Game Utilisation in Rhodesia

The ocellated lizards in the Timon lepidus/tangitanus/pater complex include the largest lacertids living in continental Europe and North Africa. Long considered a single species (T. pater), the division of the North African ocellated lizards into two species, T. pater in Tunisia and Algeria, and T. tangitanus in Morocco, is now accepted. In this study we investigated the patterns of genetic diversity in T. tangitanus and T. pater across North Africa. We analysed 12s rRNA and 16s r RNA mtDNA fragments of 26 new samples plus 19 sequences from previous studies, using parsimony, likelihood and Bayesian approaches. Our results confirm the two North African species as well-defined entities. Within T. tangitanus from Morocco, three genetically divergent lineages with geographic congruence were uncovered; one in the north, another widely spread across Central Morocco and one in the High Atlas and farther south. A high level of divergence among the Moroccan lineages suggests the split occurred just after the divergence between T. tangitanus and T. pater. Similar patterns have been found in other species, although more studies are needed to understand the biogeographical events shaping the complex diversity in this region.     

Polymorphism and evolutionary profile of mitochondrial DNA control region inferred from the sequences of Pakistani goats

Complete mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region of 30 Pakistani domestic goats was sequenced to investigate the genetic diversity and organization. Twenty‐two new haplotypes were observed and all were classified into mt‐lineage A. Phylogenetic analysis revealed two distinct clusters in mt‐lineage A, A1 and A2. A 17 bp deletion and a 76 bp insertion were detected in the L‐domain and observed 10 and one animals, respectively, in 232 Pakistani domestic goats. These remarkable deletion/insertion events would be useful to investigate mtDNA diversity within the highly divergent mt‐lineage A. In analysis of the control region feature, the caprine mtDNA was A/T rich as observed for other artiodactyls. Four conserved regions, Block A in the L domain, the C‐domain, Block B and CSB1 in the R domain, were defined as well as in the other species.     

The status of some southern African nominal species of Cucumaria (s.e.) referable to a new genus and their ecological isolation

A full history of four nominal species of southern African dendrochirotid holothurians, namely Cucumaria jägeri Lampert, Semperia (= Cucumaria) sykion Lamped, C. insolens Theél and C. sinorbis Cherbonnier, is given and the confusion in their taxonomic status discussed. Morphological differences and habitat selection indicate that the latter three are valid sister species. C. jägeri is relegated to the synonymy of C. sykion, a well-established name which it threatens. Since none of the three species is referable to the genus in which it is currently classified, a new genus Pseudocnella is erected to accommodate them. It is suggested that the Mediterranean Ocnus syracusanus (Grube) be also classified in the new genus. A key to the three southern African species is given, their synonymy detailed, additional notes provided, and the geographic distributions mapped. Although P. sykion and P. sinorbis have an identical geographical range it is demonstrated that the two species are ecologically isolated and thus prevented from any interspecific competition. P. insolens is sympatric with P. sinorbis over a wide area, often occupying the same habitat in a single locality. However, morphological and other evidence points to subtle niche differences between them. A provisional cladogram is proposed to show the possible relationships of the four species included in the new genus.     

Differences in genetic structure assessed using Y‐chromosome and mitochondrial DNA markers do not shape the contributions to diversity in African sires

Up to 173 African sires belonging to 11 different subpopulations representative of four cattle groups were analysed for six Y‐specific microsatellite loci and a mitochondrial DNA fragment. Differences in Y‐chromosome and mtDNA haplotype structuring were assessed. In addition, the effect of such structuring on contributions to total genetic diversity was assessed. Thirty‐five Y‐chromosome and 71 mtDNA haplotypes were identified. Most Y‐chromosomes analysed (73.4%) were of zebu origin (11 haplotypes). Twenty‐two Y‐haplotypes (44 samples) belonged to the African taurine subfamily Y2a. All mtDNA haplotypes belonged to the “African” taurine T1 haplogroup with 16 samples and nine haplotypes belonging to a recently identified subhaplogroup (T1e). Median‐joining networks showed that Y‐chromosome phylogenies were highly reticulated with clear separation between zebu and taurine clusters. Mitochondrial haplotypes showed a clear star‐like shape with small number of mutations separating haplotypes. Mitochondrial‐based F_ST‐statistics computed between cattle groups tended to be statistically non‐significant (p > .05). Most F_ST values computed among groups and subpopulations using Y‐chromosome markers were statistically significant. AMOVA confirmed that divergence between cattle groups was only significant for Y‐chromosome markers (Φ_CT = 0.209). At the mitochondrial level, African sires resembled an undifferentiated population with individuals explaining 94.3% of the total variance. Whatever the markers considered, the highest contributions to total Nei's gene diversity and allelic richness were found in West African cattle. Genetic structuring had no effect on patterns of contributions to diversity.     

