Biodiversity of Mahale Mountains National Park, Tanzania | Report ...

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Biodiversity of Mahale Mountains National Park captured a few individuals. These had white spots on their heels like vermiculatus, but when advertisement calls were compared they turned out not to be that species. An analysis of the frequencies and timing of the main clack or ‘buzz’ call of these frogs clearly show this (Table 9). This species either has Albertine Rift / Guineo Congolean affinities or is new to science. It is more likely to be new, as all the other possible species of western Leptopelis do not have white heels. Table 9 Comparison of the main advertising call of two species of Leptopelis tree frog from Mahale Mountains National Park and the Udzungwa Mountains, Tanzania Species Low Frequency (Hz) High Emphasized Time (sec) duration pulse rate L. vermiculatus - Udzungwa 575 2590 1600 0.16 125/sec L. sp. nov. - Mahale 400 3700 1900 0.039 333/sec 5.3 DISCUSSION One of the most puzzling findings of this survey was that there appear to be no chameleons at all in Mahale Mountains National Park. This cannot be the case as the widespread Flapnecked Chameleon, Chameleo dilepis, certainly occurs in the woodlands in the south and east of the park. However, despite many nights of intensive searching, not a single chameleon of any species was found. In general, the density of other reptiles and, especially, amphibians was found to be very low compared to equivalent sites in the Eastern Arc Mountains. Reasons for this are not yet clear but, proximally, may have been related to late rains and irregular weather patterns experienced all over Tanzania in 2005–06. In spite of the low numbers and species of reptiles and amphibians found during this survey, there were some very interesting and valuable records. One species of snake, Jameson’s Mamba, was confirmed as new for Tanzania and Mahale. The record of Rungwe Bush Viper was a major range extension, although it was predicted that this species would be found in this area (Spawls et al., 2001). Interesting amphibian records included that of the Oban Toad, Bufo camerunensis. This species was previously know only from one specimen from Mumba on the Ufipa Plateau (Channing and Howell 2006). It was the most common amphibian at higher altitudes on the Mahale Ridge and was found in thicket, bracken, grassland and forest. It is very likely that a tree frog, Leptopelis sp., found on Pasagulu Mountain and heard at Mfitwa is new to science. Further research into the affinities of this species, and comparisons with museum material from the Albertine Rift is needed before this can be confirmed. The main constraint to amphibian surveys in Mahale will continue to be the lack of information on the frogs of the area. For a majority of species, identification can only be done by specialists. For positive identification of each species, it is necessary to have sound recordings, photographs of a living animals, and a preserved specimen. These must all be cross-referenced carefully to the same individual. Great care must be taken to visually confirm that the individual being collected was actually the same as made the call that was recorded. There are many examples of herpetologists making this fundamental mistake! Because of the problems of identifying specimens, all material collected in Mahale will need to be identified by experts. This task is underway in collaboration with the University of Dar es Salaam, Museum of Natural Science (Trent, Italy), the British Museum (Natural History), and the University of the Western Cape. However, it will be some time before any confirmation of identifications is forthcoming. Wildlife Conservation Society 21
6. PLANTS Biodiversity of Mahale Mountains National Park 6.1 METHODS AND SOURCES OF INFORMATION The plant list for Mahale was compiled from specimens collected during this survey and from plant lists in published and grey literature (Nishida & Uehara 1981, Plumptre et al. 2003, Nishida in litt.). During the survey, vegetation was sampled at plots every 250 m along transects. Herbs were sampled in a 2 m diameter plot Lianas in a 10 m plot and trees from 2.5cm DBH were sampled in a 20 m plot. Details of habitat type, canopy cover, and geographical coordinates were also noted for each sample. Unfortunately, due to an oversight, the collector's numbers were not assigned to plants sampled on each plot, and this made it impossible to derive quantitative data from the collections. Nevertheless, a useful collection was made for each site and this will make a big contribution to the plant species list for Mahale. 6.2 RESULTS The total number of plant species recorded in Mahale Mountains National Park is 1174 (Appendix VII). This list is largely the work of many years of collecting done in the park by the Japanese research team. However, their focus was mostly on chimpanzee food plants and there remains much general botanical fieldwork to be done in Mahale before the park can be considered well collected. Identifications for the collections made during this survey are not yet complete. Tentative site lists compiled from general collecting and comprising 130 species are provided (Appendix VIII). Specific level designations on this list must be used with caution until final identifications are made after comparison with herbarium material. An additional report containing identifications of plants collected on transects will be submitted to MEMP when the work of identification is complete. Herbarium work will be done through collaboration with Roy Gereau and Missouri Botanical Gardens. 6.3 DISCUSSION The Albertine rift has a very high number of plant species (5793) and 567 of those are endemic (Plumptre 2003). With the present state of knowledge of its flora, it is not possible to rank the conservation importance of Mahale against the other Albertine Rift protected areas in any meaningful way. Further analysis must await identification of the plants collected on this survey and more general botanical collecting in habitats that have been poorly sampled to date. The current total of 1174 species for Mahale may represent half or less of the species likely to be found there. Wildlife Conservation Society 22
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Page 5 and 6: 2. BACKGROUND Biodiversity of Mahal
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Page 39 and 40: Stonechat √ Striped Kingfisher
Page 55 and 56: Monanthotaxis buchananii Monanthota
Page 57 and 58: Baikaea insignis Baphiopsis parvifl
Page 59 and 60: Drypetes natalensis Erythrococca at
Page 61 and 62: Gladiolus erectiflorus Gladiolus gr
Page 63 and 64: †Thecacoris lucida Orchidaceae Ae
Page 65 and 66: Rothmannia longiflora Rothmannia ma
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