About
59
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Introduction
I have a background on rodent systematics and evolution. I am also interested by their conservation in specific areas under several human threats and their role in the transmission of some viral zoonoses with epidemiological potential such as the Monkeypox. Since three years, I am involved in the study of the biodiversity of bat communities with an emphasis on anthropogenic effects and also the emergence of zonoses.
Additional affiliations
May 2010 - present
Position
- Researcher
Description
- Systematics biogeography and evolution of Afrotropical forest small mammals
May 2010 - present
September 2006 - present
University of Douala
Position
- Lecturer
Description
- Rodents' integrative taxonomy, Phylogeny and phylogeography, Tropical african forests
Education
September 2006 - May 2010
Publications
Publications (59)
In West Africa, the bushmeat trade is a major societal issue with contrasting implications on biodiversity, health and economy. We studied perceptions of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the bushmeat trade dynamics through questionnaires addressed to 377 vendors across three West African countries. We showed that bushmeat vendors constitute a...
Although the bushmeat trade is a significant component of the Anthropocene crisis in the tropics, the reliability of species-level identification is generally lacking from bushmeat surveys. We conducted a comprehensive study of 23 bushmeat markets in Cameroon and one seizure from a French airport using a multi-gene DNA-typing approach and a dedicat...
The aim of the present study was to determine the dynamics of malaria transmission and the sensitivity of its vectors in order to better plan vector control programme. Mosquitoes captured on volunteers, from September 2019 to June 2020, at the rythm of 2 consecutive nights every three months, were identified according to morphological and molecular...
In this study, we collected 226 shrew specimens originating from 16 localities on the Guinean and Liberian sides of Mount Nimba. We surveyed all major vegetation zones from 400 to 1600 m above sea level (asl), including forest and savannah habitats. We recorded 11 species, whose identifications were confirmed by genetic analyses and classical morph...
The tribe Praomyini is a diversified group including 64 species and eight extant rodent genera. They live in a broad spectrum of habitats across whole sub-Saharan Africa. Members of this tribe are often very abundant, they have a key ecological role in ecosystems, they are hosts of many potentially pathogenic microorganisms and comprise numerous ag...
The endemic freshwater crab, Louisea yabassi Mvogo Ndongo, von Rintelen & Cumberlidge, 2019, is currently only known from three populations in the biodiversity-rich rainforests of southwestern Cameroon. The first record of L. yabassi dates back to 1908 from Yabassi, while the other two populations were discovered in December 2019 and March 2020 fro...
The specimens studied were collected with sweep net and pitfall in the forests, agro-forests, herbaceous fallows, and crop fields of 14 localities in the southern part of Cameroon, from August 2015 to February 2018. The results show that Heteracrishannai sp. nov. and Heteracris lecoqi sp. nov. differ from previously known species of the same genus...
Tropical Africa is home to an astonishing biodiversity occurring in a variety of ecosystems. Past climatic change and geological events have impacted the evolution and diversification of this biodiversity. During the last two decades, around 90 dated molecular phylogenies of different clades across animals and plants have been published leading to...
Pangolins, or scaly anteaters, have recently been flagshiped as one of the most illegally traded mammals, and as a corollary, as potential intermediate hosts at the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to improve the traceability of their trade, we developed 20 polymorphic microsatellite loci for the white-bellied pangolin (Phataginus tricuspi...
Pangolins, or scaly anteaters, have recently been flagshiped as one of the most illegally traded mammals, and as a corollary, as potential intermediate hosts at the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to improve the traceability of their trade, we developed 20 polymorphic microsatellite loci for the white-bellied pangolin ( Phataginus tricusp...
Mount Oku, in the Northwest Region of Cameroon, is known for its rodent diversity. It is located in an area with a high human population density (up to 400/km ² ), resulting in intense pressure on natural resources. Threats to biodiversity include overgrazing by cattle and goats in grassland areas and montane forests, firewood harvesting, agricultu...
Grasshoppers have been identified as excellent monitors of landscape use. Despite their importance, their composition and distribution in the highly disturbed Littoral Cameroon is still unknown. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of human activities on diversity, abundance and distribution of grasshopper species in the Littoral regio...