The sclerodactylid holothurians of southern Africa,with the erection of one new subfamily and two new genera (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea)

The sclerodactylid subfamily Sclerodactylinae is restricted to include only those forms with a short, compact, tubular calcareous ring and a new subfamily Sclerothyoninae is diagnosed to accommodate two new southern African monotypic genera Sclerothyone and Temparena, with compact but non-tubular calcareous rings. The new genera are erected respectively for Ludwig and Heding's (1935) Cucumaria? velligera and C.l chuni, formerly classified in Pentamera. This brings the total number of sclerodactylid holothurians known from southern Africa to six genera and seven species. All taxa are diagnosed and/or described, a key is provided for all southern African species and their local distributions are mapped.     

Phylogeography of North African Amietophrynus xeros estimated from mitochondrial DNA sequences

Amietophrynus xeros was sequenced for part of the 16S rRNA mitochondrial region to assess genetic diversity between populations from Niger, Mali, Senegal, Mauritania and Tanzania. Although populations are currently unconnected, diversity within the Sahel region was relatively low, indicating that the species only expanded into this region relatively recently, perhaps after the last glacial maximum. Diversity was higher between samples from Tanzania. Some individuals of two species from previously published studies, A. garmani and A. gutturalis, share haplotypes with A. xeros, but this is likely to be due to error, possibly misidentifica-tion. Similar errors appear to exist in published studies of other North African Amietophrynusspecies such as A. regularis.     

Evolutionary history of mountain voles of the subgenus Aschizomys (Cricetidae,Rodentia), inferred from mitochondrial and nuclear markers

In this study, we present an assessment of the evolutionary history and phylogenetic relationships of Asian mountain voles of the subgenus Aschizomys, genus Alticola, based on extensive sampling and phylogenetic analyses of data from mitochondrial and nuclear markers. Two species of this subgenus are widespread in the mountain areas of north‐eastern Asia. However, both their distribution and taxonomic borders remained questionable for more than 100 years. Our study showed discordance in the phylogenetic patterns between nuclear and mtDNA markers. We found that mtDNA in A. lemminus is paraphyletic relative to A. macrotis, but nuclear markers demonstrated reciprocal monophyly. According to species distribution modeling, ranges of A. macrotis and A. lemminus experienced a secondary contact during the Last Glacial Maximum (approximately 22 kyr BP), and thus a hybridization event seems plausible during that period. Species tree analyses recovered a sister group relationship between the two species of the Aschizomys subgenus, with an estimated divergence date of around 0.8 Ma. Our results provided good support for currently recognized subspecies within both A. macrotis and A. lemminus based on mitochondrial and nuclear datasets. A new, yet undescribed form, supposedly of a subspecific status within A. lemminus, was found in the Bureinskiy Range in the Khabarovsk area. This finding expands the current species distribution range further to the southeast.     

The Eurasian Steppe is an important goat propagation route: A phylogeographic analysis using mitochondrial DNA and Y‐chromosome sequences of Kazakhstani goats

Goats (Capra hircus) were domesticated in the Fertile Crescent and propagated all over the world. The Silk Road through the Eurasian Steppe belt is a possible propagation route for domestic goats to Central Asia. Kazakhstan is in close geographical proximity to domestication centers and covers the majority of the Eurasian Steppe belt. In this study, we examined the genetic diversity and phylogeographic structure of Kazakhstani goats. The mtDNA sequences of 141 Kazakhstani goats were categorized into haplogroups A, C, and D, of which haplogroup A was predominant (97%), whereas haplogroups C and D were detected at low frequencies (1.4% each). The Kazakhstani haplotypes C were thzen categorized into Asian mtDNA type. Sequence analysis of the SRY gene on the Y‐chromosome in 67 male Kazakhstani goats revealed two haplotypes: Y1A (64%) and Y2A (36%). Analysis of the distribution of mtDNA haplogroups and SRY haplotypes from Eurasia and Africa demonstrated genetic similarity among animals from Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and Northwest China located on the Eurasian Steppe belt. These phylogeographic results suggested that the Eurasian Steppe belt was an important propagation route for goats to Central Asia.     

