© Biodiversity Heritage Library, http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/; www.zoologicalbulletin.de; www.biologiezentrum.at Bonn zoological Bulletin 61 (2): 255-281 December 2012 The herpetofauna of the Bijagos archipelago, Guinea-Bissau (West Africa) and a first country-wide checklist 1 2,1 1 Mark Auliya , Philipp Wagner & Wolfgang Bohme Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Department of Conservation Biology, Permoserstr 15. D-04318 Leipzig, Germany. Department ofBiology, Villanova University. 800 Lancaster Avenue, Villanova, Pennsylvania 19085, USA. Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig, Adenauerallee 160. D-53113 Bonn. Abstract. An annotated checklist of amphibians and reptiles from the Bijagos archipelago (Guinea-Bissau) with com- ments on the species' distribution, systematics and natural history traits is presented here for the first time. During two field surveys 13 anurans and 17 reptile species were recorded from the archipelago of which several species represent either first records for the islands, i.e., Silurana tropicalis, Hemisus g. guineensis, Leptopelis viridis, Hemidactylus an- gulatiis. Chamaeleo gracilis. Trachylepis perrotetii, Philothamnus heterodermus, Toxicodiyas blandingii. Naja melanoleuca and Thelotornis kirtlandii or first country records, i.e., Amietoplvynus maculatus, Ptychadena piimilio. P. bibroni. Plvynobatrachus calcaratus, P. francisci, Leptopelis bufonides, Hyperolius occidentalism H. nitidulus, H. spatzi. Kassina senegalensis and Thrasops occidentalis. Species diversity reflects savanna and forest elements and a complete herpetofaunal checklist of the country is provided. Key words. West Africa, Guinea-Bissau, Bijagos archipelago, herpetofauna, first country records. INTRODUCTION The former Portugese colony Guinea-Bissau is an au- Guinea-Bissau's tropical climate is characterised by a tonomous country since 1974 and is bordered by Senegal dry season (November to May), and a wet season from in the north, Guinea in the east and south, and by the At- June to October with average annual rainfall between lantic Ocean in the west (Fig. 1). It covers an area of ap- 1 ,500-2,000 mm (lUCN 1992), whereas on the islands and proximately 36,125 km- between 10°52' and 12°40' N and the southeast of the mainland annual precipitation increas- 13°38' and 16°43' W. According to recent data, its human es to 2,250-3,000 mm (Joop 1968). The Sudan-Zone in population is estimated at 1 .596.677 (July 201 1 , The World the north, the Guinea-Congolian zone and the West Factbook 2012). The country can be divided into three African Forest Block, in the south, frame Guinea-Bissau. characteristic types of landscape ( 1 ) scattered plain islands A Guinean forest-savanna mosaic is the characteristic together with the flooded valleys describe the coastal zone, ecoregion of the country. The moist tropical Guinea sa- (2) coastal estuaries or "rias" outlined with mangrove vamias are of climatic origin, which are defined accord- swamps extend deep into the continent on the main rivers ing to the length of the dry season, lasting two to six Rio Cacheu, Rio Mansoa, Rio Geba, Rio Grande de Bu- months. Of the edaphic-based vegetation, mangrove ba and Rio Cacine, and (3) this second zone borders a forests reflect the major formation. Originally mangrove moist savannah on a very low elevated shelf with the high- forests represented 1 1 % of all vegetation of Guinea-Bis- est peak of 3 1 0 m a.s.l in the southeast of Guinea-Bissau, sau, with 30 % of mangroves distributed on the Bijagos the foothills of the Fouta Djallon. Islands. Dominant taxa are Rhizophom racemosa, R. man- The Bijagos archipelago consists of 83 islands and islets gle, and Avicennia africana. with a surface of about 1,500 km^ distributed across an On the islands of Orango and Bubaque, the inland veg- area of about 1 1,000 km- (Fortes et al. 1998). According etation, behind the mangroves, is characterized by a belt to lUCN (1991) 20 islands are permanently inhabited, 26 of littoral bush (Limoges & Robillard 1991a) and floral seasonal inhabited and 37 uninhabited. The islands soils elements have xeromorphic leaves and > 5 m tall e.g.. Hi- are ferralitic, hydromorphic and halomorphic (Said & Fon- biscus tiliaceits (Malvaceae). Chrysobalanus orbicularis seca 1990). The four islands surveyed within the study are (Chrysobalanaceae) and Ipomoea pes-caprae (Convolvu- Orango (158 km-), Bubaque (43 km^), Imbone (19 km-), laceae) are interspersed with Baobab, Adansotiia digita- and Soga Island (13 km^) (Fig. 1). ta (Bombacaceae) and dense undergrowth e.g.. Strophan- tus spp. (Apocynaceae). Also of edaphic origin are palm savannas dominated by the oil palm {Elaeis guineeensis), Received: 03.04.2012 Corresponding editor: F. Herder Accepted: 23.11.2012 © Biodiversity Heritage