A revision of the Dwarf Geckos, genus Lygodactylus (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from Angola, with the description of three new species
Author
Marques, Mariana P.
0000-0002-1712-2632
Research Center in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources (CIBIO), InBIO, University of Porto, Rua Padre Armando Quintas 7, Vairão, 4485 - 661 Porto, Portugal & mpltmarques @ gmail. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0002 - 1712 - 2632 & Museu Nacional de História Natural e da Ciência, Universidade de Lisboa, Rua da Escola Politécnica, 58, 1269 - 102 Lisboa, Portugal & mpltmarques @ gmail. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0002 - 1712 - 2632 & lmceriaco @ mhnc. up. pt; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0002 - 0591 - 9978 & Museu de História Natural e da Ciência da Universidade do Porto, Praça Gomes Teixeira 4099 - 002 Porto, Portugal & lmceriaco @ mhnc. up. pt; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0002 - 0591 - 9978 & mpltmarques @ gmail. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0002 - 1712 - 2632
mpltmarques@gmail.com
Author
Ceríaco, Luis M. P.
0000-0002-0591-9978
Museu de História Natural e da Ciência da Universidade do Porto, Praça Gomes Teixeira 4099 - 002 Porto, Portugal & lmceriaco @ mhnc. up. pt; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0002 - 0591 - 9978 & Museu Nacional de História Natural e da Ciência, Universidade de Lisboa, Rua da Escola Politécnica, 58, 1269 - 102 Lisboa, Portugal & mpltmarques @ gmail. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0002 - 1712 - 2632 & lmceriaco @ mhnc. up. pt; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0002 - 0591 - 9978
lmceriaco@mhnc.up.pt
Author
Buehler, Matthew D.
0000-0001-5460-7770
Department of Biology and Center for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Stewardship, Villanova University, 800 Lancaster Avenue, Villanova, Pennsylvania 19085 - 1699, USA & mbuehle 3 @ gmail. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0001 - 5460 - 7770 & adez. bandeira @ gmail. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0002 - 7496 - 9119 & Department of Biological Sciences & Museum of Natural History, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama, 36849, USA & mbuehle 3 @ gmail. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0001 - 5460 - 7770
mbuehle3@gmail.com
Author
Bandei- Ra, Suzana A.
0000-0001-5460-7770
Department of Biology and Center for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Stewardship, Villanova University, 800 Lancaster Avenue, Villanova, Pennsylvania 19085 - 1699, USA & mbuehle 3 @ gmail. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0001 - 5460 - 7770 & adez. bandeira @ gmail. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0002 - 7496 - 9119 & Instituto Nacional da Biodiversidade e Áreas de Conservação, Ministério do Ambiente de Angola, Centralidade do Kilamba, Rua 26 de Fevereiro, Quarteirão Nimi Ya Lukemi, edifício Q 11, 3 º andar, Luanda, Angola. & adez. bandeira @ gmail. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0002 - 7496 - 9119
mbuehle3@gmail.com
Author
Janota, Joyce M.
0000-0002-7496-9119
Instituto Nacional da Biodiversidade e Áreas de Conservação, Ministério do Ambiente de Angola, Centralidade do Kilamba, Rua 26 de Fevereiro, Quarteirão Nimi Ya Lukemi, edifício Q 11, 3 º andar, Luanda, Angola. & adez. bandeira @ gmail. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0002 - 7496 - 9119
adez.bandeira@gmail.com
Author
Bauer, Aaron M.
0000-0001-5460-7770
Department of Biology and Center for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Stewardship, Villanova University, 800 Lancaster Avenue, Villanova, Pennsylvania 19085 - 1699, USA & mbuehle 3 @ gmail. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0001 - 5460 - 7770 & adez. bandeira @ gmail. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0002 - 7496 - 9119
mbuehle3@gmail.com
text
Zootaxa
2020
2020-09-23
4853
3
301
352
journal article
8437
10.11646/zootaxa.4853.3.1
9ed37c70-0d85-41bf-809f-58349df9a4a7
1175-5326
4410727
802D1C38-1186-4187-8289-5AC125242802
Lygodactylus lawrencei
Hewitt, 1926
(
Tables 4
;
Fig. 1–4
,
18–20
)
Lygodactylus lawrencei
(
Branch 1998: 247
;
Marques
et al.
2018
: 191,192)
Several authors had suggested the presence of
L. lawrencei
in southern
Angola
(
Branch 1998
;
Marques
et al.
2018
), but so far no vouchered records confirmed its presence in the country. The species was originally described from the
Kunene Region
in
Namibia
by
Hewitt (1926a)
and has to date been confirmed only in far northwestern
Namibia
. This rocky, dry savanna specialist is potentially the easiest species of
Lygodactylus
to diagnose in the region, given its stereotypically low number of precloacal pores (two), when compared to its congeners. Our records from Maungo and
11 km
N of Espinheira camp, Iona National Park camp are the first vouchered records of this species for
Angola
and mark the northernmost known distribution of the species. Comparison of the mitochondrial gene 16S (add GenBank no.) confirms that the Angolan and Namibian populations are conspecific.
Diagnosis.
Lygodactylus lawrencei
is small dwarf gecko with a maximum SVL of
30 mm
. It can be distinguished from other members of the genus occurring in
Angola
and surrounding regions by having 1) three scales surrounding the nostril (1
st
supralabial, two supranasals); 2) nostrils separated from the rostral and pierced between supranasal and first labial; 3) mental followed by two postmentals; 4) first infralabial with <25% overlap with postpostmental; 5) 16 to 17 rows of ventral scales at midbody; 6) only two precloacal pores in males; 7) subcaudals arranged in rows of imbricate scales about ⅓ (but mostly subequal) of width of tail (
Fig. 4D
); 8) venter white to cream; 9) black chevron markings on the gular region. Background usually ashy-grey with thin dark bands, usually broken. A large streak is visible from nostril to the forelimb insertion, passing through the eye. Often a pale chestnut lateral stripe is visible, extending from the neck to the anterior half of the tail. The Angolan individual has a very faded chevron pattern in the gular region (
Fig. 18
).