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Abstract The Equatorial African group of lacertids comprises nine species which share a number of derived features and appear to constitute a holophyletic assemblage. Revision of the group using morphological characters analyzed by parsimony and compatibility methods results in the following taxonomic changes: Lacerta jacksoni = Adolfus jacksoni, Lacerta echinata = Gastropholis echinata, Bedriagaia tropidopholis = Gastropholis tropidopholis, Bedriagaia moreavi = Gastropholis prasina, the latter species being validated and removed from the synonymy of Gastropholis vittata. Adolfus jacksoni has most features in common with the hypothetical ancestor of the group, while Holaspis guentheri and the species of Gastropholis are the most derived forms. Geographical variation in Adolfus alleni is described and what is known of the ecology of the Equatorial group summarized. Most are forest dwellers with the majority of the more primitive forms living on tree boles and among litter and timber on the forest floor (Adolfus jacksoni, A. africanus, A. vauereselli). Another, Holaspis guentheri, is confined to tree boles but glides between them, while the species of Gastropholis appear to be climbers in flimsy vegetation and Adolfus alleni is ground-dwelling above the tree line. Many of the morphological features characterizing these lizards appear to be functionally related to their particular habitats.

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Differences in surface structure (ober- hautchen) of body scales of lacertid lizards involve cell size, shape and surface profile, presence or absence of fine pitting, form of cell margins, and the occurrence of longitudinal ridges and pustular projections. Phylogenetic information indicates that the primitive pattern involved narrow strap-shaped cells, with low posteriorly overlapping edges and relatively smooth surfaces. Deviations from this condition produce a more sculptured surface and have developed many times, although subsequent overt reversals are uncommon. Like variations in scale shape, different patterns of dorsal body microornamentation appear to confer different and conflicting performance advantages. The primitive pattern may reduce friction during locomotion and also enhances dirt shedding, especially in ground-dwelling forms from moist habitats. However, this smooth microornamentation generates shine that may compromise cryptic coloration, especially when scales are large. Many derived features show correlation with such large scales and appear to suppress shine. They occur most frequently in forms from dry habitats or forms that climb in vegetation away from the ground, situations where dirt adhesion is less of a problem. Microornamentation differences involving other parts of the body and other squamate groups tend to corroborate this functional interpretation. Microornamentation features can develop on lineages in different orders and appear to act additively in reducing shine. In some cases different combinations may be optimal solutions in particular environments, but lineage effects, such as limited reversibility and different developmental proclivities, may also be important in their genesis. The fine pits often found on cell surfaces are unconnected with shine reduction, as they are smaller than the wavelengths of most visible light.

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In indoor terraria Adolfus jacksoni lays 3 - 5 clutches yearly, each batch consisting of 3 - 4 eggs. Oviposition takes place in the period January - September. Averaged over three years most clutches were found in January and May - July.

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A phylogenetic-comparative approach was used to assess and refine existing secondary structure models for a frequently studied region of the mitochondrial encoded large subunit (16S) rRNA in two large lizard lineages within the Scincomorpha, namely the Scincidae and the Lacertidae. Potential pairings and mutual information were analyzed to identify site interactions present within each lineage and provide consensus secondary structures. Many of the interactions proposed by previous models were supported, but several refinements were possible. The consensus structures allowed a detailed analysis of rRNA sequence evolution. Phylogenetic trees were inferred from Bayesian analyses of all sites, and the topologies used for maximum likelihood estimation of sequence evolution parameters. Assigning gamma-distributed relative rate categories to all interacting sites that were homologous between lineages revealed substantial differences between helices. In both lineages, sites within helix G2 were mostly conserved, while those within helix E18 evolved rapidly. Clear evidence of substantial site-specific rate variation (covarion-like evolution) was also detected, although this was not strongly associated with specific helices. This study, in conjunction with comparable findings on different, higher-level taxa, supports the ubiquitous nature of site-specific rate variation in this gene and justifies the incorporation of covarion models in phylogenetic inference.

