Biodiversity in a forest island: reptiles and amphibians of the West African Togo Hills

  • Our recent surveys of the herpetological diversity of the West African Togo Hills documented a total of 65 reptile and amphibian species, making Kyabobo National Park one of the most diverse sites surveyed in Ghana. We provide accounts for all species recorded along with photographs to aid in identification. We recorded 26 amphibians, including six new records for Kyabobo N. P., one of which is a record for the Togo Hills. Our collection of reptile species (22 lizards, 16 snakes, and one crocodile) also provides new records and range extensions for Kyabobo N. P., such as the first observation of the dwarf crocodile, Osteolaemus tetraspis. Amphibian species still lacking from our surveys in the Togo Hills include several species that are adapted to fast running water or large closed forests, like the Togo toad, Bufo togoensis and the slippery frog, Conraua derooi. Appropriate habitat for such species still remains in Kyabobo, highlighting the need for additional survey work. We draw attention to the importance of conserving forest stream habitats, which will in turn help ensure the persistence of forest-restricted species. We also highlight those species that may prove most useful for evolutionary studies of West African rain forest biogeography.

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Author:Adam D. Leaché, Mark-Oliver Rödel, Charles W. Linkem, Raul E. Diaz, Annika Hillers, Matthew K. Fujita
URN:urn:nbn:de:hebis:30-87316
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1514/journal.arc.0040018
ISSN:1083-446X
ISSN:1525-9153
Parent Title (English):Amphibian & reptile conservation : the international journal devoted to the worldwide preservation and management of amphibian and reptilian diversity
Publisher:PubMed Central
Place of publication:Bethesda, Md.
Document Type:Article
Language:English
Date of Publication (online):2006/12/16
Date of first Publication:2006/12/26
Publishing Institution:Universitätsbibliothek Johann Christian Senckenberg
Release Date:2010/12/16
Tag:Dahomey Gap; Ghana; Kyabobo National Park; Togo Hills; West Africa; amphibians; biodiversity; biogeography; conservation; reptiles
Volume:4
Issue:(1): e18
Page Number:24
First Page:22
Last Page:45
Note:
Copyright: © 2006 Leaché et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
HeBIS-PPN:301777292
Dewey Decimal Classification:5 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik / 57 Biowissenschaften; Biologie / 570 Biowissenschaften; Biologie
Sammlungen:Sammlung Biologie / Sondersammelgebiets-Volltexte
Licence (German):License LogoCreative Commons - Namensnennung 2.0