Mecistops cataphractus (Cuvier, 1824)

Pauwels, Olivier S. G., Morelle, Stephan, Albert, Jean-Louis, Carlino, Piero, Rahola, Nil & Trape, Jean-François, 2019, New reptile records from Lékédi Park and Haut-Ogooué Province, southeastern Gabon, Amphibian & Reptile Conservation (e 174) 13 (1), pp. 143-161 : 145

Mecistops cataphractus (Cuvier, 1824)

Pearson et al. (2007) presented the picture of an individual in Plateaux Batéké NP, clearly showing the whole body and the long snout. Fig. 3 shows an adult individual photographed on 17 October 2016 in Lékédi Lake (Lac Lékédi) in Lékédi Park. This individual is regularly observed on this dead tree when one navigates on the lake, and it jumps forward when it is too closely approached. It climbs on this tree on sunny days as well as on cloudy days, and often keeps its mouth widely open. No census of the Mecistops population of the 120 ha Lékédi Lake was ever done, but a 45 minutes canoe trip by night on the lake in June 2017 by SM revealed ten distinct individuals, mostly juveniles and subadults. A second canoe tour on the lake on 21 July 2017 between 18h30 and 21h30 revealed 25 distinct individuals, indicating that further search efforts might demonstrate the existence of a viable population. Our observations represent a new Dept. record and a new record for the park (not listed from this Dept. by Pauwels and Vande weghe 2008; Pauwels et al. 2016b, 2017e).

Figures

Fig. 3. Adult Mecistops cataphractus on a dead tree in Lékédi Park, Haut-Ogooué Prov., southeastern Gabon. Photograph by S. Morelle.