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Some experience with Jacksons forest lizard (Adolfus jacksoni) The author describes his over all experiences in keeping the African Jacksons forest lizard (Adolfus jacksoni). The article gives some information on distribution, husbandry conditions, feeding and (mating) behaviour. Adolfus is typified as a lizard with an attitude, similar to what one can see in European Podarcis- species. Therefore a male and female combination is recommended. In captivity Adolfus proved to be a sturdy species. The author also refers to some interesting references on Adolfus jacksoni.

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Jackson’s Forest Lizard (Adolfus jacksoni) is widespread throughout the highlands of the Albertine Rift, southern Uganda, western and central Kenya, and northern Tanzania. To understand the population genetics and phylogenetic relationships of this widespread taxon, we sequenced two mitochondrial (16S and cyt b) and two nuclear (c-mos and RAG1) genes from multiple populations. Population genetics analyses suggested a high degree of genetic differentiation among A. jacksoni populations, reflecting the high-elevation montane ‘‘islands’’ that they inhabit. Populations connected by a network of mountain ranges generally showed lower levels of genetic partitioning than those isolated by lowelevation habitat. Results from phylogenetic analyses and additional morphological data indicated that Adolfus jacksoni occurs throughout the Albertine Rift, likely from the Kabobo Plateau to the Lendu Plateau of Democratic Republic of the Congo, as well as southern Uganda, Mt. Elgon, and the highlands of western Kenya on the western side of the Kenyan Rift. Adolfus kibonotensis is removed from the synonymy of the latter taxon, elevated to full species, and recognized from the central Kenyan highlands to northern Tanzania on the eastern side of the Kenyan Rift. A new Adolfus species is described from the Mathews Range in central Kenya.

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Currently, four species of the lacertid lizard genus Adolfus are known from Central and East Africa. We sequenced up to 2825 bp of two mitochondrial [16S and cytochrome b (cyt b)] and two nuclear [(c-mos (oocyte maturation factor) and RAG1 (recombination activating gene 1)] genes from 41 samples of Adolfus (representing every species), two species each of Gastropholis and Holaspis, and in separate analyses combined these data with GenBank sequences of all other Eremiadini genera and four Lacertini outgroups. Data from DNA sequences were analysed with maximum parsimony (PAUP), maximum-likelihood (RAxML) and Bayesian inference (MrBayes) criteria. Results demonstrated that Adolfus is not monophyletic: Adolfus africanus (type species), Adolfus alleni, and Adolfus jacksoni are sister taxa, whereas Adolfus vauereselli and a new species from the Itombwe Plateau of Democratic Republic of the Congo are in a separate lineage. Holaspis and Gastropholis were recovered in separate clades. Based on these molecular data, relatively substantial sequence divergence, and multiple morphological differences, we describe a new genus of lacertid for the lineage including A. vauereselli and the new Itombwe species. The recognition of this new, endemic genus underscores the conservation importance of the Albertine Rift, especially the Itombwe Plateau, a unique region that is severely threatened by unchecked deforestation, mining, and poaching.

