A new rodent species of the genus Mus (Rodentia: Muridae) confirms the biogeographical uniqueness of the isolated forests of southern Ethiopia

Organisms Diversity & Evolution - The Ethiopian highlands represent the largest part of the Eastern Afromontane Biodiversity Hotspot (EAMBH). Their fauna and flora are largely unique....     

Vehicle–wild vertebrate collision mortality on the highways of Tigray,Ethiopia, implications for conservation

In view of the upcoming road network improvement and expansion in Ethiopia, specifically in Tigray, it is also necessary to understand the potential impacts of road accidents with wildlife vertebrate animals. Road mortality detection surveys were conducted from March 2013 to June 2014. We surveyed around 530 km using vehicle with special emphasis given to roads surrounded by wetlands, forests, rocky areas and rivers each month. Additional information was also collected using a standardized questionnaire. A total of twenty species, 143 individuals of amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals were recorded as road vehicular accidents in the surveyed area. Of all, mammals showed the highest species richness (80 individuals belonging to ten species) followed by birds (49 individuals belonging to eight species). The survey revealed most accidents happened during the early morning and late evening. This might be due to relatively high traffic and continued activity of wild animals at that time, besides the driver's inability to avoid accidents when it is dark. Wildlife underpasses during road construction, location of crossing structures, rules of wildlife conservation, improving driver's awareness are relevant in this context and may be the most important mitigation measures to reduce mortality of wildlife on the roads.     

Description of Nosopsyllus (N.) atsbi n. sp. (Siphonaptera: Ceratophyllidae) from Ethiopia, and revision of the related species N. (N.) incisus (Jordan & Rothschild, 1913); biogeographical discussion

We describe a new Nosopsyllus s. sto., N. atsbi, from the north of Ethiopia, that shows phyletic similarities with N. incisus (Jordan & Rothschild, 1913), a species from the oriental part of the afrotropical region. This led us to reconsider the classification of the incisus populations based on the unique criteria of telomere's setation (three robust marginal bristles, instead of the two typically present in members of this genus and subgenus). It appears that N. incisus s. sto. occurs in north-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Burundi and Tanzania. In the north and south of this region (respectively central Ethiopia, on one hand, Zambia and Malawi, on the other hand), two taxa are morphologically distinct and we erect them here to the rank of subspecies: Nosopsyllus (N.) incisus traubi n. ssp. and N. (N.) incisus lewisi n. ssp. Actually, four taxa are in "incisus complex", namely: N. atsbi n. sp., N. incisus traubi n. ssp., N. incisus incisus (Jordan & Rothschild, 1913), and N. incisus lewisi n. ssp.     

Diversity and evolution of African Grass Rats (Muridae: Arvicanthis)—From radiation in East Africa to repeated colonization of northwestern and southeastern savannas

African Grass Rats of the genus Arvicanthis Lesson, 1842, are one of the most important groups of rodents in sub‐Saharan Africa. They are abundant in a variety of open habitats, they are major agricultural pests, and they became a popular model in physiological research because of their diurnal activity. Despite this importance, information about their taxonomy and distribution is unsatisfactory, especially in eastern Africa. In this study, we collected the most comprehensive multilocus DNA dataset to date across the geographic and taxonomic range of the genus (229 genotyped specimens from 130 localities in 16 countries belonging to all currently recognized species). We reconstructed phylogenetic relationships, mapped the distribution of major genetic clades, and used the combination of cytogenetic, nuclear, and mitochondrial markers for species delimitations and taxonomic suggestions. The genus is composed of two major evolutionary groups, called here the ANSORGEI and NILOTICUS groups. The former contains four presumed species, while the latter is more diverse and we recognized nine species. Most relationships among species are not resolved, which suggests a rapid radiation (dated to early–middle Pleistocene). Further, there is an indication of reticulate evolution in Ethiopia, that is, the region of the highest Arvicanthis diversity. The distribution of genetic diversity suggests diversification in eastern Africa, followed by repeated dispersals to the west (Sudano‐Guinean savannas) and to the south (Masai steppe). We propose nomenclatural changes for Ethiopian taxa and provide suggestions for future steps toward solving remaining taxonomic questions in the genus.