New evidence of homoplasy within the African genus Varicorhinus (Cyprinidae): an independent origin of specialized scraping forms in the adjacent drainage systems of Ethiopia inferred from mtDNA analysis

Interrelationships of the two specialized scraping periphyton-feeders, Varicorhinus beso and V. jubae, and some large African barbs, Labeobarbus spp., inhabiting three main regions of Ethiopia (the Western and Eastern Plateaus, and the Rift Valley separating them) were investigated using the sequence analysis of a fragment (609 base pairs) of the mtDNA control region. The two scraping forms in question appeared to be phylogenetically distant: V. beso had branched off before the main radiation of the Ethiopian Labeobarbus took place, whereas V. jubae is a sister group of the Labeobarbus gananensis complex sympatrically occurring with it in the south of the Eastern Plateau. For geographical reasons, among the congeneric species, V. jubae could be considered as the most closely related to V. beso, the type species of the genus, but judging from the available data this genus seems to be monotypic, while jubae should be classified as a member of Labeobarbus.     

Evolution of Acoustic Behaviour in African Bufo (Anura: Bufonidae)

Mating calls are known for 29 species of African Bufo belonging to 11 species groups. Twenty-five African species, representing eight species groups (including four groups or complexes having 2N=22) have calls which Martin (1972) termed Type I. This call type is also found in Schismaderma carens, Nectophrynoides tornieri and N. occidentalis. It is known in only four species of Bufo outside Africa and in Odontophrynus americanus which is thought to be closely related to leptodactylids that gave rise to the genus Bufo. Four African species of Bufo have Type II calls.

Geographic distribution of three call types indicates large radiations of one or two call types in South America, North America and Africa. The European and Asian Bufo faunas appear to be derived primarily from American radiations.

The radiation of bufonids in Africa appears to be equal to that of South America. An explanation of this may be that Bufo or its progenitor evolved prior to the continental separation of South America and Africa.     

A new southern African genus in the holothurian family Cucumariidae (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea) with the recognition of two subspecies in Cucumaria frauenfeldi Ludwig

A new genus Roweia in the holothurian family Cucumariidae is erected to accommodate two southern African dendrochi-rotids, Cucumaria frauenfeldi Ludwig and C. stephensoni John which have previously always been classified in Cucumaria (si). Some intraspecific variations in R. frauenfeldi are discussed and, on this basis, the species is rediagnosed and two subspecies recognized. The species and subspecies of the new genus are keyed, their synonymy is considered and distributions mapped. New information in regard to R. stephensoni is also included.     

Polystomatidae (Monogenea) of southern African Anura: Polystoma channingi n.sp. parasitic in two closely related Cacosternum species

Polystoma channingi is described as a new species of polystomatid flatworm (Monogenea) parasitic in the urinary bladder of Cacosternum nanum in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. In a locality where C. nanum and C. boettgeri occur sympatrically the parasite has been found in both species. This finding of a Polystoma sp. in two closely related host species questions the strict host-specificity generally ascribed to the genus, but supports the hypothesis that host-specificity is determined by the oncomiracidium's ability to recognize the tadpole as a suitable host. This is the first polystome to be described from the genus Cacosternum and the ninth species of Polystoma from South Africa. The species is distinguished by its huge haptor and suckers relative to the body size. The haptor length/body length ratio of 0.38 is by far the largest for the known southern African polystomes. The prevalence of infection with P. channingi n.sp. was 25% for C. nanum and 40% for C. boettgeri, while the mean intensity of infections in adult frogs was 1.5 for C. boettgeri and 1.0 for C. nanum.     

