14 research outputs found
The Development of the Water Resources of the Occupied Palestinian Territories: some key issues
No full textMonkeypox Outbreak, a Recurring Entity that May Threaten Human Existence in the 21st Century: A Systematic Review
No full textBackground: The resurgence and geographical spread of monkeypox is a public health concern. It is also an implication of weak response and mitigation strategies to disease outbreaks, especially in the endemic regions where there have been sporadic disease outbreaks since five decades ago. This paper aims to review the outbreaks of monkeypox with regards to cases, fatalities, and spread.
Methods: A literature search was conducted in Pubmed using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, and grey literature was also searched in google scholar. 43 literature (34 peer review articles and 9 grey literature) were included in the review.
Results: 10,970 suspected cases of human monkeypox have been reported across 26 countries since from 1970 to May 2022. One thousand eight hundred twenty-four (1824) cases were confirmed, while 146 deaths have been recorded. The highest outbreaks occurred in the Democratic Republic of Congo (D.R.C.) (14) and the Central African Republic (C.A.R.) (10). The highest mortalities were recorded from D.R.C. (127) and Nigeria (8).
Conclusion: the spread of monkeypox from one country to 26 countries over a period of about 5 decades is a threat to human existence if measures are not taken to contain the spread. This study recommends the need to strengthen and increase support for the Surveillance and Detection of monkeypox cases for appropriate management is recommended, especially in resource-limited endemic regions
Groundwater resources : balancing perspectives on key issues affecting supply and demand
No full textSustainable groundwater management requires (a) maximizing the use of aquifer storage to reduce water-supply costs while limiting environmental impacts, and (b) maximizing groundwater protection to reduce water-supply treatment needs while not unduly restricting land-use activities. These key issues are evaluated from the experience of a recent and comprehensive national strategic study, involving detailed consultation with many stakeholders with an interest in groundwater resources. Such balances are not easy to achieve because groundwater systems are complex to analyse and slow to respond to change, resulting in considerable uncertainty in assessment and prediction without in-depth research and high-resolution monitoring. Current institutional and regulatory arrangements for the water sector in England and Wales do not appear to be achieving the best possible use of aquifer storage and optimal investment in groundwater protection
Appetite Control Across the Lifecourse : The Acute Impact of Breakfast Drink Quantity and Protein Content. The Full4Health Project
No full textFunding: This research was funded by the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme FP7-KBBE-2010-4 under grant agreement No: 266408. Authors from the University of Aberdeen, Rowett Institute gratefully acknowledge financial support from the Scottish Government as part of the RESAS Strategic Research Programme at the Rowett Institute. Acknowledgments:We thank Sylvia Stephen, Karen Taylor, Ruth Melican, Rachel Malone, Tara Lyons, Argyri Tsipra, Charlotte Zeller, Miroslaw Kasprzak, Niamh Maloney, Evie Nikokavoura, Laura Bardon, Zahra Mansy and the staff at the Human Nutrition Unit for their assistance with the dietary preparation and participant data collection. The authors would also like to thank all the participants for their time and effort. Author Contributions: Y.M., J.G.M. and A.M.J. conceptualization; D.R.C., W.B., C.L.F., O.A. and A.G. data curation; G.W.H., G.F. and K.B. formal analysis; Y.M., J.G.M. and A.M.J. funding acquisition; D.R.C., W.B., C.L.F., O.A., A.G., C.L.M., J.J.H. and A.M.J. investigation; D.R.C., W.B., O.A., G.F., C.L.M., J.J.H., K.V.N. and A.M.J. methodology; G.W.H. project administration; G.F., C.L.M., J.J.H. and K.V.N. resources; Y.M. and J.G.M. supervision; D.R.C., W.B., C.L.F., G.F. and A.M.J. writing—original draft; G.W.H., Y.M., O.A., A.G., K.B., C.L.M., J.J.H., K.V.N. and J.G.M. writing—review & editing. