Description of A New and Critically Endangered Species of Atheris (Serpentes: Viperidae) From the Southern Highlands of Tanzania, With an Overview of The Country's Tree Viper Fauna

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Description of A New and Critically Endangered Species of Atheris (Serpentes Viperidae) From the Southern Highlands of Tanzania, With an Overview of The Country's Tree Viper Fauna.pdf (1.24 MB)
Description of A New and Critically Endangered Species of Atheris (Serpentes Viperidae) From the Southern Highlands of Tanzania, With an Overview of The Country's Tree Viper Fauna.pdf (1.24 MB)
Date
2011-12
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Abstract
A new species of arboreal forest viper (Serpentes: Viperidae: Atheris) from a forest fragment in the Southern Highlands of Tanzania is described and named Atheris matildae sp. nov. The species resembles the forest horned viper, Atheris cer-atophora Werner, by bearing horn-like supraciliary scales but it differs in size, body proportions, scalation, scale ultra-structure, and distribution. Genetic divergence is also assessed and the two species have an estimated divergence time of approximately 2.2 million years. An overview of the genus Atheris in Tanzania, including new distribution data, is pre-sented and the conservation status of the new taxon is discussed
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Keywords
Viperidae, Atheris, New species, Southern Highlands, Tanzania, Conservation
Citation
Menegon, M., Davenport, T.R. and Howell, K.M., 2011. Description of a new and critically endangered species of Atheris (Serpentes: Viperidae) from the Southern Highlands of Tanzania, with an overview of the country’s tree viper fauna. Zootaxa, 3120, pp.43-54.
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11810/3301
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Department of Zoology and Wildlife Conservation