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{{Short description|Species of reptile}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2018}}
{{Speciesbox
{{Taxobox
|name=Central African slender-snouted crocodile
|name = Central African slender-snouted crocodile
⚫
|image = Mecistops leptorhynchus 2009.jpg
|status=NE
|image_caption = Individual on a [[snake farm]] in [[Tanzania]]
|fossil_range=
| status = CITES_A2
|image=
| status_system = CITES
|image_caption=
| status_ref = <ref>{{Cite web|title=Appendices {{!}} CITES|url=https://cites.org/eng/app/appendices.php|access-date=2022-01-14|website=cites.org}}</ref>
|regnum=[[Animal]]ia
⚫
|genus = Mecistops
|phylum=[[Chordate|Chordata]]
⚫
|species = leptorhynchus
|classis=[[reptile|Reptillia]]
⚫
|authority = ([[Edward Turner Bennett|Bennett]], 1835)<ref name=desc>{{cite journal|author=Bennett, Edward Turner|author-link=Edward Turner Bennett|url=https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/30568637|volume=1835|pages=128–132|journal=Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London|year=1835|title=Character of a New Species of Crocodile (''Crocodilus leptorhynchus'')}}</ref>
|ordo=[[Crocodilia]]
|synonyms = *''Crocodilus leptorhynchus'' <br/>{{small|Bennett, 1835}}
⚫
|familia=[[Crocodylidae]]
*''Mecistops leptorhynchus'' <br/>{{small|Shirley et al., 2018}}
|subfamilia=[[Crocodylinae]]
| synonyms_ref =<ref name="Redescription"/><ref name=RDB/>
⚫
|genus=''[[Mecistops]]''
|genus_authority=
⚫
|species='''''M. leptorhynchus'''''
⚫
|binomial= ''Mecistops leptorhynchus''
⚫
|binomial_authority=([[Edward Turner Bennett|Bennett]], 1835)<ref name=desc>{{cite journal|author=Bennett, E.T.| url=https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/30568637|pages=128-132|journal=Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London|year=1835|title=Character of a New Species of Crocodile (Crocodilus leptorhynchus)}}</ref>
|synonyms=
}}
}}


The '''Central African slender-snouted crocodile''' (''Mecistops leptorhynchus'') is one of two [[species]] of [[crocodile]]s in the [[genus]] ''[[Mecistops]]''. It was once thought to be a [[population]] of the [[West African slender-snouted crocodile]] (''Mecistops cataphractus'') but was elevated to a species after two detailed studies, one in 2014 and the other in 2018.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Shirley|first=Matthew H.|last2=Vliet|first2=Kent A.|last3=Carr|first3=Amanda N.|last4=Austin|first4=James D.|date=7 February 2014|title=Rigorous approaches to species delimitation have significant implications for African crocodilian systematics and conservation|journal=Proceedings of the Royal Society B|volume=281|issue=1776|doi=10.1098/rspb.2013.2483|pmc=3871313}}</ref><ref name=redesc>{{Cite journal|last=Shirley|first=Matthew H.|last2=Carr|first2=Amanda N.|last3=Nestler|first3=Jennifer H.|last4=Vliet|first4=Kent A.|last5=Brochu|first5=Christopher A.|date=24 October 2018|title=Systematic revision of the living African Slender-snouted Crocodiles ( Mecistops Gray, 1844)|url=https://biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/article/view/zootaxa.4504.2.1|journal=Zootaxa|volume=4504|issue=2|issn=1175-5334}}</ref>
The '''Central African slender-snouted crocodile''' ('''''Mecistops leptorhynchus''''') is one of two [[species]] of [[crocodile]]s in the [[genus]] ''[[Mecistops]]''. It was once thought to be a [[population]] of the [[West African slender-snouted crocodile]] (''Mecistops cataphractus'') but was elevated to a species after two detailed studies, one in 2014 and the other in 2018.<ref name="Description">{{cite journal|last1=Shirley|first1=Matthew H.|last2=Vliet|first2=Kent A.|last3=Carr|first3=Amanda N.|last4=Austin|first4=James D. |name-list-style=amp |date=7 February 2014|title=Rigorous approaches to species delimitation have significant implications for African crocodilian systematics and conservation|journal=Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences|volume=281|issue=1776|doi=10.1098/rspb.2013.2483|pmc=3871313|pmid=24335982|page=20132483}}</ref><ref name="Redescription">{{Cite journal|last1=Shirley|first1=Matthew H.|last2=Carr|first2=Amanda N.|last3=Nestler|first3=Jennifer H.|last4=Vliet|first4=Kent A.|last5=Brochu|first5=Christopher A.|date=24 October 2018|title=Systematic revision of the living African Slender-snouted Crocodiles (''Mecistops'' Gray, 1844)|url=https://biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/article/view/zootaxa.4504.2.1|journal=Zootaxa|volume=4504|issue=2|doi=10.11646/zootaxa.4504.2.1 |pmid=30486023 |issn=1175-5334}}</ref>