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript. Supplementary Materials: The following are available online at http://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/12/12/3710/s1, Table S1: Schofield equations for estimating BMR, Table S2: Nutritional values of the foods and drinks served at the ad libitum buffet-style test meal, Table S3: Number of participants completed within each group at both sites, Table S4: Buffet-style test meal ad libitum energy and macronutrient intake (n = 391), Table S5: Effect of visit number on ad libitum EI, Table S6: Mean food reward (liking and wanting) results, Table S7: Combined adult and elderly glucose homeostasis, by group, at baseline and post-test drink consumption, Table S8: Combined adult and elderly glucose homeostasis at baseline and in response to test drink type, composition and quantity, Figure S1: CONSORT diagram summarizing participant flow. The number of participants from both study sites who were recruited, enrolled, allocated to intervention, discontinued, included in the analyses and completed are presented. ABDN: Scotland, HUA: Greece.Peer reviewe
Groundwater resource degradation : a framework for analysis with examples from China and Palestine
No full textGroundwater resources are vulnerable to physical degradation in the form of depletion, depletion-induced changes, and contamination. Degradation, commonly induced by human activity, has environmental, economic and social effects, which in turn impact on mankind. This paper develops a broad framework for analysing groundwater degradation problems and management strategies. It then applies the framework to two contrasting groundwater degradation situations in developing countries
Nanna Birket-Smith 1965
No full textGenus Nanna Birket-Smith, 1965 At present, the genus Nanna includes 13 species of which two are newly recorded for Gabon, N. ceratopygia Birket-Smith, 1965 and N. eningae (Plötz, 1880), and two are endemic in Gabon (N. molouba sp. nov. and N. semigrisea sp. nov.). Remarks In the original paper, Birket-Smith does not provide any information about the etymology and grammatical gender. It is very probably derived from the name “ Nanna ”, the god of the moon in Sumerian mythology. That name should be masculine, but the author treats it as feminine, making it agree with the specific names, such as magna. According to the art. 30.2.3 of ICZN, the genus name Nanna has to be considered feminine. Checklist of species belonging to the genus Nanna Nanna ceratopygia Birket-Smith, 1965 Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon (type in BMNH) Nanna collinsii Kühne, 2007 D.R.C., Kenya (type in RMCA) Nanna colonoides (Kiriakoff, 1963) D.R.C. (type in RMCA) Nanna diplisticta (Bethune-Baker, 1911) (type species) Nigeria, Cameroon, Angola, (type in BMNH) Nanna eningae (Plötz, 1880) Ivory Coast, Togo, Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon (type in ZIM) Nanna griseata Kühne, 2007 Ivory Coast (type in RMCA) Nanna kamerunica Kühne, 2007 Cameroon (type in NKMD) Nanna loloana (Strand, 1912) Cameroon (type in ZMHB) Nanna magna Birket-Smith, 1965 Cameroon (type in its author’s collection) Nanna melanosticta (Bethune-Baker, 1911) Ghana, Angola (type in BMNH) Nanna molouba sp. nov. Gabon (type in MSNS) Nanna naumanni Kühne, 2005 Kenya (type in its author’s collection) Nanna semigrisea sp. nov. Gabon (type in MSNS) Key to the males of the species of Nanna The following key is based mainly on the genitalia because the habitus of the species included in the genus Nanna is very similar. Furthermore the females are not included due to our fragmented knowledge about them. 1. Forewings ochreous yellow.................................................. Nanna ceratopygia Birket-Smith, 1965 – Forewings white or light grey............................................................................................................ 2 2. Male antennae bipectinate................................................................................................................. 3 – Male antennae serrate or ciliated....................................................................................................... 4 3. Ala valvae of the male genitalia with a triangular process at its distal third............................................................................................................................................................ Nanna molouba sp. nov. – Ala valvae of the male genitalia without a triangular process................................................................................................................................................................... Nanna magna Birket-Smith, 1965 4. Male genitalia processus basalis plicae clearly noticeable (1st group of B.