Nomenclature of African species of the genus Stenodactylus (Squamata: Gekkonidae)
Author
Metallinou, Margarita
Author
Crochet, Pierre-André
text
Zootaxa
2013
3691
3
365
376
journal article
10.11646/zootaxa.3691.3.5
5260f7d6-9e33-4d00-b4e2-434e3deb5515
1175-5326
222294
F11A48F1-3F49-48EE-A819-7CF44E0BE0FA
Stenodactylus stenodactylus zavattarii
Scortecci, 1943
1943
Stenodactylus stenodactylus zavattarii
Scortecci, Missione Biologica Sagan—Omo, Volume Settimo, Zoologia I, Mammalia
– Aves – Reptilia – Amphibia – Pisces: 294.
This nomen is based on two specimens collected in “Elolo” on
29/07/1939
and
03/08/1939
. According to Largen and Spawls (2006), Elolo, in
Kenya
, is now called Banya (= Bani,
4.39°N
36.23°E
), as can also be seen on the map available at http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/imw/txu-oclc-6654394-nb-37-4th-ed.jpg (accessed on
19/02/2013
). These two specimens MZUF 23878 and MSNM Re 3359, which are both
syntypes
, are still present in Italian collections: specimen MSNM Re 3359 collected on
29/07/1939
is found at the Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Milano and specimen MZUF 23878 collected on
03/08/1939
at the Museo di Storia Naturale dell’Università di Firenze - La Specola. We have examined the former
syntype
and pictures of the latter and we agree that they are both specimens of
Stenodactylus sthenodactylus
.
We currently refrain from recognizing valid taxa within
S. sthenodactylus
pending detailed analysis of the geographical patterns of morphological and genetic variation. We thus provisionally follow Loveridge (1957) and Arnold (1980) in synonymizing
zavattarii
with
sthenodactylus
. If some of the lineages recently identified in the species prove to be valid species or subspecies, the nomen
zavattarii
would be available for the lineage distributed from
Kenya
to
Egypt
(Metallinou
et al.
2012).
Name-bearing
type
:
two
syntypes
: MZUF 23878 and MSNM Re 3359.
Type
locality:
“Elolo” (= Ilolo = Banya, now Bani in northern
Kenya
near the north end of lake Turkana, approx.
4.39°N
36.23°E
).
Proposed status:
subjective junior synonym of
Stenodactylus sthenodactylus
(
Lichtenstein
, 1823)
.