity of Sand Snakes (Psammophiidae, Psammophis) in the Horn of Africa, with the description of a new species from Somalia https://zse.pensoft.net/article/101943/ Zoosystematics and Evolution 99(2): 345-361

DOI: 10.3897/zse.99.101943

Authors: Jiří Šmíd, Sergio Matilla Fernández, Hassan Sh Abdirahman Elmi, Tomáš Mazuch

Abstract: The biological diversity of the Horn of Africa is one of the least studied in the world. Yet the Horn supports rich communities of species that are mostly endemic to the region. Here we study the diversity of Sand Snakes (Psammophis) in East Africa, their phylogeny and systematics. Previous studies have unveiled several cryptic and potentially undescribed species of Psammophis that occur in the Horn and their taxonomic status has remained unclear to this day. We used sequence data from two mitochondrial and one nuclear genes to reconstruct the phylogeny of the genus, in which we included newly obtained samples of six different Psammophis species from Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan, and Egypt. Our aim was to assess the status of some of the undescribed species, examine the level of intraspecific genetic variation within individual species, improve our understanding of the species distributions, and contribute to the taxonomy of the genus. Our results confirm the existence of two undescribed species, one in eastern Somalia, which we formally describe as new, and one in southern Ethiopia that we refer to as Psammophis cf. sudanensis in accordance with previous studies. Further, we provide first genetic data for the nominotypical subspecies of P. punctulatus and confirm the species status for its subspecies P. trivirgatus. In addition, we provide new genetic data for P. tanganicus from Ethiopia and Somalia, and range extension records for P. rukwae from Eritrea and Ethiopia and for P. aegyptius from Somalia. Our findings contribute considerably to our understanding of the diversity and distribution of Psammophis in East Africa.

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Research Article Tue, 27 Jun 2023 16:04:45 +0300
A new chameleon of the Trioceros affinis species complex (Squamata, Chamaeleonidae) from Ethiopia https://zse.pensoft.net/article/57297/ Zoosystematics and Evolution 97(1): 161-179

DOI: 10.3897/zse.97.57297

Authors: Thore Koppetsch, Petr Nečas, Benjamin Wipfler

Abstract: A new species of chameleon, Trioceros wolfgangboehmei sp. nov., inhabiting the northern slopes of the Bale Mountains in Ethiopia, is described. It differs from its Ethiopian congeners by a combination of the following features: presence of a prominent dorsal crest with a low number of enlarged conical scales reaching along the anterior half of the tail as a prominent tail crest, a casque raised above the dorsal crest, heterogeneous body scalation, long canthus parietalis, rugose head scalation, high number of flank scales at midbody and unique hemipenial morphology. Based on morphological characteristics, phylogenetic discordances of previous studies and biogeographical patterns, this new species is assigned to the Trioceros affinis (Rüppell, 1845) species complex. An updated comprehensive key to the Trioceros found in Ethiopia is provided.

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Research Article Wed, 10 Mar 2021 17:28:20 +0200