-S. 1965)....................... 5 – Male genitalia processus basalis plicae not noticeable or absent (2nd group of B.-S. 1965).......... 12 5. Processus basalis plicae from half length of valva up to longer than the entire valva...................... 6 – Processus basalis plicae shorter than half length of valva............................................................... 10 6. Supravalva spatulate and clearly shorter than ala valvae.................... Nanna loloana (Strand, 1912) – Supravalva as long as or longer than ala valvae................................................................................ 7 7. Ala valvae distally bent in U-shape...................................... Nanna ceratopygia Birket-Smith, 1965 – Ala valvae tapering and just smoothly bent....................................................................................... 8 8. Processus basalis plicae longer than supravalva, S-shaped.............. Nanna naumanni Kühne, 2005 – Processus basalis plicae shorter than supravalva, almost straight..................................................... 9 9. Uncus strong and long........................................................ Nanna diplisticta (Bethune-Baker, 1911) – Uncus slender and short............................................................. Nanna colonoides (Kiriakoff, 1963) 10. Aedeagus slender (eight times longer than broad)............................... Nanna griseata Kühne, 2007 – Aedeagus normally sized (less than five times longer than the average width)...............................11 11. Processus basalis plicae deeply falcate..................................................... Nanna semigrisea sp. nov. – Processus basalis plicae less curved and shorter.................................. Nanna collinsii Kühne, 2007 12. Supravalva very large, ear-like....................................................... Nanna kamerunica Kühne, 2007 – Supravalva slender and long............................................................................................................ 13 13. Distal process of the ala valvae slender and long................................. Nanna eningae (Plötz, 1880) – Distal process of the ala valvae short and stubby.......... Nanna melanosticta (Bethune-Baker, 1911)Published as part of Durante, Antonio, Apinda-Legnouo, Emelie Arlette & Romano, Chiara, 2013, Second contribution to the knowledge of the Lithosiini of Gabon: the genus Nanna Birket-Smith (Lepidoptera, Erebidae, Arctiinae), pp. 1-15 in European Journal of Taxonomy 65 on pages 4-5, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2013.65, http://zenodo.org/record/382072
The Main Stages of the Late Quaternary Evolution of the Kalahari Region, Southern Africa
No full textEléments pour la dialectologie mongo. -Suite et fin- Formes relatives et Particules
No full textL'auteur nous livre, dans cette contribution posthume, une partie de son énorme connaissance des dialectes Mongo. Une partie importante (nord-ouest du domaine) avait déjà trouvé une place dans son Dictionnaire Lomongo-Français et dans sa Grammaire du Lomongo. Dans la présente étude il est traité des différences entre les dialectes Mongo sur le plan grammatical, dans les sections phonologique et tonologique, puis morphologique. Quant au lexique il ne donne que quelques faits particuliers et frappants. Les renseignements proviennent principalement d’enquêtes personnelles menées avec des informateurs et de quelques publications linguistiques spécialisées. La documentation de base se trouve dans les archives Aequatoria à Bamanya (RDC) et a été microfilmée.Mots-clés: Mongo; dialectologie; langues bantouesThe author delivers us, in this posthumous contribution, part of his enormous knowledge of the Mongo dialects. Some of it (north-western parts of the field) had already found a place in the Lomongo Dictionary and Grammar. In the present work he takes in consideration the differences and similarities between the Mongo dialects on the grammatical level, from a phonological, tonological, morphological perspective. As for the lexicon he gives only some particular or striking facts. The information comes mainly from personal surveys carried out with local advisors and from some specialized linguistic publications.The basic documentation can be found in the Aequatoria Archives in Bamanya (D.R.C.) and was microfilmed.Keywords: Mongo; dialectology; Bantu language
