Short Communications Centrolenidae de Colombia VII. Redescripción SAVAGE, J.M. (2002): The amphibians and reptiles de Centrolene andinum (RIVERO, 1985). – Lo- of Costa Rica: a herpetofauna between two zania, 64: 1-12. continents, between two Seas. – Chicago (The University of Chicago Press), 934 pp. Manuscript received: 24 November 2004 Authors’ addresses: JUAN M. GUAYASAMIN, Natural History Museum & Biodiversity Research Center, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, The University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas 66045- 7561, USA, E-Mail: [email protected]; CÉSAR BARRIO-AMORÓS, Fundación Andígena, Apartado Postal 210, 5101-A Mérida, Venezuela, E-Mail: [email protected]. SALAMANDRA 41 3 155-157 Rheinbach,20 August 2005 ISSN 0036-3375 Presence of Agama weidholzi W , 1932 ETTSTEIN in The Gambia, West Africa WOLFGANG BÖHME Abstract. Agama weidholzi WETTSTEIN, 1932 is for the first time recorded for The Gambia. The new locality, Bwiam on the southern shore of the Gambia River, is the westernmost locality of the species’ distribution area. A. weidholzi is one of the rare regional endemics of arid West Africa. The new record is based on an adult female collected in January (dry season), suggesting that former assumptions of a seasonal phenological displacement between age classes, or even an uniannual life cycle, in this species are unlikely. Key words. Reptilia: Squamata: Agamidae: Agama weidholzi; first record; The Gambia. Agama weidholzi WETTSTEIN, 1932 is a tiny ticularly in its eastern part, but no finds had and rare lizard with scattered distribution in so far been reported for that country (HAKANS- S and SE Senegal (WETTSTEIN 1932, GRANDISON SON 1981, GRUSCHWITZ et al., 1991). Only in 1968, 1969, JOGER 1979, 1981, 1982 JOGER & LAMBERT 2002), western Mali (GRANDISON 1969, JOGER 1979, 1981, JOGER & LAMBERT 1996, 1997), and Guinea-Bissao (MONARD 1940). The latter author included a juvenile specimen of this species in the type series of his Agama boensis MONARD, 1940, which is otherwise composed of specimens of Agama sankaranica CHABANAUD, 1918. The occurrence of A. weidholzi in S and SE Senegal (Casamance and Niokolo-Koba region, at the upper course of the Gambia River, respectively) made the presence of Fig. 1. Voucher specimen of Agama weidholzi this species also likely in The Gambia, par- (ZFMK 75001) from Bwiam, The Gambia. 155 Short Communications Fig. 2. Map of known distribution of Agama weidholzi. The first record for The Gambia is indicated by an asterisk. See text for respective references. January 2003, Mrs. EVA-MARIA MINUTH was and MONARD’S (1940) Guinea-Bissau voucher able to secure a specimen at Bwiam, which is a juvenile. The latter was collected in she kindly deposited in the Museum Koenig March, and JOGER had collected his material Herpetological Collection (ZFMK 75001) (exclusively subadult, n = 20) from January and which turned out to be an adult female to February ( i.e. in the dry season). In con- (snout-vent length 59 mm) of A. weidholzi trast, GRANDISON’s series of 15 adults was col- (Fig. 1). The area where the specimen was lected during the rainy season, between July found is described by THIEME (2004). It may and September. The herein reported Gambi- be noted that UETZ et al. (2005) cite „Gambia“ an female is, however, an adult and has none- for A. weidholzi. This is obviously not based theless been caught in January. JOGER’s on a vouchered record from The Gambia, but (1979) hypothesis that the different age clas- probably due to the assumption that the type ses of A. weidholzi could have a seasonally locality “Senegambien” also refers