Effect of fire on the herpetofauna of the Koanaka Hills, Ngamiland, Botswana

Ngamiland is one of the most remote regions in Botswana, and its herpetofauna is largely under-surveyed. This study documents the herpetofauna of the Koanaka Hills (KH) in Ngamiland in 2009 following extensive fire destruction and compares it to the pre-fire herpetofauna collected in 2008. We also provide new records for the region for three amphibian and six reptile species, and document vouchers for two taxa that were sighted but not collected in 2008. During 2009, 14 reptile and three amphibian species were collected, bringing the total number of confirmed herpetofaunal taxa near the KH to three amphibian and 19 reptile species. For seven species this is the first published occurrence in quarter degree square 2021 Aa. Analyses measuring changes in the KH herpetofauna following the fire are inconclusive due to differences in collection effort and weather conditions. However, these data suggest that fire impact was minimal.

• Publication year

  2012

• Venue

  Check List

• Publication date

  2012-08-01

• Fields of study

  Biology, Geography, Environmental Science

• Identifiers
  DOI 10.15560/8.4.666
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar

• No claims are published for this paper.

• No concepts are published for this paper.

• The Squamata (Reptilia) of the Orange Free State, South Africa.

  2014cited by this paper
• The snake family Psammophiidae (Reptilia: Serpentes): phylogenetics and species delimitation in the African sand snakes (Psammophis Boie, 1825) and allied genera.

  2008cited by this paper
• TAXONOMY, NATURAL HISTORY, AND ZOOGEOGRAPHY OF THE SOUTHERN AFRICAN SHIELD COBRAS, GENUS ASPIDELAPS (SERPENTES: ELAPIDAE)

  2006cited by this paper
• The species–accumulation curve and estimation of species richness

  2003cited by this paper
• Evolutionary scenarios in the Pachydactylus Group geckos of southern Africa: new hypotheses

  1999cited by this paper
• Dasypeltis scabra and Lamprophis fuliginosus—two pan-African snakes in the Horn of Africa: a tribute to Don Broadley

  1997cited by this paper
• Regionalization of Botswana rainfall during the 1980s using principal component analysis

  1995cited by this paper
• Some Fossiliferous Plio-Pleistocene Cave Systems of Ngamiland, Botswana

  1990cited by this paper
• The discovery of fossiliferous Plio-Pleistocene cave fillings in Ngamiland, Botswana

  1988cited by this paper
• First Steps in Setswana Herpetology

  1986cited by this paper
• The Palaeoclimatic Significance of Caves and Adjacent Landforms in Western Ngamiland, Botswana

  1975cited by this paper
• Notes on a collection of reptiles and amphibians made in the southern Kalahari, Bushmanland and Great and Little Namaqualand

  1935cited by this paper

• Cranial anatomy of the “round‐headed” Amphisbaenian Zygaspis quadrifrons (Squamata, Amphisbaenia) based on high‐resolution x‐ray computed tomography

  2023influential citation
• Fire effects on anurans: What we know so far?

  2021cites this paper
• Multilocus phylogeny and a new classification for African, Asian and Indian supple and writhing skinks (Scincidae: Lygosominae)

  2019cites this paper
• Hairy stalagmites, a new biogenic root speleothem from Botswana

  2015cites this paper
• Effects of fire on small mammals of the Koanaka Hills, Northwestern Botswana /

  2015influential citation
• The Homology of the Pelvic Elements of Zygaspis quadrifrons (Squamata: Amphisbaenia)

  2014cites this paper