Gerrhosaurus Wiegmann 1828
No full textGerrhosaurus Wiegmann, 1828 Pleurotuchus Smith, 1837 Angolosaurus FitzSimons, 1953 Type species: Gerrhosaurus flavigularis Wiegmann, 1828 Content: Gerrhosaurus flavigularis Wiegmann, 1828; Gerrhosaurus typicus (Smith, 1837); Gerrhosaurus nigrolineatus Hallowell, 1857; Gerrhosaurus multilineatus Bocage, 1866 a; Gerrhosaurus auritus Boettger, 1887; Gerrhosaurus intermedius Lönnberg, 1907 comb. nov.; Gerrhosaurus skoogi Andersson, 1916; Gerrhosaurus bulsi Laurent, 1954. Diagnosis: The monophyly of Gerrhosaurus is established on the basis of a suite of nuclear and mitochondrial genetic characters (see above). These moderate-sized lizards are fairly well armoured and the head and body may be cylindrical, cyclotetragonal or slightly depressed; differentiated from the genera Broadleysaurus and Matobosaurus by its smaller size (maximum SVL 213 mm compared to 245 mm and 285 mm respectively for the latter two genera) and less robust appearance; most species of Gerrhosaurus have only eight ventral scale rows longitudinally (but 10 in G. typicus), whereas Broadleysaurus has 9–10 and Matobosaurus has 12–20; it also differs from Broadleysaurus by having 49–67 versus 31–38 transverse dorsal scale rows (Loveridge 1942; FitzSimons 1943, 1953; De Witte 1953; Laurent 1954, 1964; Broadley 1966; De Waal 1978; Jacobsen 1989). Description: Head large, moderate or small, its length included in SVL 3.3–4.8 times (young lizards) to 4.0– 8.4 times (adults); head shields smooth or weakly striated; rostral in contact with, or separated from, the frontonasal; prefrontals well separated, slightly separated, in narrow contact, or in broad contact; supraoculars 4; supraciliaries 4–5 (rarely 3 or 6); tympanic shield narrow and band-like to broad and crescentic; body cyclotetragonal, slightly depressed in some G. t y pi cu s, or almost cylindrical (G. skoogi); dorsal scales weakly to strongly keeled, smooth or striated, in 20–28 (32–35 in G. skoogi) longitudinal and 49–67 transverse rows (usually counted from row posterior to nuchals to row above vent); lateral scales keeled, striated or smooth; ventral plates in 8 or 10 (G. typicus only) longitudinal and 30–42 transverse rows (counted “from pectoral to anal shields” according to Loveridge 1942; i.e. from axilla to row before enlarged ventral plate); femoral pores 9–27 per thigh; fourth toe with 14–22 subdigital lamellae; largest known specimens: unknown sex 613 mm (213 mm SVL + 400 mm tail length), male 485 mm (163 + 322), but another male had a SVL of 175 mm female: 475 (142 + 333), but another female had a SVL of 157 mm; tail 1.0 to 2.5 times SVL (Loveridge 1942; FitzSimons 1943, 1953; De Witte 1953; Laurent 1954, 1964; Broadley 1966; De Waal 1978; Jacobsen 1989). Distribution: Widespread in Africa south of the equator, extending northwestwards into Gabon and Cabinda, and north-eastwards through Uganda and Kenya to southern Sudan and Ethiopia (Loveridge 1942; FitzSimons 1943; De Witte 1953; Mertens 1955; Broadley 1966, 1971; De Waal 1978; Auerbach 1987; Jacobsen 1989; Lang 1991; Branch 1998; Spawls et al. 2002; Adolphs 2006, 2013; Bates et al. in press.). Note: Lizards in this genus are commonly known as ‘plated lizards’. Status of ‘ Gerrhosaurus major ’ The type locality of G. major (Fig. 4) is Zanzibar, an island off the coast of Tanzania, but G. m. major has an extensive range in the eastern half of Africa, from northern KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa to Ethiopia; G. m. bottegoi was described from Valley of Ghinda in Eritrea and has a fragmented distribution, extending from northeast Africa (where it occurs together with the nominate subspecies in Kenya) across the continent to West Africa (Duméril 1851; Del Prato 1895; Loveridge 1942; FitzSimons 1943; Broadley 1966; Jacobsen 1989; Branch 1998; Spawls et al. 2002; Adolphs 2006, 2013; Bates et al. in press.). The two subspecies are distinguishable only by their colour patterns (Broadley 1987). Our analysis included samples from southern and eastern Africa identifiable as G. m. major and one sample from Atakpame in Togo referable to G. m. bottegoi (Table 1). The Togo sample is embedded within samples of G. m. major. Based on our molecular data, plus the weak morphological differences (i.e. colour variation) used for recognition of the two subspecies, we relegate G. bottegoi Del Prato, 1895 to the synonomy of Broadleysaurus major (Duméril, 1851) comb. nov. Status of ‘ Gerrhosaurus validus ’ The two currently recognized subspecies of G. va l i d us each form separate monophyletic clades. In addition, sequence divergences between these taxa are much larger than would be expected for subspecies and instead are at the level of species (i.e. 8.5 % ND 2, 4.1 % 16 S). The two taxa are morphologically well differentiated (e.g. subocular excluded from lip by a labial in validus, in contact with lip in maltzahni; longitudinal rows of dorsals 28– 34 in validus, 25–30 in maltzahni; longitudinal rows of ventrals 14–20 in validus, 12–14 in maltzahni; Loveridge 1942, FitzSimons 1943) and occur allopatrically. Gerrhosaurus v. validus occurs from Limpopo Province in South Africa northwards to Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Malawi, while G. v. maltzhani (type locality: Farm Roidina, north of Omaruru, Namibia; De Grys 1938) is restricted to northern Namibia and southern Angola (Loveridge 1942; FitzSimons 1943; Broadley 1966; Visser 1984 a; Jacobsen 1989; Branch 1998; Spawls et al. 2002; Adolphs 2006, 2013; Bates et al. in press.). The two taxa appear to be separated by the Kalahari Desert (Visser 1984 a). Our samples of G. v. validus were from Limpopo Province in South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe; G. v. maltzahni was sampled in both Namibia and Angola (Table 1). The type locality for G. validus of “towards the sources of the Garrep [Gariep], or Orange River” (Smith 1849, Appendix, p. 9), i.e. in Lesotho, must be in error―as noted by FitzSimons (1943)―as the species is not known to occur anywhere south of 28 o latitude (Branch 1998; Bates et al. in press.). The combination of molecular, morphological and geographical evidence suggests that the two taxa represent separate evolutionary lineages, and we therefore revive G. maltzahni De Grys, 1938 as a full species, as Matobosaurus maltzahni (De Grys, 1938) comb. nov. The two species in the genus are illustrated in Figs 5 & 6. Status of taxa in the Gerrhosaurus nigrolineatus species complex The type locality of G. nigrolineatus is “ Gaboon country, West Africa” (= Gabon; Hallowell 1857). This species has now been collected at several localities in Gabon (Pauwels et al. 2006), confirming its occurrence there. As currently understood it has a large distribution range, from Gabon and the lower Congo eastwards through southern Democratic Republic of the Congo (D.R.C.) to Uganda and Kenya in the east, then southwards as far as northern Namibia, northern Botswana and north-eastern South Africa (Loveridge 1942; FitzSimons 1943; De Witte 1953; Broadley 1966, 1971; Auerbach 1987; Jacobsen 1989; Branch 1998; Spawls et al. 2002; Bates et al. in press.; Uetz 2013). Our samples were from Kouilou region, Republic of the Congo (west-Central Africa) adjacent to Gabon, and Tanzania, Mozambique and South Africa (East and Southern Africa) (Table 1). Our analysis showed that G. nigrolineatus as currently conceived is not monophyletic, although topology tests could not reject a monophyletic G. nigrolineatus as presently defined. However, given the observed topology, the well-supported west-Central African clade of G. nigrolineatus is more closely related to G. auritus, rather than to G. nigrolineatus from East and Southern Africa, and the nodes defining these groups are well-supported. Given the node support, as well as other lines of evidence (see below), we suggest that there is reasonably strong support that G. nigrolineatus as currently defined is not monophyletic. Although the phylogeny of Lamb et al. (2003) also recovered a sister relationship between G. nigrolineatus and G. auritus, only a single G. nigrolineatus sample from Mozambique was included. Because our analysis includes greater geographic coverage than previous studies, we were able to evaluate the status of G. nigrolineatus. In addition to the lack of monophyly for G. nigrolineatus, the west-Central African clade differs from the East and Southern African clade by large p -distances (13.0% ND 2, 6.9 % 16 S). One individual (HB057, Arusha, Tanzania; Fig. 1) was