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DNA sequences from parts of the 12S, 16S and cytochrome b mitochondrial genes, which totalled 1049 aligned base pairs, were used to estimate the relationships of 49 species of Lacertidae, including representatives of 19 out of the 23 recognized genera and 23 species of the paraphyletic genus Lacerta. These data were used, together with morphological information, to estimate the relationships within the family. Molecular evidence corroborates the monophyletic status of many genera and species groups originally based on morphology. It indicates that Psammodromus forms a clade with Gallotia, which is the sister taxon of all other lacertids. These comprise three units: the primarily Afrotropical armatured group; the largely Oriental Takydromus; and the west Palaearctic Lacerta and its derivatives, Podarcis and Algyroides. Morphology also supports the first three assemblages, but suggests that they are derived from a paraphyletic Lacerta. Within Lacerta and its allies, DNA sequence analysis corroborates the affinity of some members of each of the subgenera Lacerta s. str. and Timon, and of the L. saxicola group. It also supports the relationship of L. monticola, L. bonnali and L. horvathi, and suggests that the L. parva–L. fraasi clade and L. brandti are not related to Psammodromus–Gallotia, as morphology indicates, but instead are associated respectively with the L. danfordi and L. saxicola groups. DNA sequence data provide additional evidence that the eastern Arabian `Lacerta` jayakari and `L.` cyanura are members of the armatured clade and also sister species. Our analysis supports an origin for present lacertids in west Eurasia. The armatured clade invaded Africa, probably in the mid-Miocene, spreading widely and evolving increasingly xeric-adapted forms, one lineage of which later moved back into the Palaearctic. `Lacerta` jayakari and `L.` cyanura are assigned to Omanosaura, Lutz and Mayer 1986. The name Gallotiinae Cano, Baez, Lopez-Jurado and Ortega, 1984 is available for the Gallotia–Psammodromus clade, Eremiainae Shcherbak 1975 for the armatured clade and Lacertinae for Lacerta, Podarcis and Algyroides. Two new subgenera of Lacerta are proposed here: Caucasilacerta for L. saxicola and its allies, and Parvilacerta for L. parva and L. fraasi.

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The evolutionary diversification of many terrestrial vertebrate groups is strongly linked to climatic events in the Cenozoic, the period from 65 Million years ago to today when modern animals first appeared. I investigated the effects of Cenozoic climate change on the taxonomic and morphological diversification of the Old World lizard family Lacertidae, with particular emphasis on the African radiation. African lacertids exhibit an unusual pattern of diversification, in which their highest species richness occurs in deserts north and south of the equator, despite being spread throughout the continent. This disparity is particularly surprising given that desert lacertids are thought to be evolutionarily younger than their mesic-dwelling relatives, suggesting increased diversification rates in arid habitats. To identify the evolutionary factors underlying this pattern, I use a combination of phylogenetic, morphological and ecological techniques. In Chapter 1, I apply Bayesian methods and fossil-based calibrations to molecular sequence data to construct a time-calibrated phylogeny for Lacertidae. I estimate that the family arose in the early Cenozoic, with the majority of their African radiation occurring in the Eocene and Oligocene. In Chapter 2, I describe changes in lacertid body shape across biomes and substrates, and find widespread morphological convergence in similar habitat types. I suggest that in addition to foraging demands, fluctuating and extreme climatic conditions, largely driven by precipitation and temperature, contribute to morphological convergence across independent arid-dwelling clades. Finally, I test if ancestral transitions in ecology, morphology, and rates of diversification temporally coincide with paleoclimatic events in the Cenozoic. I use High Resolution X-ray Computed Tomography to characterize changes in the skull related to life in arid habitats, and apply maximum likelihood methods to test if the origins of those traits temporally coincide with significant shifts in habitat, diversification rates and climatic changes. My results show that African lacertids experienced three major peaks in diversification, accompanied by the evolution of suites of arid-adapted morphological traits. These changes coincide with climatic shifts in Africa, including the transition from closed forests to open grasslands and savanna in the late Oligocene, prior to the peak temperatures of the mid-Miocene Climatic Optimum, and following the formation of the Benguela current leading to hyper-aridity in southern Africa. I conclude that deserts are important centers for reptile evolution, but that expected changes in climate due to global warming may outpace the ability of arid-dwelling species to adapt and persist in the future.