The Littoral Region of Cameroon is one of the most highly disturbed regions in Cameroon that remain poorly studied
and where no investigation regarding the grasshopper fauna has been conducted. Hence a survey was conducted
from August 2015 to November 2018 in 11 localities of this region. In each locality, grasshoppers were sampled in three
vegetat...
The Littoral Region of Cameroon is one of the most highly disturbed regions in Cameroon that remain poorly studied and where no investigation regarding the grasshopper fauna has been conducted. Hence a survey was conducted from August 2015 to November 2018 in 11 localities of this region. In each locality, grasshoppers were sampled in three vegetat...
Wood mice of the genus Hylomyscus, are small-sized rodents widely distributed in lowland and montane rainforests in tropical Africa, where they can be locally abundant. Recent morphological and molecular studies have increased the number of recognized species from 8 to 18 during the last 15 years. We used complete mitochondrial genomes and five nuc...
Aim
We investigate the Plio‐Pleistocene evolutionary history of one of the most abundant rodents in Afrotropical forests. Specifically, we ask how their diversification was influenced by climate change, topography and major rivers.
Location
Tropical Africa: Lower Guinea (including Cameroon volcanic line; CVL), Congolia, Albertine Rift (AR), Kenyan...
Mount Oku is well known for its exceptional species diversity for both animals and plants. A total number of 27 species of rodents and six species of shrews are reported from the area. Ten of these species are endemic at local or regional level and are considered as endangered or vulnerable, with a decreasing population trend. They are thus conside...
Widely distributed in Guineo-Congolian forests, the genus Hybomys is represented by two species complexes (univittatus and trivirgatus), each restricted to one distinct forest block. In the last revision, these two species complexes were considered as distinct subgenera (Hybomys and Typomys). Previous morphological and karyological studies identifi...
The question whether taxonomic descriptions naming new animal species without type specimen(s) deposited in collections should be accepted for publication by scientific journals and allowed by the Code has already been discussed in Zootaxa (Dubois & Nemésio 2007; Donegan 2008, 2009; Nemésio 2009a–b; Dubois 2009; Gentile & Snell 2009; Minelli 2009;...
This plot is not part of the published stance but derives from it. The plot shows the number of authors by geographic region (courtesy of Dr. Diego Astua).
Objectifs : La recherche d’une stratégie de protection des cultures vivrières contre le criquet ravageur Zonocerus variegatus (Linnaeus 1758) (Orthoptera : Pyrgomorphidae) a consisté à étudier chez cet hôte, la prévalence et l’abondance de Charletonia cameroonensis Haitlinger & Kekeunou, 2014 (Acari : Erythraeidae) dans la zone côtière du Cameroun....
Lamottemys okuensis Petter, 1986, is restricted to the Mount Oku montane forest in the central-northern part of the Cameroon Volcanic Line (CVL; Central West Africa). It is endangered and has a decreasing population trend. The genus is monotypic and little is known about its phylogeny and evolutionary history. Using both molecular and morphological...
The bushmeat trade in tropical Africa represents illegal, unsustainable off-takes of millions of tons of wild game –mostly mammals – per year. We sequenced four mitochondrial gene fragments (cyt b, COI, 12S, 16S) in >300 bushmeat items representing nine mammalian orders and 59 morphological species from five western and central African countries (G...
The Cameroon volcanic line (CVL), which represents a major topographical feature of Central Africa, is poorly known concerning its small-mammal biodiversity. Situated in the Bamenda-Banso highland plateau, Mt Oku is the second highest peak (3011 m) of the CVL after Mt Cameroon. Despite intensive cultivation and cattle grazing, especially in the Kil...
West African Mountains of the Cameroon Volcanic Line harbour two montane-endemic species of laminated-toothed rats (Otomys), which represent the most westerly occurrence of the genus. We explore here through mtDNA sequencing and cranial morphometrics the taxonomic status and phylogenetic relationships of O. burtoni (Mt Cameroon) and O. occidentalis...