found less than 140 km to the south-east of the approximate type locality of Gerrhosaurus flavigularis intermedia Lönnberg, 1907 (i.e. “steppe near the Natron lakes, Kibonoto”, northern Tanzania; p. 7). Taxonomic implications are that the East/Southern African clade represents a separate species, for which the name Gerrhosaurus intermedius Lönnberg, 1907 comb. nov. is available. Loveridge (1942) relegated G. f. intermedia to the synonymy of G. n. nigrolineatus without explanation. Because of the similarity of taxa associated with the names G. flavigularis and G. nigrolineatus, the applicability of the name G. intermedius for eastern populations previously referred to G. nigrolineatus requires explanation. Although not mentioned in the text of Lönnberg’s (1907) description of G. f. intermedia, it is evident from his fig. 1 b (left side of head) that there are four supraciliaries as in G. nigrolineatus (usually five in G. flavigularis; Loveridge 1942, FitzSimons 1943). The proportions and scutellation of the head (fig. 1 a) are also very similar to FitzSimons’ (1943) fig. 157 of G. nigrolineatus. In addition, Lönnberg’s description mentions that the flank scales of G. f. intermedia are strongly keeled, and minium red in colour with dark bars extending from the back. The prefrontals are shown to be in good contact, with a long median suture (indicated in Lönnberg’s fig. 1 a). All of these features are rare or absent in G. flavigularis and often associated with G. nigrolineatus, including eastern populations that we now refer to G. intermedius (Fig. 7). In the Congo and Gabon voucher specimens (G. nigrolineatus) examined (Appendix I) there were four supraciliaries on either side of the head (e.g. PEM R 20067, Fig. 8) in all but one specimen (PEM R 20066, Congo) which had five; flanks had weakly or moderately keeled scales in the two Congo specimens, weakly (5) or moderately (4) keeled in Gabon specimens; prefrontals in broad (PEM R 20067) or moderate (PEM R 20066) contact in Congo specimens, in broad (5) to moderate (4) contact in Gabon specimens. We refer all of the above specimens to G. nigrolineatus. The vouchered Mozambique sample of G. intermedius (TM 80959) from Moebase Village had four supraciliaries on either side of the head; flanks with strongly keeled scales; and prefrontals in broad contact. Although Loveridge (1942: 511) was tempted to “separate an eastern race” of G. nigrolineatus, the only character he found useful was the number of longitudinal rows of dorsal scales, which numbered 24–28 in “West Africa” and 20–26 (but usually 22–24) in “East Africa”. Laurent (1954) later gave a count of 26 for a specimen from Dundo in north-eastern Angola that he assigned to G. nigrolineatus. For southern Africa these counts were given as 22–24 (usually 22) by FitzSimons (1943) and 20–24 (mostly 22–23) by Jacobsen (1989). The type description of G. nigrolineatus (Hallowell 1857) refers to 25 longitudinal rows of dorsals, while the holotype of G. flavigularis intermedia has 22 such rows (Lönnberg 1907). Laurent (1964) later referred a specimen from Mayombe (lower Congo) with 25 such rows to G. n. nigrolineatus, and four specimens from Pweto in Katanga, D.R.C., with 24–26 such rows to G. n. intermedius. The number of dorsal rows varied from 23 to 25 in both the Congo (N = 2) and Gabon (N = 9) specimens examined. The vouchered southern African sample of G. intermedius (TM 80959) had 24 longitudinal rows of ventrals. While there may be average differences in these counts between western and eastern populations, there is also some overlap, and the usefulness of this feature for separating G. nigrolineatus and G. intermedius requires further investigation. According to Broadley (2007), G. nigrolineatus from Gabon and the lower Congo region has ragged dorsolateral stripes and smooth plantar scales, features which he felt may distinguish it from populations of this species elsewhere in Africa. The plantar scales of eastern populations of G. nigrolineatus (= G. intermedius) are reportedly keeled (smooth and tubercular in G. flavigularis) (FitzSimons 1943; Broadley 1966). In the Congo specimens examined, the back and flanks were olive to light brown with distinct cream, black-bordered, dorsolateral stripes, with a similarly coloured vertebral stripe that was continuous in one specimen (PEM R 20066) and broken in the other (PEM R 20067). Gabon specimens