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Tropiocolotes tripolitanus PETERS, 1880

IUCN Red List - Tropiocolotes tripolitanus - Least Concern, LC

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Higher TaxaGekkonidae, Gekkota, Sauria, Squamata (lizards: geckos)
SubspeciesTropiocolotes tripolitanus occidentalis PARKER 1942
Tropiocolotes tripolitanus apoklomax PAPENFUSS 1969
Tropiocolotes tripolitanus tripolitanus PETERS 1880 
Common NamesE: Northern Sand Gecko
G: Tripolitanischer Zwerggecko 
SynonymTropiocolotes tripolitanus PETERS 1880: 306
Stenodactylus tripolitanus — BOULENGER 1885: 19
Tropiocolotes apoklomax PAPENFUSS 1969
Tropiocolotes tripolitanus — KLUGE 1993
Tropiocolotes tripolitanus — SCHLEICH, KÄSTLE & KABISCH 1996: 282
Tropiocolotes (Tropiocolotes) tripolitanus — RÖSLER 2000: 119
Tropiocolotes tripolitanus — BAUER et al. 2013
Tropiocolotes tripolitanus — MACHADO et al. 2020

Tropiocolotes tripolitanus apoklomax PAPENFUSS 1969
Tropiocolotes tripolitanus apoklomax — SINDACO & JEREMČENKO 2008

Tropiocolotes tripolitanus occidentalis PARKER 1942
Tropiocolotes occidentalis PARKER 1942: 47
Tropiocolotes tripolitanus occidentalis — BAHA EL DIN 2001
Tropiocolotes tripolitanus occidentalis — RÖSLER 2000
Tropiocolotes occidentalis occidentalis — SCHLÜTER 2004
Tropiocolotes occidentalis — KRAUSE et al. 2013

Tropiocolotes tripolitanus tripolitanus PETERS 1880
Tropiocolotes tripolitanus tripolitanus — BAHA EL DIN 2001
Tropiocolotes tripolitanus tripolitanus — SINDACO & JEREMČENKO 2008 
DistributionMorocco, Algeria (Sahara, Kenadsa/Colomb Bechar), Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Mauritania, Niger, Somalia, Mali, Sudan, Chad

apoklomax: Mali; Type locality: Sanga, Mali.

occidentalis: Western Sahara, Mauritania; Type locality: Rio de Oro.

tripolitanus: Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Algeria, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Sudan, Chad (Krause et al. 2013).

Type locality: “Uadi M’bellum, Tripolitanien” [Libya]  
Reproductionoviparous 
TypesLectotype: ZMB 9668A; designated by BAUER & GÜNTHER 1991
Holotype: CAS 103209 [apoklomax]
Holotype: BMNH 1946.8.27.50 [occidentalis] 
DiagnosisDiagnosis (genus): Tropiocolotes species are very small, ranging from about 29–40 mm in maximum SVL. They are of slight build and rather elongate. As in all gekkonids, eyelids do not function. Tropiocolotes species are shades of tan, gray, brown, or yellow in color, often with dark markings. In some species, the color pattern is quite bold. Tropiocolotes can be distinguished from other geckos by the following combination of characteristics: hyoid without second ceratobranchial cartilages; 14 scleral ossicles; stapedial foramen present; frontal single; parietals paired; nasals paired; cloacal bones present; phalangeal formula 2-3-4-5-3/2-3-4-5-4 (manus/pes); paraphalangeal elements absent; eye with vertical pupil with notched margins; digits free, not expanded, with lateral serrations, but no lateral fringe; non-expanded subdigital lamellae are keeled; digits not bent at joints; claws present; dorsal scalation imbricate, with fairly large, rhomboid scales; preanal pores absent; tail moderate, of average width, tapering, cylindrical, not distinctly segmented; females lay two hard-shelled eggs (Kluge 1967, Russell and Bauer 2008, Loveridge 1947, Szczerbak and Gulubev 1996).


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CommentSubspecies: Some authors (like SZCZERBAK 1986, Proc. SEH Meeting 1985: 705) only recognize somalicus as subspecies. Others [including us] consider T. t. somalicus as full species such as RÖSLER 2000 who recognizes only occidentalis and algericus as subspecies.

Type species: Tropiocolotes tripolitanus is the type species of the genus Tropiocolotes PETERS 1880.

Distribution: has been reported from Sudan but probably not present there (L. Chirio, pers. comm. via S. Meiri, 1 Aug 2012). See map in Machado et al. 2020 (Fig. 1). 
References
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  • Bauer, A.M. & Günther,R. 1991. An annotated type catalogue of the geckos (Reptilia: Gekkonidae) in the Zoological Museum , Berlin. Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin 67: 279-310 - get paper here
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