Phylogeny and biogeography of the African burrowing snake subfamily Aparallactinae (Squamata: Lamprophiidae).

Members of the snake subfamily Aparallactinae occur in various habitats throughout sub-Saharan Africa. The monophyly of aparallactine snakes is well established, but relationships within the subfamily are poorly known. We sampled 158 individuals from six of eight aparallactine genera in sub-Saharan Africa. We employed concatenated gene-tree analyses, divergence dating approaches, and ancestral-area reconstructions to infer phylogenies and biogeographic patterns with a multi-locus data set consisting of three mitochondrial (16S, cyt b, and ND4) and two nuclear genes (c-mos and RAG1). As a result, we uncover several cryptic lineages and elevate a lineage of Polemon to full species status. Diversification occurred predominantly during the Miocene, with a few speciation events occurring subsequently in the Pliocene and Pleistocene. Biogeographic analyses suggested that the Zambezian biogeographic region, comprising grasslands and woodlands, facilitated radiations, vicariance, and dispersal for many aparallactines. Moreover, the geographic distributions of many forest species were fragmented during xeric and cooler conditions, which likely led to diversification events. Biogeographic patterns of aparallactine snakes are consistent with previous studies of other sub-Saharan herpetofauna.

Phylogeography and species boundaries of Leptopelis (Anura: Arthroleptidae) from the Albertine Rift.

The genus Leptopelis occurs in multiple habitats throughout sub-Saharan Africa, and it includes several species that have highly variable color patterns, which makes taxonomic studies challenging. In this study, we examined multiple populations of Leptopelis from the Albertine Rift (AR), a region known for its high levels of endemism and biodiversity. Currently, five species are recognized from the AR: L. anebos, L. fiziensis, L. karissimbensis, L. kivuensis, and L. mtoewaate, most of which are found in and around the Itombwe Plateau in Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). We sampled 90 individuals of Leptopelis from multiple localities in DRC, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi. We employed concatenated gene-tree analyses, coalescent species-tree analyses, and divergence dating approaches to infer phylogenies and biogeographic patterns with a multi-locus data set consisting of two mitochondrial (16S and cyt b) and one nuclear gene (RAG1). All analyses revealed several cryptic lineages within the genus, suggesting that a revision of AR Leptopelis taxonomy is needed.

Evolutionary history of burrowing asps (Lamprophiidae: Atractaspidinae) with emphasis on fang evolution and prey selection.

Atractaspidines are poorly studied, fossorial snakes that are found throughout Africa and western Asia, including the Middle East. We employed concatenated gene-tree analyses and divergence dating approaches to investigate evolutionary relationships and biogeographic patterns of atractaspidines with a multi-locus data set consisting of three mitochondrial (16S, cyt b, and ND4) and two nuclear genes (c-mos and RAG1). We sampled 91 individuals from both atractaspidine genera (Atractaspis and Homoroselaps). Additionally, we used ancestral-state reconstructions to investigate fang and diet evolution within Atractaspidinae and its sister lineage (Aparallactinae). Our results indicated that current classification of atractaspidines underestimates diversity within the group. Diversification occurred predominantly between the Miocene and Pliocene. Ancestral-state reconstructions suggest that snake dentition in these taxa might be highly plastic within relatively short periods of time to facilitate adaptations to dynamic foraging and life-history strategies.

Systematics of the poorly known treefrog Leptopelis fiziensis (Anura: Arthroleptidae), with a description of its call.

Leptopelis fiziensis was described as a subspecies of L. modestus from specimens that were collected in 1956 in the region in and around Fizi, in present-day Democratic Republic of the Congo. We recently discovered L. fiziensis in transitional and montane forest near the type locality and the southeastern Itombwe Plateau, respectively. A phylogenetic analysis (16S mitochondrial sequence data) of these samples and other Leptopelis species recovered L. fiziensis as sister to L. karissimbensis with strong support, and rejected a close relationship between L. fiziensis and both topotypic L. modestus from Cameroon and L. mackayi from Kenya. Herein, we provide a detailed description of the morphometrics, colour pattern, male advertisement call and natural history of this poorly known species. At least one literature record of L. fiziensis from Tanzania has notable differences from our data, and requires further study to ascertain its taxonomic status.