examined were light brown with scattered black and white lateral scales, and similar stripes, but the vertebral stripe was continuous in one specimen, broken in three and absent in five. As shown in Fig. 9, MBUR 02993―a specimen sampled for the current analysis―also has typical dorsolateral stripes as described above, with a broken vertebral stripe. The original description of G. nigrolineatus refers to a yellow stripe on either side of the back, bordered internally (towards the centre of the back) by a black band; and also mentions that the centre of the back contains black spots in the form of longitudinal lines (Hallowell 1857). Colour photographs of the two syntypes of G. nigrolineatus indicated that both specimens have faded somewhat, but their colour patterns were not dissimilar to the Congo and Gabon material described above. ANSP 3729 had a pair of pale (cream) dorsolateral stripes with poorly defined black borders as well as a similar vertebral stripe anteriorly (not visible beyond the nape; Fig. 10), while ANSP 8825 (juvenile) was similar but lacked a discernible vertebral stripe (Fig. 11). Donald G. Broadley (in litt. 21 March 2013) noted that a specimen of G. nigrolineatus from Ponte Denis in Gabon in the collection of the Natural History Museum, Zimbabwe (Bulawayo) had smooth plantar scales, differing somewhat from the weakly keeled plantar scales of PEM R 20067 (a detailed photographic image was used for comparison) from Republic of the Congo (Appendix I). In the Congo specimens examined, plantar scales were almost smooth or weakly keeled, while in the Gabon sample they were weakly (7) or very weakly (2) keeled. Based on photographs of one foot of each of the syntypes of G. nigrolineatus, the scales on the soles were weakly keeled. The plantar scales of the sampled specimen (TM 80959) of G. intermedius were strongly keeled, while those of 10 additional specimens from Mozambique were moderately keeled; two out of three specimens from Limpopo Province in South Africa had moderately keeled palmar scales, while one had distinctly keeled scales (Appendix I). Although there was some variation in the extent and appearance of dorsal stripes and the keeling of plantar scales, the Congo and Gabon samples (including material referred to by Broadley) are all considered conspecific and referable to G. nigrolineatus. Nevertheless, the smooth to feebly keeled plantar scales in G. nigrolineatus from Gabon and Congo is in contrast to the moderately to strongly keeled scales in populations referable to G. intermedius (e.g. FitzSimons 1943), including those from Mozambique (e.g. TM 80959 and the other specimens listed in Appendix I) as discussed above. The minium red to vermillion flanks (with pale spots or bars) of adult eastern G. nigrolineatus (= G. intermedius) differ from the light and dark barred or mostly brown flanks of G. flavigularis (see descriptions and images in Jacobsen 1989; Branch 1998; Spawls et al. 2002; Alexander & Marais 2007). It should be noted however, that according to Broadley (1966), G. flavigularis from Mozambique and adjacent parts of Zimbabwe have vermillion flanks like G. nigrolineatus (= G. intermedius), although only in areas of allopatry. The same colour pattern has been recorded in G. flavigularis from eastern Limpopo Department and eastern North West Province, South Africa, where the underside of the head is blue-grey in males (Jacobsen 1989). The possibility that such populations represent unique evolutionary lineages was not investigated in the present study, although some genetic structuring is evident within G. flavigularis (Fig. 1). According to Loveridge (1942), the scales on the flanks of G. nigrolineatus (= G. intermedius) are striated, keeled, or more-or-less smooth, whereas those of adult G. f. flavigularis are smooth. For southern African material, FitzSimons (1943) noted that the laterals of G. nigrolineatus (= G. intermedius) are keeled and sometimes feebly striated, while those of G. flavigularis are smooth or feebly keeled and striated. However, Loveridge (1942: 515) also noted that in his “ill-defined race” G. flavigularis fitzsimonsi (a synonym of G. flavigularis) the laterals were striated and keeled, although occasionally almost smooth, whereas the prefrontals were in broad contact. The latter two features are consistent with G. nigrolineatus. However, Loveridge (1942: 515) noted that his