Note on the Amphibians and Reptiles of the Mungbwalu (Ituri Province) and Mutwanga (Province of North-Kivu) in DRC

The Democratic Republic of Congo's forests are rich and diversified in biodiversity, particularly in high-altitude regions where they are reputed to be very rich in animal and plant biological diversity, particularly amphibians. Nevertheless, this fauna has not been well documented so far, mainly because of the lack of expertise in this field in the DRC. To contribute to this area, an inventory of amphibians and reptiles had been carried out in the Ituri forest and Mutwanga. We note that the herpetofauna of this region has never been the subject of a recent and thorough study. In order to analyse its biodiversity, 4 sites far from each other, all located in the primary forest, had been sampled. To achieve this, data collection was carried out during the dry season from 25 December 2014 to 12 January 2015 (18 days). The prospecting of the sites took place day and night in view and during the hearing. Amphibians and reptiles had been caught by hand and with the snake stick. All specimens had been digitized, fixed in formaldehyde (10%) and then preserved in alcohol (70%). Muscle necropsies were preserved in Eppendorf tubes containing absolute alcohol (96%). In total, 182 amphibian specimens divided into 32 species, 4 families, all belonging to the Order of the Anurans and 37 reptile specimens diversified into 18 species, 7 families and grouped into two Orders were recorded. The species capture: Hymenochirus boulengeri, Hyperolius rossii, Amietia desaegeri, Amietia ruwenzorica, Xenopus lenduensis and Xenopus ruwenzoriensis were interesting because these species remain poorly documented in the region.

Auteurs: Franck Masudi Muenye Mali, Zacharie Chifundera Kusamba, Aristote Mwenebantu Mlungu, Celestin Danadu Mizani, Pionus Katuala Gatate Banda, Sylverstre Gambalemoke Mbalitini, Corneille Ewango, Guy Crispin Gembu Tungaluna, Bejamin Dudu Akaibe