Publications by authors named "Ninda L Baptista"
African Shovel-snout snakes ( Gray, 1849) are small, semi-fossorial snakes with a unique compressed and beak-like snout. occur mainly in the savanna of sub-Saharan Africa. Of the 16 currently recognised species, four occur in Angola: Bocage, 1873, Boulenger, 1915, (Peters, 1867), and FitzSimons, 1959.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe here describe a new species of feather-tailed leaf-toed gecko, , from southern Benguela Province, Angola, based on morphological and osteological evidence, supported by phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial data. The new species adds to the rapidly growing and newly-recognised endemic biodiversity of Angola, doubling the number of species, breaking the pattern observed within other closely-related African members of a clade of circum-Indian Ocean leaf-toed geckos - , and - all of which are presently monotypic. The new species is easily distinguished from , based on spine-like (as opposed to feather-like) scales on the margins of the original tail.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA new species of red toad, from the previously monotypic genus Schismaderma, is described. The new species was found in Malanje Province, and seems endemic to central Angola, occurring approximately 500 km west of the closest known records of Schismaderma carens. Unusual adult colouration and geographical distance to remaining S.
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- - The study examines the genetic and ecological differences among three species of giant tree frogs in West and Central Africa, revealing that for closely related species to coexist without interbreeding, they must develop distinct traits for ecological and reproductive isolation.
- - Analyses of genetic data and environmental models indicate that these species' divergence aligns with historical forest fragmentation during the late Pliocene, leading to unique environmental niches for each species.
- - Significant physical and behavioral differences were found, particularly in traits like tympanum size and mating calls, with two species coexisting in Central Africa without hybridization, suggesting that both ecology and reproductive characteristics play crucial roles in maintaining biodiversity in the region.