Population density and habitat preferences of forest duikers in Moukalaba-Doudou National Park,Gabon

We conducted a line-transect survey via direct observation to estimate the densities of forest duikers in Moukalaba-Doudou National Park, Gabon. Five 2-km line transects were established in different vegetation types, and each transect was walked at 1.0 km/h. We also conducted a ‘quick survey’ by walking at c. 2.5 km/h along all transects. A detection function was estimated separately for each species by pooling all the data from the five transects. For Cephalophus silvicultor, all sighting records of the two surveys were used because there was no significant difference in the encounter rates. In total, Philantomba monticola, red duikers (Cephalophus spp.), and C. silvicultor were observed 100, 80, 33 times, respectively. Their individual densities were estimated at 16.43/km²(95% CI: 11.4–23.6), 7.1/km² (5.5–9.2), and 1.63 km² (1.0–2.8), respectively. The encounter rate for P. monticola and C. silvicultor did not vary significantly between the transects, while that of red duikers was higher in the primary forest than in the young secondary or gallery forest. The duiker densities in our study area are among the highest in the African rainforest. Our results indicate that quick surveys may be an effective approach to estimate the densities of rare species.     

Phylogenetic relationships in the genus Aethomys (Rodentia: Muridae)

Phylogenetic relationships in the genus Aethomys were examined based on qualitative cranial data for all currently recognized species. A cladistic analysis suggested the presence of three clades: 1) A. bocagei, A. thomasi, A. silindensis, A. kaiseri, and A. nyikae;2) A. chrysophilus, A. ineptus, and A. hindei;3) A. granti, A. namaquensis, and A. stannarius. These phylogenetic groupings are largely inconsistent with previously postulated supraspecific relationships for the genus. Nonetheless, relationships within each clade broadly correspond with some previously suggested evolutionary hypotheses among some members of the genus, the only notable exception being a close affinity between two southern African taxa (A. namaquensis and A. granti) and the geographically disjunct West African endemic, A. stannarius. A phylogram derived from an analysis of anagenetic divergence among taxa supported the widely-held view of a close affinity between A. namaquensis and A. granti that has traditionally led to their inclusion in the subgenus Micaelamys. These results are relatively concordant with recent molecular studies based on microcomplement fixation of albumin, mitochondrial DNA cytochrome b and 16S rRNA data, which collectively suggest that the genus Aethomys is paraphyletic. Possible paraphyly is also reflected by a relatively low bootstrap value at the node uniting all ingroup taxa in this study, as well as previous studies on dental morphology, modes of karyotypic change, and gross sperm and bacular morphology, and strongly supports the taxo-nomic elevation of the currently recognized subgenera Micaelamys and Aethomys to full generic rank. Despite the broad correspondence between the morphological and molecular data, homoplasy and low bootstrap support in the present investigation point to the need for a careful consideration of the power and choice of morphological characters in future studies on this and related groups of murine rodents.     

Helminths from three species of African chameleons

Three species of African chameleons (Chamaeleo gracilis, C. jacksoni and C. johnstoni) were examined for helminths. Two species of Cestoda (Oochoristica truncata and tetrathyridia of Mesocestoides sp.) and four species of Nematoda (Oswaldocruzia chamaeleonis, Parapharyngodon kenyaensis,Raillietnema chamaeleo, and Strongyluris elegans) were found. Four new host records are reported.     

Molecular phylogenetics reveals a complex history underlying cryptic diversity in the Bush Squeaker Frog (Arthroleptis wahlbergii) in southern Africa

Throughout the Miocene, the African landscape underwent broad climatic shifts that profoundly influenced the distribution of fauna and flora. Since the late Miocene, these shifts have created a landscape in southern Africa that is strongly characterised by savanna and arid environments. Forests persist in small fragments, primarily in mountainous or heterogeneous landscapes. Arthroleptis wahlbergii is a small frog endemic to eastern South Africa that has presumed low dispersal ability. Because of its preference for forests, the dynamics of forests since the late Miocene in this region might have promoted diversification within A. wahlbergii. To investigate whether habitat fragmentation might have driven divergences among populations, we carried out species distribution modelling and population level and phylogenetic analyses using two genetic loci (16S, mitochondrial; RAG-1, nuclear) sequenced for 48 individuals from 14 forests across the c. 500 km range of this species. There is substantial population-level structuring within A. wahlbergii, however the structure does not relate to forest types or catchments. We instead propose that the structure is a result of dynamic and idiosyncratic changes in forest connectivity over the Pleistocene. We identified two geographically circumscribed clades, the northern of which corresponds to true A. wahlbergii. The southern clade corresponds to populations from which Arthroleptis wageri FitzSimons, 1930 was described. This has long been considered a synonym of A. wahlbergii, but our molecular phylogenetic and distribution modelling supports recognising A. wageri as a distinct species.     

