The reptiles and frogs of the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe and Mozambique mark a biodiversity hotspot for herpetofauna. Frog and reptile populations can be very dense and include endemic species.
Geography and climate
The Eastern highlands include the Manyika Mountains in Manicaland Province of Zimbabwe consist of three main ranges and some smaller ones (from the north south giving latitudes). The mountains and the associated uplands areas also extend into Manikaland Province in Mozambique. There are two broadly defined high altitude ecological habitats in the self-explanatory Eastern Zimbabwe montane forest-grassland mosaic but in the deep valleys the typical Miombo habitat of south / central Africa may predominate and deep valleys tend have typical lowveld habitat tending to arid on the western leeward side of the mountains to wet lowland forest on the moister eastern windward side of the mountain masif.
Species Lists
Leopard tortoise Geochelone pardalis babcocki: Very large specimens of this species live in the Nyanga and Chipinge Downs. Juveniles are preyed on by Ground hornbills and Secretarybirds.
Speke's hinge-back tortoise Kinixys spekii: specialists of kopje areas and live amongst the boulders of granite outcrops.
Lizards and Amphisbaenians
Skinks
Arnold's skink Proscelotes arnoldi – endemic
Geckos
Bernard's dwarf gecko Lygodactylus bernardi (Fitzsimmons, 1958) – endemic to the Nyanga Mountains of Zimbabwe & Mozambique
Cape dwarf gecko Lygodactylus capensis (A. Smith, 1849)
Chameleons
Marshall's pygmy chameleon (also Marshall's leaf chameleon) Rhampholeon marshalli – endemic
Amphisbaenians
Swynnerton's worm lizard Chirindia swynnertoni – Mozambique plain and adjacent Zimbabwe
Ferocious round-headed worm lizard Zygaspis ferox – endemic to Chirinda Forest and vicinity
Rhodesian spade-snouted worm lizard Monopeltis rhodesiana – ranges to Malawi
Green Water Snake Lycodonomorphus laevissimus disambiguate from green water snake Philothamnus hoplogaster
Brown water snake Lycodonomorphus rufus
Whyte's water snake Lycodonomorphus whytii
Brown House Snake Lamprophis filiginosus
Cape wolf Snake
Variegated Wolf snake
Dwarf wolf snake
Cape File snake Meheleya capensis
Black file snake
Common Slug Eater Duberria lutrix
Mole Snake Psedudoaspsis cana
Forest Marsh snake
Olive Marsh snake
Bark Snake Mopane Snake
Beaked snake
Striped Skaapstekker
Eastern stripe-bellied sand snake
Dwarf sand snake
Short snouted grass snake
Olive Grass Snake Psammophis phillipsii
Montane Grass Snake Psammophis sp
Bibron's Asp
Reticulated Centipede-eater
Black centipede eater
Cape centipede eater
Purple-glossed snake
Spotted bush snake Philothamnus semivariegatus
Ornate green snake Philothamnus ornatus
Western Green Snake Philothamuns angolensis
Green Water Snake Philothamnus hoplogaster
Egg eater Dasypeltis scabra
Montane Egg Eater Dasypeltis medici
Red-lipped Herald Snake Herald Snake Crotaphopeltis hotamboela
Tiger snake
Marbled tree snake
Boomslang Dispholidus typus venomous
Bird snake Thelotornis capensis venomous
Spitting cobra Naja mossambica venomous
Rinkhals venomous
Egyptian Cobra Naja Haje Venomous
Forest Cobra venomous
Black Mamba highly venomous
Green Mamba venomous
Common Night Adder
Snouted Night Adder
Puff Adder highly venomous Bitis arietans
Gaboon viper highly venomous Bitis gabonica
Berg adder venomous Bitis sp
African clawed frog, Xenopus laevis
Müller's platanna, Xenopus muelleri
Bufo inyangae
Bufo pusillus
Bufo garmani
Bufo fenoulheti
Bufo grindleyi (endemic)
Boulengers Earless Toad, Stephanopaedes anotis (endemic)
African red toad / Strawberry Toad, Schismaderma carens, Smith, 1848
Probreviceps rhodesianus
Breviceps mossambicus
Breviceps adspersus
Angola river frog, Amietia angolensis
Inyangani river frog, Amietia inyangae
Chimanimani stream frog, aka Hewitt's Long-nosed Frog, Strongylopus rhodesianus
Striped stream frog, aka Striped Long-toed Frog, Strongylopus fasciatus
Golden-backed frog, Hylarana darlingi
Shovel-footed bush squeaker, Arthroleptis stenodactylus
Cave Squeaker, Arthroleptis troglodytes (endemic)
Hewitt's Bush squeaker, Arthroleptis wahlbergii or Arthrolepsis xenodactyloides (endemic)
Yellow-spotted tree frog, Leptopelis flavomaculatus
Bocage's tree frog, Leptopelis bocagii
Tinker Reed Frog, Hyperolius tuberilinguis
Sharpe-nosed Reed Frog, Hyperolius nasutus
Marbled/Broadley's reed frog, Hyperolius marmoratus broadleyi (endemic)
Swynnerton's Reed Frog, Hyperolius swynnertoni (endemic)
Aposematic Reed Frog, Hyperolius aposematicus (endemic)
Marbled snout-burrower, aka Marbled Shovel-nosed Frog, Hemisus marmoratus
