Archives-June 2025

Studies on species diversity of Ophidians are less advanced in the Central Congo forest ecoregion than in other ecoregions of the central Congolese basin. In other words, the diversity of Ophidians in this region remains poorly known. Preliminary research indicates that the central Congolese basin harbours remarkable diversity of Squamates (Lokasola & al. 2017), but this remains to be confirmed by updated studies on snakes, a group that has been little studied in the sector. The most extensive study of the herpetofauna of this area dates from the colonial period, conducted by Schmidt (1919). It is now obsolete (Lokasola & al. 2017, Lokasola, 2022). Therefore, the present article examines the diversity of Ophidian species in the Lokutu square degree, with the objective of producing a species list and reporting their ecological preferences, conservation status, and the harmfulness of their bites. The main aim is to test the hypothesis that the species list of snakes presented by previous studies on the sector is incomplete. To achieve this objective, a team composed of four people (Felix Kihambu, our dissertation supervisor, and two local guides) conducted surveys across a range of habitats within the Lokutu square degree. The habitats studied included forests, wetlands, rivers, and agricultural lands. The studies were conducted both during the day and at night, to maximise the chances of encountering both diurnal and nocturnal species. Collections were carried out randomly on reconnaissance trails and were time-limited to obtain semi-quantitative binary presence/absence data. A total of 31 snake species were reported, thus adding ten species to the twenty or so already known to exist in this sector. Although still short of the forty species expected based on predictions rooted in the continuity of the Congolese equatorial forest and the absence of biogeographical barriers for snakes, our results are highly significant as this is the first time the threshold of 24 species has been surpassed in this sector. We recommend further systematic studies using genetic markers and more extensive sampling of certain taxa to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the subject.