Genetic diversity,phylogenetic position and morphometric analysis of Astacus colchicus (Decapoda,Astacidae): a new insight into Eastern European crayfish fauna

The phylogeny of European crayfish fauna, especially with respect to Eastern European species, is still far from being completely resolved. To fill this gap, we analyzed most of the European crayfish species focusing on the phylogenetic position of the endemic crayfish Astacus colchicus, inhabiting Georgia. Three mitochondrial and one nuclear marker were used to study evolutionary relationships among European crayfish species, resulting in the unique phylogenetic position of A. colchicus indicating independent species status to A. astacus. Phylogenetic analyses revealed a deep molecular divergence of A. colchicus in comparison to A. astacus (6.5–10.9% in mtDNA and 1.1% in nDNA) as well as to Pontastacus leptodactylus and P. pachypus (5.5–10.0% in mtDNA and 1.4–2.4% in nDNA). Absent ventral process on second male pleopod and abdominal somites II and III with pleura rounded lacking prominent spines clearly indicate taxonomic assignment to the genus Astacus; however, the species is distributed almost in the middle of Ponto-Caspian area typical by occurrence of the genus Pontastacus. Several morphological indices linked to head length, carapace, and total body length and width were found to demonstrate apparent differences between A. colchicus and A. astacus. Although this study provides a novel insight into European crayfish phylogeography, we also point out the gaps in comprehensive study of the P. leptodactylus species complex, which could reveal details about the potential species status of particular species and subspecies within this genus.     

Yellow-bellied or white-bellied? Identity of Arabian house bats (Vespertilionidae: Scotophilus) revealed from mitochondrial DNA and morphology

The yellow-bellied Scotophilus dinganii is the only African house bat species reported to occur in the Arabian Peninsula. Formerly, the Arabian house bats were referred to similar-looking white-bellied S. leucogaster, which differs from S. dinganii mainly by the colour of ventral pelage. We reassessed the taxonomic status of house bats from southwestern Yemen using genetic and morphological analyses. The Yemeni specimens clustered within two distantly related mitochondrial lineages of African Scotophilus: East African S. aff. dinganii, which is a paraphyletic group to S. dinganii s.str. from South Africa, andWest African S. leucogaster. This taxonomic assignation was based on published sequences of reference museum specimens. Differences in external and cranial measurements also indicated the presence of two distinct taxa in Yemen. The Yemeni and comparative Ethiopian populations of S. aff. dinganii showed close morphological similarity to the type specimen of S. nigrita colias from Kenya. Because the Yemeni and Ethiopian yellow-bellied house bats cannot be synonymized with S. dinganii, the designation S. colias is tentatively suggested for this particular East African and Yemeni lineage of the S. dinganii complex. However, final correspondence of this name with the respective populations or applicability of some of other available names must yet be explored. Based on environmental differences of the Yemeni localities of origin, S. colias appears to be ecologically delimited to mountainous habitats, while S. leucogaster to harsh lowland deserts. This is consistent with known habitats of African populations of both species.     

Comparison of nest shapes and densities of two sympatric species of Cubitermes (Isoptera: Termitidae: Termitinae) as clues for the study of their population dynamics

Two species of Cubitermes coexist in the grassy Loudetia Savanna of Bondoé, in the Central African Republic, namely C. sankurensis (Wasmann, 1911) and C. ugandensis (Fuller, 1923) Despite the obvious size difference between individuals their nests have the same general shape but there are significant, though small, differences in height, diameter, number of caps, surface and volume. The closest correlations between these five parameters can be seen between the surface and the volume of the nests. The regressions between these two parameters are identical for both species; the addition of a first cap decreases the volume/surface ratio but a second or third cap does not alter this ratio further. Three apparent age classes have been attributed to the nests based on their external appearance: recent, eroded, and dilapidated. The great density (1297 nests/ha) and abundance of the nests that are dilapidated but still occupied by a declining population clearly suggests that the pressure from predation is weak. This study suggests that the environmental conditions are more influential than the species in shaping the mounds and tentative population dynamics of the termite mounds of Bondoé are outlined.