An addition to the East African herpetofauna: the first record of Tarentola annularis relicta (Squamata: Gekkonidae) in Uganda

2010·2.4 MB·English

by  Miloslav Jirků

4
Bonn zoological Bulletin Volume 57 Issue 2 pp. 173-176 Bonn, November 2010
An
addition to the East African herpetofauna: the first record of
Tarentola annularis relicta (Squamata: Gekkonidae) in Uganda
Miloslav Jirku1, Andrei Daniel Mihalca2, Petr Necas3 & David Modry1
1 Biology Centre, Academy ofSciences ofthe Czech Republic, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
2 University ofAgricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
3 Svinosice, Czech Republic
4 University ofVeterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Brno Czech Republic
Abstract. This is the first record ofa member ofthe genus Tarentola from Uganda. Population of Tarentola annularis
relictawas found in Ubbi village onthe South-Western footofMt. Otzi innorthernUganda, close to the borderwith Su-
dan. Briefcomments on extraordinary biogeographical affinities ofthe area and characterization ofthe Mt. Otzi envi-
ronments are provided.
Key words: Tarentola, Uganda, EastAfrica, Mt. Otzi, new geographic record.
INTRODUCTION
In their account ofthe EastAfrican reptiles, Spawls et al. several emergent rocky peaks reaching a maximum ele-
(2004) listed 55 species ofgeckoes in 11 genera for East vation of 1565 m. Its slopes are covered by bush, while
Africa including Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and its upper parts are covered by a mosaic ofhighland bush,
Burundi. Although biogeographically, the East African moist forest and farmland (Fig. lb). The remaining for-
realm includes also parts ofSouth Sudan andEthiopia, we est patches are mostly degraded by logging and clearing
follow the above mentioned political delimitation ofEast for agriculture and thus characterized by relatively open
Africa used throughout literature for practical reasons. canopy (Fig. lc). The area south ofthe Mt. Otzi is dom-
During a short survey of the Mt. Otzi area in the very inated by palm- and other moist-savanna types (Fig. Id).
North ofUganda on 9.X.2006, we collected specimens of
geckoes, that didnotmatch anyknown EastAfrican genus.
Specimens were collected on buildings of the village Tarentola specimens
school in Ubbi, a small settlement at the South-Western
foot ofMt. Otzi. Upon collection, the animals were pho- The geckoeswere assignedto the genus Tarentola accord-
tographed and released at the original collection site. ing to absence ofclaws on digits 1, 2 and 5 and presence
ofclaws on digits 3 and 4 (as seen in Figs 2a-b). The on-
The Ubbi village (03°35'07"N, 31°49'42"E, elevation of ly Tarentola species occurring thus far in the South-East
m
690 a.s.l.) is surroundedbyamosaic offarmland, small ofthe genus range is Tarentola annularis (Geoffrey, 1809),
rocky hillocks covered by bushy vegetation and numer- in which two subspecies are recognized (Joger 1984). The
ous rockyoutcrops devoidofvegetation (Fig. la). The area nominotypic Tarentola annularis annularis (Geoffrey,
is situated in the Southern Sudanian savanna zone, the nat- 1809) occurs throughout the Saharanregion, whereas Tar-
ural vegetation of which is mostly tree and shrub moist entola annularis relicta Joger, 1984 is known only from
savanna. The dominant geomorphological feature ofthe two disjunct areas - the Nile valley in the very south of
area is the Mt. Otzi massifsteeply rising above surround- Sudan and Mora in theNorth Cameroon southofthe Lake
ing landscape. The Mt. Otzi located on the Western bank Chad. Two confirmed Sudan localities include Juba (type
of the Nile River has an undulating top plateau with locality ofthe subspecies) and Nimule (Joger 1984).
Bonn zoological Bulletin 57 (2): 173-176 ©ZFMK
174 Miloslav Jirku et al.
Fig. 1. Landscape and vegetation ofthe Mt. Otzi and adjacent areas. Fig. la. Rocky outcrops in Ubbi village on the foot ofMt.
Otzi. PhotographA. D. Mihalca. Fig. lb. Forestpatch on the Mt. Otzi topplateau with an emergentrocky peak in the background.
Photograph M. Jirkti. Fig. lc. Interior ofthe Mt. Otzi forest showing relatively open canopy and distinctAfromontane floristic el-
ement, the false banana ofthe genus Ensete in the foreground. Photograph M. Jirku. Fig. Id. Palm savanna south ofthe Mt. Otzi
region in the Murchinson Falls NP, Uganda. Photograph M. Jirku.
Bonn zoological Bulletin 57 (2): 173-176 ©ZFMK
First record ofTarentola from Uganda 175
Fig. 2. Tarentola annularis. Fig. 2a. Adult specimen ofTarentola annularis relicta from Ubbi, Uganda. Photograph D. Modry.
Fig. 2b. Close-up ofadult specimen ofTarentola annularis relicta from Ubbi, Uganda. Note the bright red trombiculid mites lo-
calizedmainlyaroundeye. Photograph D. Modry. Fig. 2c.AdultspecimenofTarentolaannularisannularisfromAwashNP, Ethiopia.
Note the four distinct white, dark-rimmed scapular flecks. Photograph P. Necas.
Apart from details in scaling patterns, T. a. relicta can be coloration pattern, the specimens we collected in Ugan-
readilydistinguishedvisuallyby an absence offourwhite, da can be assigned to the subspecies T. a. relicta. All ob-
dark-rimmed scapular flecks typical for the nominotypic served specimens were pale-grey colored with orange to
subspecies (compare Figs 2a-b with Fig. 2c). Based on orange-brown blotches on dorsum ofthe head and body
