RUI: Collaborative Research: Survey and Analysis of the Angolan Herpetofauna

安哥拉是非洲最大的国家之一，其景观从干旱的沙漠到赤道雨林。这种景观多样性导致许多群体（包括两栖动物和爬行动物）的生物多样性水平很高，但记录很少。该项目将通过分析物种的分布、丰度、遗传学和解剖学，增加对安哥拉两栖动物和爬行动物多样性和进化的了解。根据这些数据，将对未记录的物种进行鉴定、定性和正式描述。两个主要的假设将进行测试：是否干旱适应物种的西南安哥拉是从东非的祖先，在干燥的气候期间迁移，以及是否物种仅限于安哥拉高地是以前广泛分布的祖先的古代后裔。研究人员还将测试气候因素如何影响引起疟疾的寄生虫专门针对特定蜥蜴物种的程度。该项目还将对学生进行实地和实验室方法以及数据传播和分析方面的培训。公共宣传工作将包括制作有关安哥拉两栖动物和爬行动物的短片纪录片和英文及葡萄牙文指南，并将利用目前从世界各地博物馆收藏的不到8 000件标本中获得的知识，对安哥拉两栖动物进行调查。将在三年内在整个安哥拉进行总共六次考察，每次考察的重点是根据现存博物馆标本的来源确定为取样不足的地区或解决分类问题的关键取样地区。在调查工作中获得的标本将进行收集和分析的生态，遗传和形态数据。对遗传数据的分子系统分析将确定神秘物种，并将使用靶向高通量测序来测试地理学假设。形态学数据收集将包括外部形态学检查以及高分辨率CT扫描，以确定所研究物种的诊断性内部解剖特征。物种分布范围的生态位模型将用于探索动物区系更替模式和确定保护优先事项。项目过程中产生的所有生物多样性数据，包括地点、DNA序列和CT扫描，都将提供给更广泛的科学界。研究结果将在许多出版物中传播，重点是分类修订，地理学，形态多样性和/或安哥拉爬虫动物群的寄生虫进化生态学。

Angola is among the largest countries in Africa, and its landscapes vary from arid desert to equatorial rainforest. This landscape diversity results in high, but poorly documented, levels of biodiversity in many groups, including amphibians and reptiles. This project will increase understanding of the diversity and evolution of Angola's amphibians and reptiles by analyzing species' distributions, abundances, genetics, and anatomy. Based on these data, undocumented species will be identified, characterized and formally described. Two major hypotheses will be tested: whether arid-adapted species of S.W. Angola are descended from East African ancestors that migrated during periods of dry climate, and whether species restricted to the Angolan highlands are ancient descendants of formerly widespread ancestors. Researchers will also test how climate factors affect the degree to which malaria-causing parasites specialize on particular lizard species. This project will also train students in field and laboratory methods, as well as data dissemination and analysis. Public outreach efforts will include development of short video documentaries and English- and Portuguese-language guides to Angola's amphibians and reptiles.Surveys of the Angolan herpetofauna will be informed by current knowledge gained from the less than 8,000 specimens that currently exist in museums worldwide. A total of six expeditions throughout Angola will be undertaken over a period of three years, with each focusing on a region identified as poorly sampled based on the provenance of extant museum specimens or as key sampling areas for addressing taxonomic problems. Specimens obtained in survey efforts will be subjected to collection and analysis of ecological, genetic, and morphological data. Molecular systematic analyses of the genetic data will identify cryptic species and targeted high-throughput sequencing will be used to test biogeographic hypotheses. Morphological data collection will include external morphological examination as well as high-resolution CT scanning to identify diagnostic internal anatomical features of species under study. Ecological niche modeling of species' ranges will be used to explore patterns of faunal turnover and identify conservation priorities. All biodiversity data generated in the course of the project, including point localities, DNA sequences, and CT scans, will be made available to the broader scientific community. Results of the research will be disseminated in numerous publications focused on taxonomic revision, biogeography, morphological diversity, and/or parasite evolutionary ecology of the Angolan herpetofauna.