new subspecies had a short head (head length into SVL 4.75 times in young to 6 times in adults) as in G. f. flavigularis, and “should not be confused with G. f. intermedia …which, from his [Lönnberg 1907] figure, is a synonym of the long-headed G. n. nigrolineatus ”. Head length into SVL was 4.7 –5.0 times for the two Congo specimens examined, and 4.0–5.0 times (4.8 –5.0 for three adults with SVL> 100 mm, 4.0– 4.6 for seven juveniles with SVL <80 mm) for the nine Gabon samples. The vouchered Mozambique sample of G. intermedius (TM 80959) was similar with head length into SVL 4.4 times. Therefore, we conclude that G. f. intermedia Lönnberg, 1907 is conspecific with eastern populations currently referred to G. nigrolineatus Hallowell, 1857 and which we now refer to G. intermedius. In light of the phylogenetic and morphological differences mentioned above, we suggest that populations in Gabon and lower Congo (including Kouilou region) are all referable to G. nigrolineatus, and that all East and Southern African populations (Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and South Africa) formerly identified as G. nigrolineatus be referred to G. intermedius. Accurate determination of geographical boundaries for these two species, especially in Central Africa (Angola, D.R.C., Zambia, northern Botswana, northern Namibia), will require additional sampling on a finer scale than presently available, as well as additional morphological examination of specimens from throughout their extensive ranges. The assignment of Angolan specimens referred to G. nigrolineatus (e.g. Hellmich 1957; Manaças 1963; Parker 1936; Schmidt 1933; Laurent 1964), and their relationship to G. multilineatus, remains problematic. Gerrhosaurus bulsi, sister taxon to all other taxa in the G. nigrolineatus complex, is well supported as a distinct lineage (Fig. 1), and is easily identifiable from others in the complex by its distinct, largely uniform, brown or grey dorsal colour pattern in adults (Fig. 12). The type locality of G. b ul s i is Dundo, north-east Angola; the species also occurs in Zambia and the D.R.C. (Laurent 1954, 1964; Broadley 1966; Haagner et al. 2000; Broadley & Cotterill 2004; Adolphs 2006, 2013). Our samples were from Kalumbila Village in North West Province, Zambia; and near Lake Carumbo, Angola, i.e. about 100 km WSW of the type locality (Table 1). Gerrhosaurus auritus appears to be closely related to G. nigrolineatus, but morphologically it is distinguishable by its broad and crescentic (versus narrow) tympanic shield, smooth (versus keeled) lateral scales, and lack (versus presence) of distinct dorsolateral stripes in adults (Loveridge 1942; FitzSimons 1943; Broadley 2007). Its back is usually pale brown, often with 3–4 narrow, pale, black-bordered dorsolateral stripes (Broadley 1966; Branch 1998; Fig. 13). The type locality of G. auritus is Ondonga, Ovamboland, northern Namibia, but the species also occurs in southern Angola, south-western Zambia (where our single sample is from― Table 1), Botswana, western Zimbabwe and northern Limpopo Province in South Africa (Loveridge 1942; FitzSimons 1943; Broadley 1966; Visser 1984 a; Broadley & Rasmussen 1995; Branch 1998; Broadley & Cotterill 2004; Adolphs 2006, 2013; Bates et al. in press.). The four species G. nigrolineatus, G. intermedius, G. auritus and G. bulsi, and possibly the morphologically and geographically allied form G. multilineatus (if valid, see below), constitute the ‘ G. nigrolineatus species complex’ with a widespread distribution in Africa. Status of Gerrhosaurus multilineatus The taxonomic status of G. multilineatus has been confused in the literature and remains uncertain. According to Haagner et al. (2000), “Broadley (1999) notes that the taxon G. multilineatus Bocage is based on a hybrid specimen. The name is therefore unavailable.” However, this was in fact a reference to an unpublished manuscript (D.G. Broadley in litt. 8 February 2012). According to Article 17.2 of the Code (ICZN 1999), even if the specimen was a hybrid, the name would in fact still be available. In his description of G. multilineatus, based mainly on colour pattern, Bocage (1866 a) noted that this form was similar to G. nigrolineatus, of which it may be merely a well characterised variety. Loveridge (1942) and FitzSimons (1943) subsequently relegated G. multilineatus to the synonymy of G. nigrolineatus. Altho