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Background: Although current molecular clock methods offer greater flexibility in modelling evolutionary events, calibration of the clock with dates from the fossil record is still problematic for many groups. Here we implement several new approaches in molecular dating to estimate the evolutionary ages of Lacertidae, an Old World family of lizards with a poor fossil record and uncertain phylogeny. Four different models of rate variation are tested in a new program for Bayesian phylogenetic analysis called TreeTime, based on a combination of mitochondrial and nuclear gene sequences. We incorporate paleontological uncertainty into divergence estimates by expressing multiple calibration dates as a range of probabilistic distributions. We also test the reliability of our proposed calibrations by exploring effects of individual priors on posterior estimates. Results: According to the most reliable model, as indicated by Bayes factor comparison, modern lacertids arose shortly after the K/T transition and entered Africa about 45 million years ago, with the majority of their African radiation occurring in the Eocene and Oligocene. Our findings indicate much earlier origins for these clades than previously reported, and we discuss our results in light of paleogeographic trends during the Cenozoic. Conclusion: This study represents the first attempt to estimate evolutionary ages of a specific group of reptiles exhibiting uncertain phylogenetic relationships, molecular rate variation and a poor fossil record. Our results emphasize the sensitivity of molecular divergence dates to fossil calibrations, and support the use of combined molecular data sets and multiple, well-spaced dates from the fossil record as minimum node constraints. The bioinformatics program used here, TreeTime, is publicly available, and we recommend its use for molecular dating of taxa faced with similar challenges.

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Aim To map and assess the richness patterns of reptiles (and included groups: amphisbaenians, crocodiles, lizards, snakes and turtles) in Africa, quantify the overlap in species richness of reptiles (and included groups) with the other terrestrial vertebrate classes, investigate the environmental correlates underlying these patterns, and evaluate the role of range size on richness patterns. Location Africa. Methods We assembled a data set of distributions of all African reptile species. We tested the spatial congruence of reptile richness with that of amphibians, birds and mammals. We further tested the relative importance of temperature, precipitation, elevation range and net primary productivity for species richness over two spatial scales (ecoregions and 1° grids). We arranged reptile and vertebrate groups into range-size quartiles in order to evaluate the role of range size in producing richness patterns. Results Reptile, amphibian, bird and mammal richness are largely congruent (r = 0.79–0.86) and respond similarly to environmental variables (mainly productivity and precipitation). Ecoregion size accounts for more variation in the richness of reptiles than in that of other groups. Lizard distributions are distinct with several areas of high species richness where other vertebrate groups (including snakes) are species-poor, especially in arid ecoregions. Habitat heterogeneity is the best predictor of narrow-ranging species, but remains relatively important in explaining lizard richness even for species with large range sizes. Main conclusions Reptile richness varies with similar environmental variables as the other vertebrates in Africa, reflecting the disproportionate influence of snakes on reptile richness, a result of their large ranges. Richness gradients of narrow-ranged vertebrates differ from those of widespread taxa, which may demonstrate different centres of endemism for reptile subclades in Africa. Lizard richness varies mostly with habitat heterogeneity independent of range size, which suggests that the difference in response of lizards is due to their ecological characteristics. These results, over two spatial scales and multiple range-size quartiles, allow us to reliably interpret the influence of environmental variables on patterns of reptile richness and congruency.

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The albumins from 41 species of the family Lacertidae representing a substantial part of genera as well as infrageneric groups of the collective genus Lacerta s.l. were investigated by means of the MCF technique. The data allow a chronological estimation of the most important radiation events and their correlation with paleogeographical facts. Our results are in remarkable contradiction to the phylogeny presented by ARNOLD (1989a) based mainly on morphological characters. The most important phylogenetic relationships are: 1. The genera Gallona and Psammodromus are already isolated from the other taxa since the Oligocene. We assess these main branches as subfamilies Gallotiinae and Lacertinae. 2. Lacerta s.str. and Lacerta subgenus Zootoca form the sister group of the remaining Lacertinae. 3. A colonization of Africa in the Lower Miocene has led to a separation in two lines, with mainly Eurasian and African members respectively. 4. ARNOLD`S (I.e.) `Ethiopian and advanced Saharo-Eurasian clade` proved to be a paraphyletic unit, one group of genera being more closely related to European taxa. All techniques applied to the systematics of Lacertidae hitherto are critically discussed. An area-time- hypothesis concerning the phylogeny of Lacertidae is presented. Key words: Lacertidae, phylogeny of; Gallotiinae subfam. nov.; Lacertinae subfam. nov.; micro complement fixation; albumin evolution.

