The amphibians of angola: Early studies and the current state of knowledge

Abstract

Angolan amphibians have been studied since the mid-nineteenth century by explorers and scientists from all over the western world, and collections have been deposited in around 20 museums and institutions in Europe, Northern America, and Africa. A significant interruption of this study occurred during Angola’s liberation struggle and civil war for nearly four decades and, as a consequence, knowledge about the country’s biodiversity became outdated with critical gaps. Since 2009, a new era in Angolan biodiversity studies started as expeditions scattered in southwestern, northeastern, southeastern, and northwestern Angola lead to exciting discoveries, including new records for the country, descriptions of new species, range extensions and taxonomical updates. Currently 111 amphibian species are listed for the country (of which 21 are endemic), but this number is an underestimate and the various unresolved taxonomical issues challenge the study of every other aspect of this group. The Angolan amphibian fauna remains one of the most poorly known in Africa and much still has to be done in order to understand its diversity, evolution and conservation needs. An overview of existing knowledge of Angolan amphibians is presented, including an updated checklist for the country, comments on problematic groups, endemic species, biogeography, recent findings, and priority research topics.