The species was described in 1835 on the basis of a specimen that had died at the London zoo and had been claimed to have been collected in the [[Bioko|Fernando Po]].<ref name=desc /> Studies of specimens and their molecular sequences established that there were two different species which occurred in distinct hydrological zones. ''M. leptorhynchus'' is easily differentiated morphologically from ''M. cataphractus'' by the absence of a round tubercle or boss on the squamosal scale at the back of the head in the former and present in the latter.<ref name= redesc/>
The species was [[species description|described]] in 1835 on the basis of a specimen that had died at the [[London Zoo]] and had been claimed to have been collected in the [[Bioko|Fernando Po]].<ref name="Description"/> Studies of specimens and their molecular sequences established that there were two different species which occurred in distinct hydrological zones. ''M. leptorhynchus'' is easily differentiated morphologically from ''M. cataphractus'' by the absence of a round tubercle or boss on the squamosal scale at the back of the head in the former and present in the latter.<ref name="Redescription"/>


== References ==
==Etymology==
The [[Genus|generic name]] ''Mecistops'' is most probably derived from the [[Ancient Greek]] words [[wiktionary:μακρός|μήκιστ]] (''mēkist'' ) meaning "longest" and [[wiktionary:ὄψις|ὄψις]] (ópsis) meaning "aspect" or "appearance". The [[Specific name (zoology)|specific name]] ''leptorhynchus'' is derived from the Ancient Greek words [[wiktionary:λεπτός|λεπτός]] (''leptós'') meaning "slender" and [[wiktionary:ῥύγχος|ῥύγχος]] (''rhýnchos'') meaning "snout". [[Edward Turner Bennett|Bennett]] (1835) may have named the species so because he found it had a longer head width:head length ratio than ''M. cataphractus'', 3:1 versus 2.5:1. Although an analysis of 93 skulls, mainly belonging to mature individuals, by Shirley et al. (2018) found a head width:head length ratio of 2.25:1 for ''M. cataphractus'' and 2.37:1 for ''M. leptorhynchus''.<ref name="Redescription"/>

==Taxonomy==
[[John Edward Gray|Gray]] (1844) listed ''Mecistops leptorhynchus'' as a [[Synonym (taxonomy)|synonym]] of ''M. bennettii'' even though the former has [[Principle of Priority|temporal priority]]. ''M. bennettii'' was subsumed as a junior synonym of ''M. leptorhynchus'' in Gray's Synopsis of the Species of Recent Crocodilians as he found that the [[type specimen]] of ''M. bennettii'' ([[Natural History Museum, London|NHMUK]] 1977.444) is actually an adult ''M. leptorhynchus''. The [[International Code of Zoological Nomenclature]] (ICZN) does not allow the [[Specific epithet (zoology)|specific epithet]] (species name) to be changed upon removal to a new genus unless it already exists in the new genus. Since ''Mecistops'' was a new genus at the time of its description, ''M. bennettii'' is a [[nomen novum]] (replacement name). Shirley et al. (2018) found that the type specimen of ''M. bennettii'' is morphologically and geographically readily assignable to ''M. cataphractus'' so they synonymized ''M. bennettii'' with ''M. cataphractus''.<ref name="Redescription"/> [[File:Archives du Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris (Pl. XIV) BHL45666041.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Illustration from the [[National Museum of Natural History, France|National Museum of Natural History (NMNH), Paris]]]]

Shirley et al. (2018) also designated ''M. cataphractus'' as the type species of ''Mecistops'' in accordance with Articles 69 and 70 of the ICZN. Article 67.9 of the ICZN states "If a validly fixed [[type species]] is later found to have been misidentified, the provisions of Article 70.3 apply." Article 70.3 in turn states "If an author discovers that a type species was misidentified, the author may select, and thereby fix as type species, the species that will, in his or her judgment, best serve stability and universality, either." ''M. cataphractus'' best serves stability because it is the most well-studied species of ''Mecistops'' with the most readily recognizable and assignable type material. It also has the widest use in the scientific literature.<ref name="Redescription"/>

==Distribution==
[[File:Mecistops leptorhynchus 2996345.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Individual resting on a partially-submerged tree at [[Odzala-Kokoua National Park]] in the [[Republic of Congo]]]]
Central African slender-snouted crocodile occurs widely in [[Central Africa]] (Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, northern Angola, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo) and extends into South Sudan in [[East Africa]].<ref name=RDB/>

==References==
{{Reflist|refs=
<ref name=RDB>{{NRDB species |genus=Mecistops |species=leptorhynchus |accessdate=30 January 2020}}</ref>
}}

{{Crocodilia|C.}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q57783121}}

⚫
[[Category:Crocodylidae]]
[[Category:Crocodilians of Africa]]
[[Category:Reptiles of Angola]]
[[Category:Reptiles of Cameroon]]
[[Category:Reptiles of the Central African Republic]]
[[Category:Reptiles of the Democratic Republic of the Congo]]
[[Category:Reptiles of Equatorial Guinea]]
[[Category:Reptiles of Gabon]]
[[Category:Reptiles of the Republic of the Congo]]
[[Category:Reptiles of South Sudan]]
[[Category:Reptiles described in 1835]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Edward Turner Bennett]]