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The family Lacertidae encompasses more than 250 species distributed in the Palearctis, Ethiopis and Orientalis. Lacertids have been subjected in the past to several morphological and molecular studies to establish their phylogeny. However, the problems of convergent adaptation in morphology and of excessively variable molecular markers have hampered the establishment of well supported deeper phylogenetic relationships. Particularly the adaptations to xeric environments have often been used to establish a scenario for the origin and radiation of major lineages within lacertids. Here we present a molecular phylogenetic study based on two nuclear marker genes and representatives of 37 lacertid genera and distinct species groups (as in the case of the collective genus Lacerta). Roughly 1600 bp of the nuclear rag1 and c-mos genes were sequenced and analyzed. While the results provide good support to the hitherto suggested main subfamilies of Gallotiinae (Gallotia and Psammodromus), Eremiainae and Lacertinae [Harris, D.J., Arnold, E.N., Thomas, R.H., 1998. Relationships of lacertid lizards (Reptilia: Lacertidae) estimated from mitochondrial DNA sequences and morphology. Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B 265, 1939–1948], they also suggest unexpected relationships. In particular, the oriental genus Takydromus, previously considered the sister-group to the three subfamilies, is nested within Lacertinae. Moreover, the genera within the Eremiainae are further divided into two groups, roughly corresponding to their respective geographical distributions in the Ethiopian and the Saharo-Eurasian ranges. The results support an independent origin of adaptations to xeric conditions in different subfamilies. The relationships within the subfamily Lacertinae could not be resolved with the markers used. The species groups of the collective genus Lacerta show a bush-like topology in the inferred Bayesian tree, suggesting rapid radiation. The composition of the subfamilies Eremiainae and Lacertinae as well as their phylogeography are discussed.

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Aim Body size is instrumental in influencing animal physiology, morphology, ecology and evolution, as well as extinction risk. I examine several hypotheses regarding the influence of body size on lizard evolution and extinction risk, assessing whether body size influences, or is influenced by, species richness, herbivory, island dwelling and extinction risk. Location World-wide. Methods I used literature data and measurements of museum and live specimens to estimate lizard body size distributions. Results I obtained body size data for 99% of the world`s lizard species. The body size–frequency distribution is highly modal and right skewed and similar distributions characterize most lizard families and lizard assemblages across biogeographical realms. There is a strong negative correlation between mean body size within families and species richness. Herbivorous lizards are larger than omnivorous and carnivorous ones, and aquatic lizards are larger than non-aquatic species. Diurnal activity is associated with small body size. Insular lizards tend towards both extremes of the size spectrum. Extinction risk increases with body size of species for which risk has been assessed. Main conclusions Small size seems to promote fast diversification of disparate body plans. The absence of mammalian predators allows insular lizards to attain larger body sizes by means of release from predation and allows them to evolve into the top predator niche. Island living also promotes a high frequency of herbivory, which is also associated with large size. Aquatic and nocturnal lizards probably evolve large size because of thermal constraints. The association between large size and high extinction risk, however, probably reflects a bias in the species in which risk has been studied.

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Many animals display complex colour patterns that comprise several adjacent, often contrasting colour patches. Combining patches of complementary colours increases the overall conspicuousness of the complex pattern, enhancing signal detection. Therefore, selection for conspicuousness may act not only on the design of single colour patches, but also on their combination. Contrasting long- and short-wavelength colour patches are located on the ventral and lateral surfaces of many lacertid lizards. As the combination of long- and short-wavelength-based colours generates local chromatic contrast, we hypothesized that selection may favour the co-occurrence of lateral and ventral contrasting patches, resulting in complex colour patterns that maximize the overall conspicuousness of the signal. To test this hypothesis we performed a comparative phylogenetic study using a categorical colour classification based on spectral data and descriptive information on lacertid coloration collected from the literature. Our results demonstrate that conspicuous ventral (long wavelength-based) and lateral (short wavelength-based) colour patches co-occur throughout the lacertid phylogeny more often than expected by chance, especially in the subfamily Lacertini. These results suggest that selection promotes the evolution of the complex pattern rather than the acquisition of a single conspicuous colour patch, possibly due to the increased conspicuousness caused by the combination of colours with contrasting spectral properties.

