Ichnotropis spp.

Conradie, Werner, Bills, Roger & Branch, William R., 2016, The herpetofauna of the Cubango, Cuito, and lower Cuando river catchments of south-eastern Angola, Amphibian & Reptile Conservation (e 126) 10 (2), pp. 6-36 : 24

Ichnotropis spp.

Rough-scaled Lizard

Material: PEM R 20008‒9 (25), 20486‒8 (30b), 21490 (59), and 21843‒5 (55).

Comment: Branch and McCarthy (1992) referred an adult male ( SVL 45 mm) from Cuito-Cuanavale as the first record of I. capensis from Angola. Our additional material comprises juveniles and small adults ( Fig. 9d , maximum SVL = 45 mm). Broadley (1967) described I. grandiceps based on a very small series (n = 3) from the Caprivi Strip. He differentiated it from sympatric I. capensis based on higher midbody scale counts (44‒47), a broader head, five upper labials anterior to the subocular, and an occipital scale that did not protrude past the parietals. In our series the mid-body scale count is low (36‒42), upper labials are mostly four (seven out of the 12 examined), and the occipital scale protrudes past the parietals. The specimens thus display a mixture of features intermediate between the two species. Although an adult male with bright yellow flanks (indicative of I. capensis male breeding coloration) was observed in the same area as juveniles (Conradie pers. obs, it was not collected and scalation could not be determined). The genus Ichnotropis includes a number of poorly-known northern species, and the lack of recent material of taxa such as I. grandiceps , I. tanganicana , I. microlepidota , I. bivittata pallida , etc., has precluded a modern revision. These difficulties are compounded by the annual reproductive strategies of some species ( Broadley 1979) that make collection of series of adults and juveniles difficult. A revision of Angolan species, and the description of new taxa, is in preparation.

Figures

Fig. 9. Selective amphibians and reptiles from south-easternAngola.A. Ptychadena taeniocelis; B. Xenopus petersii; C. Ptychadena cf. grandisonae; D. Ichnotropis spp; E. Causus cf.rasmusseni; F.Causus cf.rasmusseni; G. Boaedon cf.angolensis; H. Trachylepis cf. spilogaster.