Herpetological results of Francisco Newton’s Zoological Expedition to Angola (1903 – 1906): a taxonomic revision and new records of a forgotten collection
Author
Santos, Bruna S.
Author
Marques, Mariana P.
0000-0002-1712-2632
mptlmarques@gmail.com
Author
Bauer, Aaron M.
0000-0001-6839-8025
aaron.bauer@villanova.edu
Author
Ceríaco, Luis M. P.
0000-0002-3798-2664
brunascesantos@gmail.com
text
Zootaxa
2021
2021-09-03
5028
1
1
80
http://zoobank.org/c678f0fe-1b62-4f34-8a66-449cf9806b50
journal article
10.11646/zootaxa.5028.1.1
1175-5326
5453967
C678F0FE-1B62-4F34-8A66-449CF9806B50
Chamaeleo dilepis
Leach, 1819
Material (
two specimens
):
One adult specimen (MHNCUP/REP 297, formerly UP-MHNFCP-052204), collected from unknown locality, date unknown;
one adult
female specimen (MHNCUP/REP 303, formerly UP-MHNFCP- 094977;
Fig. S47
), collected from Mossamedes [=Moçâmedes] [-15.20000º, 12.15000º,
24 m
a.s.l.
]
Namibe Province
, in 1905
.
Comments:
Chamaeleo dilepis
is a species complex with a very widespread distribution throughout Africa and a particularly homogenous phenotype, with eight recognized subspecies (
Tilbury 2018
;
Main 2019a
). Angolan records of
C. dilepis
have historically been referred to as
C. dilepis quilensis
, a form described by Bocage from “Rio Quilo” (
Cabinda
) (
Bocage 1866
;
Marques
et al.
2018
;
Tilbury 2018
). Recent molecular results presented by
Main (2019a)
and
Main
et al
. (2019b)
suggest the presence of three candidate species within
C. dilepis
. Clade 1 is presumed to occur in most of
Angola
, southern
Democratic Republic of the Congo
, and southern
Congo
; Clade 2 covers
Tanzania
east towards southern
Angola
and western
Namibia
, south to northwestern
Republic of South Africa
and west to
Mozambique
and finally Clade 3 is expected to populate northern
Tanzania
and the borderlands with
Uganda
and
Kenya
. Given that “
Congo
”, the
type
locality of
C. dilepis
, is comprised within the expected range for Clade 1, we can infer it corresponds to
C. dilepis
and as such, so do the Angolan specimens, including the putative subspecies
C. dilepis quilensis
. Clade 2 seemingly occurs in southernmost
Angola
, not including Moçâmedes. Given this, the specimen we have locality data for most likely belongs to Clade 1 and should be referred to as
C. dilepis
. Neither of the extant specimens were published by
Ferreira (1904
,
1906
).