to The different phenology, i.e. a seasonal infraspe- Gambia. cific niche segregation such as e.g. Trachyle- This record is not only remarkable be- pis perroteti in the same area, has therefore to cause it is the first record for The Gambia of be rejected. Also his second hypothesis, viz. this rare little agama which has a scattered that the entire life span of these little agamas distribution. It is, moreover, the westernmost may perhaps comprise only one year, adults locality of its entire distribution area (Fig. 2), being present only in the rainy season and although it extends the known limits of the dying after reproduction is not supported by species’ range for approx. 80 km only. An- the Gambian adult female caught in the high other interesting aspect, however, is that it is dry season. an adult, because only the series from Bou- ghari, Casamance (BM 1967.2219-2233: GRANDISON 1969) likewise consists of adults. References Both WETTSTEIN’s (1932) type series and JO- GER’S (1979, 1981, 1982) series from Mali GRANDISON, A.C.G. (1968): Nigerian lizards of the and SE Senegal consist of subadults only, genus Agama. – Bull. Brit. Mus. (Nat. Hist.), 156 Short Communications London, 17 (3): 67-90. Annotated inventory of the amphibians and GRANDISON, A.C.G. (1969): Agama weidholzi reptiles, with description of a new Uromastyx. (Sauria: Agamidae) of West Africa and rela- – J. Afr. Zool., 110: 21-51. tionship to Agama gracilimembris. – Bull. Inst. JOGER, U. & M.R.K. LAMBERT (1997): Analysis of Fond. Afr. Noire, Dakar, (A) 31(2): 666-675. the herpetofauna of the Republic of Mali. II. GRUSCHWITZ, M., LENZ, S. & W. BÖHME (1991): Zur Species diversity and biogeographical assem- Kenntnis der Herpetofauna von Gambia (West- blages. – pp. 189-202 in: ULRICH, H. (ed.): Afrika). Teil 1: Einführung, Froschlurche Tropical biodiversity and systematics. – Proc. (Amphibia: Anura), Schildkröten (Reptilia: Int. Symp., Biodiv. Syst. trop. Ecosystems, Chelonia), Krokodile (Crocodylia) und Echsen Bonn. (Sauria). – Herpetofauna, Weinstadt, 13(74): JOGER, U. & M.R.K. LAMBERT (2002): Inventory of 13-22. amphibians and reptiles in SE Senegal, inclu- HAKANSSON, N.T. (1981): An annotated checklist of ding the Niokolo Koba National Park, with reptiles known to occur in The Gambia. – J. observations on factors influencing biodiversi- Herpetol., 15(2): 155-161. ty. – Trop. Zool., Firenze, 15: 165-185. JOGER, U. (1979): Zur Ökologie und Verbreitung MONARD, A. (1940): Résultats de la mission scien- wenig bekannter Agamen Westafrikas (Repti- tifique du Dr. MONARD en Guinée Portugaise lia: Sauria: Agamidae). – Salamandra, Frank- (1937-1938). VIII Reptiles. – Arq. Mus. Bo- furt am Main, 15(1): 31-52. cage, Lisboa, 11: 147-180. JOGER, U. (1981): Zur Herpetofaunistik Westafri- THIEME, U. (2004): Herpetologische Beobachtun- kas. – Bonn. Zool. Beitr., 32(3/4): 297-340. gen und anderes aus Gambia. – Reptilia, Mün- JOGER, U. (1982): Recherches scientifiques dans les ster, 9(9): 43-49. Parcs nationaux du Sénégal. XIV: Quatre lé- UETZ, P., R. CHENNA, T. ETZOLD & J. HALLERMANN zards nouveaux pour la faune du Parc National (2005): The EMBL Reptile Database; URL: du Niokolo-Koba. – Mém. Inst. Fond. Afr. http://www.reptile-database.org Noire, Dakar, 92: 177-183. WETTSTEIN, O. (1932): Eine neue Eidechse aus JOGER, U. & M.R.K. LAMBERT (1996): Analysis of Senegambien. – Zool. Anz., Leipzig, 99(11/ the herpetofauna of the Republic of Mali. I. 12): 303-305. Manuscript received: 9 February 2005 Author‘s address: WOLFGANG BÖHME, Zoologisches Forschungsinstitut und Museum A. Koenig, Adenau- erallee 160, D-53113 Bonn, Germany, E-Mail: [email protected]. 157