Causus sp.

Ineich, Ivan, LeBreton, Matthew, Lhermitte-Vallarino, Nathaly, Abstract. - The, Laurent Chirio, Oku, Mount & Highlands, Bamenda, 2015, The reptiles of the summits of Mont Oku and the Bamenda Highlands, Cameroon *, Amphibian & Reptile Conservation (e 108) 9 (2), pp. 15-38 : 32-34

Causus sp. (in: Chirio and LeBreton 2007: 612 613) (four specimens)

Material: CamHerp 0964C (Mboh village, 6.327°N and 10.348°E, elev. 1,900 m, coll. CamHerp L. Chirio, July 9, 2002) – CamHerp 0196, 0695C, 0998C (three specimens, Mbiame, 6.190°N and 10.849°E, elev. 1,955 m, coll. CamHerp M. LeBreton and L. Chirio, July 8, 2002, and December 14, 2002 [0998C]) .

This scarce montane species occupies both Cameroon and the Central African Republic (far west). It is not described yet but has numerous morphological affinities with the forms of the Causus rhombeatus (Lichtenstein, 1823) group from East and South Africa. In Cameroon, it occupies the Adamaoua high savannas and the Western Highlands where it looks for wet lowlands and the banks of mountain creeks. It is only found at altitude, from 700 m at Ngaouyanga (Adamaoua) up to 1,950 m at Mbiame (BH).

Biogeographic Affinities of the Reptiles of Mt. Oku and the Bamenda Highlands

The 50 reptile species in the study area are classified alphabetically below within each biogeographic region recognized.

Ubiquitous species (1): Agama agama .

Forest species from Western and Central Africa (9): Bitis nasicornis – Boaedon virgatus – Dasypeltis fasciata – Dendroaspis j. jamesoni – Dipsadoboa unicolor – Dipsadoboa weileri – Goniocephalus stenophthalmus – Kinixys homeana – Trachylepis maculilabris .

Central African forest species (8): Atheris broadleyi – Atheris squamigera – Bitis gabonica – Bothrolycus ater – Lepidothyris fernandi – Naja melanoleuca – Polemon collaris – Thrasops flavigularis .

African savanna species (12): Afrotyphlops cf. punctatus – Atractaspis i. irregularis – Bitis a. arietans – Boaedon fuliginosus – Causus maculatus – Chamaeleo gracilis – Crotaphopeltis hotamboeia – Dasypeltis confusa – Dispholidus typus – Grayia tholloni – Hemidactylus angulatus – Naja nigricollis .

Savanna species with eastern affinities (5): Chamaeleo laevigatus – Lycophidion multimaculatum – Philothamnus angolensis – Philothamnus hughesi – Psammophis cf. phillipsii .

Endemic Cameroon mountain species (13): Agama sp. 2 – Agama sp. 4 – Causus sp. – Crotaphopeltis sp. – Lacertaspis chriswildi – Lacertaspis lepesmei – Leptosiaphos ianthinoxantha – Leptosiaphos pauliani – Leptosiaphos vigintiserierum – Trachylepis mekuana – Trioceros pfefferi – Trioceros quadricornis gracilior – Trioceros serratus .

Montane species (2): Hemidactylus kamdemtohami – Psammophis sp. 1 .

The species composition of our study area located on the Cameroon Volcanic Dorsal is characterized by the presence of a similar number of species in the three dominant elements: savanna forms, forest forms, and endemic montane forms.

Among the 50 reptile species in our study zone there are: Trachylepis maculilabris . They both occur as well in West Africa, Central and Eastern Africa. However, note that T. maculilabris is an anthropophilic species that requires more moisture than A. agama , which only enters in the forest degraded by man;

(2) a mixed group of forest and savanna species that are ecologically tolerant; they are also found in the plains but they often reach 2,000 m in the BH and on the slopes of Mt. Oku. Most of them are also found in West Africa, except Bothrolycus ater , Chamaeleo laevigatus , Dendroaspis j. jamesoni , Lycophidion multimaculatum , Naja melanoleuca (sensu stricto), Philothamnus hughesi , Polemon collaris , and Thrasops flavigularis , which are limited to the large Central African forest block (and its surrounding areas);

(3) a group of mountain species, endemic or not to the study area: Agama sp. 2 , Agama sp. 4 , Causus sp. , Crotaphopeltis sp. , Dipsadoboa unicolor , Hemidactylus kamdemtohami , Lacertaspis lepesmei , Lacertaspis chriswildi , Leptosiaphos ianthinoxantha , Leptosiaphos pauliani , Leptosiaphos vigintiserierum , Psammophis sp. 1 , Trachylepis mekuana , Trioceros pfefferi , Trioceros quadricornis gracilior , and Trioceros serratus .