3.6 Distribution modeling
Species distribution modeling suggested widely overlapping ranges forT. blandingii and T. pulverulenta , with both species
documented from both rainforest and woodland habitats (Fig. 7).
Paleodistribution models for the LGM suggested a slight northern and
southern contraction of suitable habitat for the genus in West and
Central Africa. Toxicodryas pulverulenta showed evidence of a
slight southward range expansion into Angola, while the range ofT. blandingii remained stable (Fig. 7a). The mid-Holocene
distribution was highly similar to the present-day distribution for all
data sets (Fig. 7b).
Continuous climate stability maps estimating the areas of persistent
suitable habitat from the LGM to the present suggest that the core
distribution of each species has remained stable through time (Fig. 7c).
Instability in suitable habitat is only found on the edges of the
species range, with the greatest potential for distribution change in
southern Central Africa. No northward range expansion past the present
day was estimated at any time scale in Central Africa, but lesser
degrees of northward expansion may have been possible in West Africa.