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Some observations in keeping the scarcley noticed Adolfus jacksoni are described. Showing only few remarkable specialities, breeding of the species was successful afte keeping it in an outdoor terrarium during summer. Some weeks old clutches that were found in November (soil temperature 5°C!) developed well. Growing of the hatchlings was without any problems.

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Herein is presented a list of the reptiles and anurans from the Parc National des Volcans (PNV) (01°43’ S, 29°52’ W), an area in the west and north provinces of the Republic of Rwanda in the Albertine Rift region of Africa. Fieldwork was conducted between two and six days per week from June through August 2007 and 2008. We also conducted literature searches of all historical expeditions within the park for species records. Seventeen species of reptiles and anurans are recorded from the PNV. Nine of the species were anurans, distributed in five families: Arthroleptidae (3), Bufonidae (1), Hyperoliidae (3), Phrynobatrachidae (1), and Pipidae (1). Eight species of reptiles were recorded from five families: Chamaeleonidae (1), Lacertidae (2), Scincidae (2), Colubridae (2), and Viperidae (1). Eight of the seventeen species found in the PNV are endemic to the Albertine Rift.

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This checklist records the 99 species of lizards known at present from Kenya, and which are divided amongst eight families: Gekkonidae 33 species, Agamidae seven, Chamaeleonidae 17, Scincidae 22, Lacertidae 12, Cordylidae five, Varanidae two, Amphisbaenidae one. Brief data on the distribution of all species is given, with some localities, details of habitat and (in some cases) status of subspecies. Some taxonomic notes on certain problematic species/genera are included, plus a brief discussion of the zoogeography of Kenya`s lizards, and a gazetteer of localities.

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The aim of this study was to determine if divergence in habitat use among lacertid lizards is paralleled by morphological differentiation. For 35 lacertid species, we measured body, head and limb dimensions. Habitat use was inferred from the literature: ground-dwelling on open terrain, ground-dwelling in vegetated areas, shrub-climbing, tree-climbing, saxicolous (i.e. rock-climbing). Traditional (i.e. non-phylogenetic) statistical analyses suggest morphological differences among species groups with different habitat use. Ground-dwelling species from open habitats tend to have longer femurs, tibiae and humeri (relative to body length) than other groups. Cursorial (i.e. level-running) species have relatively high heads and trunks compared to climbing species. These differences follow biomechanical predictions and it is tempting to consider tham as adaptations to habitat use. However, phylogenetic analyses of the data fail to establish a clear relationship between habitat use and morphology in the data set considered. There is a weak indication that the differences in head and trunk height have evolved as an adaptation to different habitat use, but the differences in relative limb dimensions among species groups with different habitat use vanish. Either adaptation of limb dimensions to habitat use has not occurred in lacertid lizards, or our methods are unable to demonstrate such an adaptation. We show that uncertainties in the topology of the phylogenetic tree used are unlikely to influence the outcome of our study. We also address the fact that habitat use is often similar in different branches of the phylogenetic tree, and the consequences this may have for the power of our statistical analyses.