The situation of the life cycle of Zonocerus variegatus is complex in the Guinean and forest zones and has given rise to some confusion in the interpretation of the phenology. In the view to form a clear picture of this phenology in the equatorial climate zones of Cameroon, we have determined the life cycle of Z. variegatus in two seasons climate a...
Cocoa agroforests can significantly support biodiversity, yet intensification of farming practices is degrading agroforestry habitats and compromising ecosystem services such as biological pest control. Effective conservation strategies depend on the type of relationship between agricultural matrix, biodiversity and ecosystem services, but to date...
New bats were recorded from various habitats on the Guinean side of Mount Nimba during two surveys in 2008 and coupled with a cytotaxonomic survey. A total of 152 specimens comprising 15 species in 12 genera from five families were collected,
of which 13 individuals were karyotyped. The most numerous species was Rhinolophus guineensis followed by f...
Developing tools for visualizing DNA sequences is an important issue in the Barcoding context. Visualizing Barcode data can be put in a purely statistical context, unsupervised learning. Clustering methods combined with projection methods have two closely linked objectives, visualizing and finding structure in the data. Multidimensional scaling (MD...
Missoup, A.D., Nicolas, V., Wendelen, W., Keming, E., Bilong Bilong, C.F., Couloux, A., Atanga, E., Hutterer, R. & Denys, C. (2012). Systematics and diversification of Praomys species (Rodentia: Muridae) endemic to the Cameroon Volcanic Line (West Central Africa). —Zoologica Scripta, 41, 327–345.
Our integrative approach combines two mitochondrial...
Our study combined a mitochondrial cytochrome b phylogeny with cranial measurements from giant pouched rats collected across sub‐Saharan Africa. The mitochondrial phylogeny resolves two West African clades and a clade with east and central Africa representatives. This last clade can be further divided into four subclades. Altogether they represent...
The Praomyini tribe is one of the most diverse and abundant groups of Old World rodents. Several species are known to be involved in crop damage and in the epidemiology of several human and cattle diseases. Due to the existence of sibling species their identification is often problematic. Thus an easy, fast and accurate species identification tool...
Cytb-part1 neighbour-joining tree of Praomyini (K2P distance), with bootstrap support (500 replicates). To improve clarity bootstrap support of each species is not indicated on the tree but is reported in Table 1. For species codes, see Table S1.
(EPS)
HAC dendrograms of H. parvus built from (a) the CO1 gene and, b) the Cytb-part1 gene.
(EPS)
HAC dendrograms built from the CO1 gene of (a) P. daltoni and (b) H. simus.
(EPS)
Distribution of intraspecific (white bars) and interspecific (black bars) divergences estimated from the K2P distance for the CO1 gene, taking cryptic species into account. In several cases, a non-null number of occurrences was observed (symbol x for intra-specific comparisons, and symbol + for inter-specific comparisons), but this is not apparent...
HAC dendrograms of P. minor plus P. jacksoni: (a) built from the CO1 gene; (b) built from the Cytb-part1 gene.
(EPS)
Number of specimens of the Praomyini tribe per species, with geographical coverage and species codes used in
Figs.
2–3. C = complete geographical coverage; M = most of the geographical range of the species covered; P = partial geographical coverage, unknown = the distribution range of this species is still unknown. Bootstrap values (500 replicates)...
HAC dendrograms built from the Cytb-part1 gene for P. daltoni plus P. derooi.
(EPS)
HAC dendrograms built from the CO1 (a, c) and Cytb-part1 (b, d) genes for (a-b) H. sp1 and (c–d) P. lukolelae.
(EPS)
Cytb neighbour-joining tree of Praomyini (K2P distance), with bootstrap support (500 replicates). To improve clarity bootstrap support of each species is not indicated on the tree but is reported in Table 1. For species codes, see Table S1.
(EPS)
We studied the phylogeographical structure of Praomys misonnei (Rodentia: Muridae) in west-Central Africa based on 113 individuals from 31 localities and the sequencing of two mitochondrial genes (Cytb and CO1). Two clades can be identified through maximum likelihood, bayesian and network analyses: the first one is limited to the Korup National Par...