Library, http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/; www.zoologicalbulletin.de; www.biologiezentrum.at 256 Mark Auliya et al. Fig. 1. Map of Guinea-Bissau; Capital Bissau (black square); major Bijagos islands are named. the next characteristic vegetation belt when moving to- West African tropical Flora (lUCN 1986). Therefore, the wards inland. These are bordered by "depressions" of flora of Guinea-Bissau consists of typical Sudano-ele- moist grass savatma (Hyparrhenia, Andropogon). Also ments e.g.. Acacia Senegal, Dicherostachys cinerea (Mi- Raphia exica (Arecaceae) is a characteristic element of mosaceae) together with elements of the tropical lowland these "valleys" (Limoges & Robillard 1991a). Evergreen evergreen rain forests of West Africa e.g., Trichilia bush-forests (up to 8 m tall) follow the partly swampy prieureana (Meliaceae). grass savannas inland e.g., Mussaenda spp. (Rubiaceae) J. V. Barboza du Bocage published first data of or Trema guineemis (Ulmaceae) (Knapp 1973). Rich rain- Guinea-Bissau's herpetofauna in 1867. The majority of fall indicates patches of primary forest, representing the specimens originated from Bolaina Isl. and Bissau natural vegetation cover. According to Limoges & Robil- (Bocage 1867, 1873, 1896a). Costa Martins, the Assistant lard (1991a) these consist of half-moist and half-dry three- Director of the Public Health Office of the Cabo Verde Ar- storied primary forests. In half-moist forests the upper sto- chipelago made one of these collections (Bocage 1896b). ry (canopy height around 30 m) is characterized by Later, between 1898 and 1908, Francisco Newton who Chlorophora regia (Moraceae), andAfzelia africana (Cae- collected for the Lisbon museum, conducted inventories salpiniaceae). Elaies guineensis is the dominant species of the mainland herpetofauna (e.g. Antula [Bissau], Bam- in the story below, whereas the undergrowth comprises badinca, Buba, Geba, Farim, Sambel n'anta, including the shrubs and palm-shoots. Apart from these moist forests, nearby island Bolama Isl.). Boulenger (1905) identified which are distributed in the southern archipelago, the and published an amphibian and reptile collection made northern islands also support half-dry primary forests char- by Leonardo Fea in 1898-1900. These specimens origi- acterized by Khaya senegalensis (Meliaceae) and Parinari nated from Bissau, Bolama Isl., Farim, Cacheu, Cassine excelsa (Chrysobalanaceae). There are close phylogenet- and Cambec. J. Bethencourt Ferreira (1902) published a ic relationships to the coastal regions of Guinea, Sierra checklist of amphibians and reptiles collected by Francis- Leone and Liberia (belonging to the western Guinean low- co Newton in 1900/1901. Some findings were recorded land forests), thus Guinea-Bissau's flora is assigned to the from Bolama Isl, the major data though originate from Bonn zoological Bulletin 61 (2): 255-281 ®ZFMK © Biodiversity Heritage Library, http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/; www.zoologicalbulletin.de; www.biologiezentrum.at archipelago, Guinea-Bissau The heq^etofauna of the Bijagos (West Africa) and a first country-wide chectcMst 257 Table 1. Habitat composition of the Bijagos islands. Source: this fact most specimens originate from Bubaque. The is- Limoges & Robillard (1991). land of Orango was visited for eleven, while Imbone on- ly for four days. Habitat % of the archipelago All voucher specimens were sampled by visual en- counter, noosing and and setting nets during day and night Moist forest 0.6 excursions. Occasionally villagers captured specimens, or Closed Palm forest 25.8 reported on taxa observed. Several taxa were collected Open Palm forest 5.8 dead after being killed by locals. Voucher specimens were Bush land 3.6 preserved in 70 % ethanol and deposited in the Zoologis- Forest savannah 5.6 ches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig (ZFMK) in Bonn. For additional taxonomic analysis aforementioned Grass savannah 1.4 herpetological collection of R. de Naurois (1969) in Moist savannah 6.9 1961/62, from the Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle Cultivated savannah 0.9 in Paris/ France, was taken into account. Comparatively, Mangroves 31.7 collections from the localities Macenta and Seredou, both in Guinea, were analysed. the mainland. Almost 40 years later in 1937-1938, Dr. Al- bert Monard, perpetuated herpetological research of RESULTS Guinea-Bissau publishing inany new records (Monard 1940a, b). The most detailed herpetofaunal surveys, as a Annotated Herpetofaunal Checklist of the Bijagos ar- program of the Portuguese inventory inissions "Junta de chipelago Investigacoes Colonais" were conducted in 1945-1946, supervised by Fernando Frade. These collections were ex- AMPHIBIA amined and published by Mana9as (1947, 1949, 1950), in particular