Bonn zoological Bulletin 57 (2): 173-176 ©ZFMK
176 Miloslav Jirku et al.
with intervening irregularly distributed faintwhitish flecks Interestingly, the Mt. Otzi region is the easternmostknown
devoidofany darkmargin, whereas the tail possessedjust locality of a remarkable West-African savanna element,
faint grayish transversal bands (Figs 2a-b). As far as we the ball python Python regius, which was collected in the
are aware, the Figs 2a-b are the first published colorpho- vicinity ofMoyo (3°39'14"N, 31°43,22"E), just 13 km
tographs oflive T. a. relicta. to the north-west from the Ubbi village reported here to
be (together with Nimule) the southernmost locality of
Tarentola.
BIOGEOGRAPHICAL CONSEQUENCES
Apart from the two outstanding herpeto-faunistic ele-
To our best knowledge, the presented record of Tarento- ments, P. regius and T. a. relicta, representatives ofthe
la in Uganda is the first record ofthe genus in the East West African and Saharan realm(s) respectively, the re-
African region as defined above. The genus Tarentola gion is mostly inhabited by East-African herpetofauna as
comprises 20 species distributed throughout the dry re- reflected by distribution maps provided by Spawls et al.
gions ofthe Mediterranean, Middle East, some Atlantic (2004). In addition, there is a relict population ofeastern
archipelagos (e.g. Canary and Cape Verde Islands) and chimpanzee Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii on the Mt.
African mainland north ofthe savanna and forest zones Otzi (Caldecott & Miles 2005), which together with
(see Joger 1984 for review). Three additional species are colobus monkey Colobus guereza (pers. obs.) in the Otzi
known from theWest Indies (Diaz & Hedges 2008, Joger forest show clear faunistic affinity to the Guineo-Congo-
1984). TheAfrican-mainlandpart ofthe genus geograph- lian rainforest block. Finally, a presence offalse bananas
ic range, i.e. Saharan region, comprises a total of six ofthe genus Ensete (pers. obs., Fig. lc) in the Otzi for-
species (including Tarentola chazaliae, still treated by est suggests also presence ofAfromontane elements inthe
some authors as the only representative ofthe monotyp- area. In conclusion, the Mt. Otzi region deserves further
ic genus Geckonia - see Carranza et al. 2002) the spe- attention as apotentialbiogeographical matchpoint, where
ciation ofwhich seems toreflect the relativelyrecent arid- East- andWest-African (savanna), Saharan (desert), Cen-
ification ofthe Sahara desert region, which was gradual- tral-African (forest-savanna) and possibly Afromontane
ly colonized from its rather mesic margins by ancestors biotas meet at one place.
of extant species since mid Oligocene. In general, the
southern distribution limit of Tarentola spp. in African
Acknowledgements. We are grateful to the local people ofthe
mainland is delimitedby an interference zonebetween the
Mt. Otzi region, the Ubbi village in particular. Philipp Wagner
southern margin ofthe arid Sahel belt and moist savanna and Colin McCarthy ofthe Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum
and forest equatorial zones. Alexander Koenig, Bonn (Germany) and the Natural History
Museum London (UK) respectively, helped us with confirma-
To date, the southernmost confirmed locality ofTarento- tion ofthe Tarentola locality records mentioned in the paper.
la has been the record of T. a. relicta from Nimule
(03°35'33"N, 32°04'14,,E), on the Sudanian side ofthe
REFERENCES
Sudan-Uganda border. The southern records of T. a. re-
licta in Sudan and Uganda document an intrusion ofSa- Caldecott,J. & Miles, L. (eds.). 2005.WorldAtlasofGreatApes
haran faunistic element into the relatively humid equato- and their Conservation. University of California Press,
rial region which is dominated by moist savanna approx- Berkeley, 404 pp.
&
imately from 9°30,N southwards. Presence ofthe reptile Carranza, S., Arnold, E. N., Mateo, J. A. Geniez, P. 2002.
Relationships and evolution of the North African geckos,
species associated with arid habitats here, deep in the sa- Geckonia and Tarentola (Reptilia: Gekkonidae), based on
vanna zone might be facilitated by a presence of an ex- mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences. Molecular
tensive network ofhuge rockyoutcrops and ridges follow- Phylogenetics and Evolution 23: 244-256
ing Aswa fault, which extend into this region from far Diaz, L. M. & Hedges, S. B. 2008. A new gecko ofthe genus
north-west and of which the Mt. Otzi is a magnificent Tarentola (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from Eastern Cuba.
Zootaxa 1743: 43-52
southernmost outpost. It is possible, that these exposed
Joger, U. 1984. Taxonomische Revision der Garrung Tarentola
rocky formations, largely devoid of vegetation, might
(Reptilia: Gekkonidae). Bonner zoologische Beitrage 35:
serve as refuges for Saharan taxathat normally wouldnot 129-174
occurthus far south in the otherwise relatively humid re- Spawls, S., Howell, K., Drewes, R. &Ashe,J. 2004.Afieldguide
gion. Farther to the south from the Mt. Otzi region, the to the reptiles ofEast Africa. A & C Black Publishers Ltd.,
landscape is dominated by gently undulating plains cov- London, 72 pp.
eredby variousmoist-savannatypes (Fig. Id) where pres-
ence of Tarentola seems unlikely due to lack ofsuitable Received: 30.VI.2010
habitats. Accepted: 24.VIII.2010
Bonn zoological Bulletin 57 (2): 173-176 ©ZFMK