Lacuna Mozambique : adding an important piece to the African jigsaw puzzle

Reconstructing historical biogeography is similar to assembling a jigsaw puzzle, every piece added reveals a little bit more of the overall picture. In this thesis I present and discuss the diversity of species found on the mountains of northern Mozambique and explore the relationships between assemblages of different mountains. This study reveals a complex history of lineage diversification within species of amphibians and proposes hypotheses to explain the biogeographical patterns observed. The mountains of northern Mozambique are in the crossroads between two faunal groups, Afrotemperate and Afrotropical, which partially explain the complexity of this regions biota. Most of the species found on these mountains are biogeographically related to the lowland forest of East Africa, though some strictly montane species are also present. Furthermore, this thesis provides predictions regarding species potential distributions across other unexplored mountains of this region. Some of the hypotheses and predictions presented in this thesis can potentially be tested in the future. Finally, this thesis adds another piece to the African jigsaw puzzle shedding light on the complex biogeographical history of amphibians.