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The amphibians and reptiles of Kibale National Park in western Uganda were inventoried over an 18-mo period in 1995 and 1996-97. A total of 75 species, including 28 amphibians and 47 reptiles, were collected or observed. Comparison with other equatorial African herpetofaunas confirms that the Kibale fauna is most similar to those of southwest Uganda and eastern Congo-Zaire, both hypothesized Pleistocene forest refugia. Comparison with a West Africa fauna also shows a fair degree of overlap, while almost no overlap was observed between Kibale and the forests of coastal East Africa. This confirms that the Kibale herpetofauna is an extension of the Guinea-Congolean forest faunas. Randomly placed 5 x 5 m plots were used to sample the herpetofauna of the forest leaflitter layer in unlogged forest, logged forest, and a neighboring exotic pine plantation. A total of 18 amphibian and reptile species were captured in the litter, a number similar to that observed in mid-elevation tropical forests in Central America and Southeast Asia. Density at Kibale was much lower than most previous studies. Analysis of the feeding ecology of the most abundant litter species showed that most diurnal litter frogs are active foragers of hard-bodied prey such as ants; sit-and-wait predators of larger soft-bodied prey are curiously absent. Plots sampled under fruiting Ficus natalensis trees showed significantly higher prey densities, but litter amphibians and reptiles did not seem to respond to this increase. Of the physical and biotic factors measured in each plot, seasonal changes in soil moisture were most closely correlated with the patterns of herpetofauna abundance observed in the forest. This is consistent with the fact that Kibale receives less rain than any site where the ecology of the litter herpetofauna has been studied, and that most of the species present in Kibale are believed to have evolved in the wetter forests of eastern Congo-Zaire.

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Aim The Kakamega Forest, western Kenya, has been biogeographically assigned to both lowland and montane forest biomes, or has even been considered to be unique. Most frequently it has been linked with the Guineo-Congolian rain forest block. The present paper aims to test six alternative hypotheses of the zoogeographical relationships between this forest remnant and other African forests using reptiles as a model group. Reptiles are relatively slow dispersers, compared with flying organisms (Aves and Odonata) on which former hypotheses have been based, and may thus result in a more conservative biogeographical analysis. Location Kakamega Forest, Kenya, Sub-Saharan Africa. Methods The reptile diversity of Kakamega Forest was evaluated by field surveys and data from literature resources. Faunal comparisons of Kakamega Forest with 16 other African forests were conducted by the use of the ‘coefficient of biogeographic resemblance’ using the reptile communities as zoogeographic indicators. Parsimony Analysis of Endemism and Neighbour Joining Analysis of Endemism were used to generate relationship trees based on an occurrence matrix with paup*. Results The analysis clearly supports the hypothesis that the Kakamega Forest is the easternmost fragment of the Guineo-Congolian rain forest belt, and thus more closely related to the forests of that Central–West African complex than to any forest further east, such as the Kenyan coastal forests. Many Kenyan reptile species occur exclusively in the Kakamega Forest and its associated forest fragments. Main conclusions The Kakamega Forest is the only remnant of the Guineo- Congolian rain forest in the general area. We assume that the low degree of resemblance identified for the Guineo-Congolian forest and the East African coastal forest reflect the long history of isolation of the two forest types from each other. Kenyan coastal forests may have been historically connected through forest ‘bridges’ of the southern highlands with the Congo forest belt, allowing reptile species to migrate between them. The probability of a second ‘bridge’ located in the region of southern Tanzanian inselbergs is discussed. Although not particularly rich in reptile species, the area should be considered of high national priority for conservation measures.

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We present an annotated checklist of the herpetofauna of Kakamega Forest with comments on the biology and systematics of the taxa. Twenty-five amphibian, one turtle, 22 lizard and 36 snake species are recorded from within the forest and its immediate environment. We discuss the generalized zoogeography of the forest and distribution pattern of the taxa comment on the protection of the forest. Analysis of the reptile species composition shows Kakamega Forest to be similar to the Guinea-Congolian rainforest and is considered the easternmost remnant of this forest block. Kakamega forest has a high diversity value for Kenya and represents a diversity hotspot on a national scale. Two species, Lrgodac- t}`lus gutturalis and Psammophis phillipsi. are recorded in Kenya for the first time. Several other first records and the description of a new species (Agamidae: Agama finchi) were published already separately.

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Lacertidae from page 84.