We studied the phylogeographical structure of Praomys misonnei (Rodentia: Muridae) in west-Central Africa based on 113 individuals from 31 localities and the sequencing of two mitochondrial genes (Cytb and CO1). Two clades can be identified through maximum likelihood, bayesian and network analyses: the first one is limited to the Korup National Par...
Aim This study aims to elucidate the phylogeography of the murid rodent Praomys misonnei and to document whether or not rain forest refugia and rivers structure patterns of diversity within this species.
Location Tropical Africa, from Ghana to Kenya.
Methods Patterns of genetic structure and signatures of population history (cytochrome b gene) were...
Dans la région du littoral camerounais, Phragmanthera capitata (généraliste) et Tapinanthus ogowensis (spécialiste) sont majoritaires dans la plupart des agroécosystèmes. Les deux Loranthaceae attaquent les essences cultivées ou spontanées d’importance économique ou non, réduisent les rendements et détériorent la qualité des fruits sous l’effet néf...
The rodent genus Praomys is widely distributed in the African tropics. The species are cryptic, rendering the species taxonomy unclear. There are differences of opinion concerning the specific status of Praomys misonnei and Praomys tullbergi, and their geographical distribution. We sequenced the cytochrome b and/or the 16S gene of 221 specimens fro...
World chocolate demand is expected to more than double by 2050. Decisions about how to meet this challenge will have profound effects on tropical rainforests and wild species in cocoa-producing countries. Cocoa, "the chocolate tree," is traditionally produced under a diverse and dense canopy of shade trees that provide habitat for a high diversity...
Loranthaceae are known as hemiparasites of forest and cultivated trees. A study on their uses in ethno pharmacology were carried out in Logbessou in the North of Douala (Cameroon). We used a structured questionnaire to interview 150 active traditional healers in 2008. 82% of the healers recommended P. capitata for the treatment of at least 22 disea...
We used both molecular and craniometrical data to test the presence of Hylomyscus walterverheyeni in the Cameroon Volcanic Line (CVL). Our molecular (cytochrome b and 16S gene sequencing) and morphometrical data (discriminant analyses) clearly show the presence of H. walterverheyeni in the CVL, north-west of the Sanaga River. Hylomyscus walterverhe...
![Table 3 . Means and ranges for the standard external measurements [mm]...](profile/Christiane-Denys/publication/236022155/figure/tbl3/AS:669537762570243@1536641650148/Means-and-ranges-for-the-standard-external-measurements-mm-of-the-Mt-Kupe-rodents_Q320.jpg)
Aim This study aims to elucidate the phylogeography of the murid rodent Lemniscomys striatus and to evaluate the relative roles of ecological change, habitat patchiness, rivers and geological barriers in structuring patterns of diversity.
Location Sub-Saharan Africa.
Methods The extent of phylogeographic patterns and molecular genetic diversity (cy...
Termites play a prominent role in the decomposer food web as ‘ecosystem engineers’. However, the effect of
spatial scales on termite assemblages has, to date, been poorly studied. Here, we evaluate the contribution of two spatial levels [transects (100 m · 2 m) and sections within transects (5 m · 2 m)] on the local termite
assemblage of a continuo...
RESUME Au terme de trois années de prospection des communautés de rongeurs des zones anthropisées de Guinée, il devient possible grâce à l'utilisation des techniques intégrées de la Systématique de définir le nombre et la distribution des espèces jumelles de Mastomys, réservoir de la fièvre de Lassa, dans ce pays et d'en dégager des recommandations...
Projects
Projects (3)
Describe and compare the structure of grasshopper communities among three different vegetation types, in oder to improve our better understanding on grasshopper ecology, taxonomy and biogeography.
The recent epidemy of Ebola virus in west Africa has pointed out the role of bats in the emergence of arenavirus in tropical Africa. With the expansion of towns linked to local population increasis, natural ecosystems are regularly requested. The consequence is the recurrent contact with associated wildlife and a potential exposition of populations to related zoonoses. The project aims to describe the effect of urbanization on bats communities of the town of Douala in central Africa, submitted to a massive rural flight, and to evaluate the risk of the emergence of viral zoonoses.