Tag Archives: Kenya

Disperis egregia Summerh.

Arc Mountains Disperis Orchid (Disperis egregia)

The Arc Mountains Disperis Orchid was described in 1952, it is, or maybe was, an endemic species of the Eastern Arc Mountains, a mountain range that stretches from Kenya to Tanzania.

The very small species grew terrestrial on mossy rock-faces in dense rainforests at elevations of 900 to about 1050 m. The flowers were pink and appeared on two- to three-flowered inflorescences.

The name of this species appears in listings of extinct and possibly extinct species and is thus mentioned here as well.

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edited: 12.11.2020

Ourebia ourebi ssp. kenyae Meinertzhagen

Kenyan Oribi (Ourebia ourebi ssp. kenyae)

The Kenyan Oribi is one of the about nine subspecies of the Oribi (Ourebia ourebi Zimmerman), a small antelope species that is distributed over several parts of central-, eastern- and even southern Africa; it was apparently restcicted to the slopes of Mt. Kenya.

This form apparently died out in the wild sometimes during the 1960s and was subsequently kept in captivity for some time; its actual extinction date obviously is not known but is believed to be sometimes during the 1980s.

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Oribi (Ourebia ourebi), nominate form?

Depiction from: ‘P. L. Sclater; O. Thomas: The Book of Antelopes. London: R. H. Porter 1894-1900’

(not in copyright)

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edited: 02.05.2022

Zingis radiolata Martens

Taita Snail (Zingis radiolata)

This species, described in 1878, is, or rather was restricted to the Taita Hills in south-eastern Kenya.

The shells reach sizes of about 0,95 cm in height and 1,3 cm in. diameter, they are of a brownish horn color with close, interrupted, whitish rays and a chestnut band on the periphery. [1]

The species could not be recorded during recent surveys and is feared to be already extinct.

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References:

[1] W. Tryon; H. A. Pilsbry; a.o.: Manual of Conchology. Second series: Pulmonata, Vol. 2, Zonitidaelidae 1886

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Depiction from: ‘W. Tryon; H. A. Pilsbry; a.o.: Manual of Conchology. Second series: Pulmonata, Vol. 2, Zonitidaelidae 1886’

(public domain)

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edited: 17.05.2019

Apalis chariessa ssp. chariessa Reichenow

White-winged Apalis (Apalis chariessa ssp. chariessa)

The White-winged Apalis has a strangely disjunct distribution with a small population, forming the nominate race, being known from Kenya, while another subspecies, MacPherson’s White-winged Apalis (Apalis chariessa ssp. macphersoni Vincent) (see photo below) is found in Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania

The nominate race is now apparently extinct.

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MacPherson’s White-winged Apalis (Apalis chariessa ssp. macphersoni)

Photo: Erica Hayton

(under creative commons license (2.0))
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

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edited: 07.05.2021