African Herpetological and Biodiversity Institute

15/06/2024

30/05/2024

https://www.mapress.com/zt/article/view/zootaxa.5458.4.1?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR2Lju4c_eUTD0z17uG85E4GTolUOPjpjqjV5-iirTAW7CbXOtxrNMpjzUM_aem_AY9tuREYHFymFfK-tna5GBr8z0CFw-XB8FwsEDY_EmPtmHGFXFXeJrIB1s_TEoLBo-Rln1bJDhcA_vZbOw2uVfQU

In a recent molecular study, the pygmy chameleon Rhampholeon boulengeri Steindachner, 1911 was shown to contain six genetically distinct, but phenotypically cryptic lineages. Phylogenetic analyses of genetic data demonstrated that several well-supported clades occurred in non-overlapping elevational...

09/05/2024

Attention students! We are excited to offer the opportunity to present the research you have been passionately working on. The AHBI is offering two grants for the 16th Herpetological Association of Africa conference, happening in November 2024 at the Wilderness Hotel in the Western Cape, South Africa. Click the link below to learn more and apply.

At AHBI, our mission is to empower African students and researchers by offering a diverse range of grants. These grants include, but are not limited to, travel, conference attendance, research, and conservation projects. By providing this support, we aim to promote impactful contributions to African

12/03/2024

12/03/2024

African Herpetology and Social Media

Scientists are using social media platforms to better African herpetology, educate the public, and mitigate snake bites across the continent.

27/02/2024

The dates for the next HAA conference have been announced.

Dates for the 16th Conference of the Herpetological Association of Africa have been announced.

14/07/2020

Recent paper on the phylogenomics of monitor lizards and the role of competition in dictating body size disparity:

https://academic.oup.com/sysbio/article-abstract/doi/10.1093/sysbio/syaa046/5855686?redirectedFrom=fulltext

09/07/2020

Today we honour a fallen legend of African Herpetology, Bill Branch, in the description of not one but two new species of snakes from Angola: Limnophis branchi and Boaedon branchi (will post about this species later).

I had the privilege of joining Bill and a few others on an expedition to the remote inland lake, Lagoa Carumbo, in north-eastern Angola in 2011. On this very short but productive expedition we collected a few very important materials, including a couple of very dark Bicolored Swamp Snakes (Limnophis bicolor). We both didn’t think much of it until the end of 2019, when, as part of another project on African natricine snakes, I re-examined this material and found differences between them and other material in the Port Elizabeth Museum Herpetology collection. This led to a review of the whole genus. The molecular and morphological results revealed the presence of three distinct species: the two nominal forms (L. bicolor and L. bangweliocus) and a new species from Lagoa Carumbo. We named this snake in honour of Bill and we know he would have approved.

Click this link for free access:
https://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/V32IKST4AT3FVM94CZTG/full?target=10.1080/21564574.2020.1782483

Thomas Branch Robbie Branch Matthew Branch Donve Branch-Vlok