Latest revision as of 09:32, 12 April 2024

Central African slender-snouted crocodile
Individual on a snake farm in Tanzania
CITES Appendix II (CITES)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Clade: Archosauromorpha
Clade: Archosauriformes
Order: Crocodilia
Family: Crocodylidae
Genus: Mecistops
Species:
M. leptorhynchus
Binomial name
Mecistops leptorhynchus
(Bennett, 1835)[2]
Synonyms[3][4]
  • Crocodilus leptorhynchus
    Bennett, 1835
  • Mecistops leptorhynchus
    Shirley et al., 2018

The Central African slender-snouted crocodile (Mecistops leptorhynchus) is one of two species of crocodiles in the genus Mecistops. It was once thought to be a population of the West African slender-snouted crocodile (Mecistops cataphractus) but was elevated to a species after two detailed studies, one in 2014 and the other in 2018.[5][3]

The species was described in 1835 on the basis of a specimen that had died at the London Zoo and had been claimed to have been collected in the Fernando Po.[5] Studies of specimens and their molecular sequences established that there were two different species which occurred in distinct hydrological zones. M. leptorhynchus is easily differentiated morphologically from M. cataphractus by the absence of a round tubercle or boss on the squamosal scale at the back of the head in the former and present in the latter.[3]

Etymology

[edit]

The generic name Mecistops is most probably derived from the Ancient Greek words μήκιστ (mēkist ) meaning "longest" and ὄψις (ópsis) meaning "aspect" or "appearance". The specific name leptorhynchus is derived from the Ancient Greek words λεπτός (leptós) meaning "slender" and ῥύγχος (rhýnchos) meaning "snout". Bennett (1835) may have named the species so because he found it had a longer head width:head length ratio than M. cataphractus, 3:1 versus 2.5:1. Although an analysis of 93 skulls, mainly belonging to mature individuals, by Shirley et al. (2018) found a head width:head length ratio of 2.25:1 for M. cataphractus and 2.37:1 for M. leptorhynchus.[3]

Taxonomy

[edit]

Gray (1844) listed Mecistops leptorhynchus as a synonym of M. bennettii even though the former has temporal priority. M. bennettii was subsumed as a junior synonym of M. leptorhynchus in Gray's Synopsis of the Species of Recent Crocodilians as he found that the type specimen of M. bennettii (NHMUK 1977.444) is actually an adult M. leptorhynchus. The International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) does not allow the specific epithet (species name) to be changed upon removal to a new genus unless it already exists in the new genus. Since Mecistops was a new genus at the time of its description, M. bennettii is a nomen novum (replacement name). Shirley et al. (2018) found that the type specimen of M. bennettii is morphologically and geographically readily assignable to M. cataphractus so they synonymized M. bennettii with M. cataphractus.[3]

Illustration from the National Museum of Natural History (NMNH), Paris

Shirley et al. (2018) also designated M. cataphractus as the type species of Mecistops in accordance with Articles 69 and 70 of the ICZN. Article 67.9 of the ICZN states "If a validly fixed type species is later found to have been misidentified, the provisions of Article 70.3 apply." Article 70.3 in turn states "If an author discovers that a type species was misidentified, the author may select, and thereby fix as type species, the species that will, in his or her judgment, best serve stability and universality, either." M. cataphractus best serves stability because it is the most well-studied species of Mecistops with the most readily recognizable and assignable type material. It also has the widest use in the scientific literature.[3]

Distribution

[edit]
Individual resting on a partially-submerged tree at Odzala-Kokoua National Park in the Republic of Congo

Central African slender-snouted crocodile occurs widely in Central Africa (Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, northern Angola, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo) and extends into South Sudan in East Africa.[4]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  2. ^ Bennett, Edward Turner (1835). "Character of a New Species of Crocodile (Crocodilus leptorhynchus)". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. 1835: 128–132.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Shirley, Matthew H.; Carr, Amanda N.; Nestler, Jennifer H.; Vliet, Kent A.; Brochu, Christopher A. (24 October 2018). "Systematic revision of the living African Slender-snouted Crocodiles (Mecistops Gray, 1844)". Zootaxa. 4504 (2). doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4504.2.1. ISSN 1175-5334. PMID 30486023.
  4. ^ a b Mecistops leptorhynchus at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 30 January 2020.
  5. ^ a b Shirley, Matthew H.; Vliet, Kent A.; Carr, Amanda N. & Austin, James D. (7 February 2014). "Rigorous approaches to species delimitation have significant implications for African crocodilian systematics and conservation". Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 281 (1776): 20132483. doi:10.1098/rspb.2013.2483. PMC 3871313. PMID 24335982.
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