Afroedura donveae BRANCH, SCHMITZ, LOBÓN-ROVIRA, BAPTISTA, ANTÓNIO & CONRADIE, 2021
Can you confirm these amateur observations of Afroedura donveae?
Afroedura donveae
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| Higher Taxa | Gekkonidae, Gekkota, Sauria, Squamata (lizards: geckos) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | E: Iona Flat Gecko |
| Synonym | Afroedura donveae BRANCH, SCHMITZ, LOBÓN-ROVIRA, BAPTISTA, ANTÓNIO & CONRADIE 2021: 72 Afroedura bogerti – HAACKE 2008: 6 Afroedura bogerti – HUNTLEY 2009: 84 Afroedura bogerti – RÖSLER 2000: 57 Afroedura bogerti – BARTS & HAACKE 2010: 39 Afroedura bogerti – JACOBSEN et al. 2014: 456 & 468 (part) Afroedura bogerti – BRANCH et al. 2017: 157 (part) Afroedura bogerti – MARQUES et al. 2018: 177 (part) Afroedura bogerti – BRANCH et al. 2019: 287 (part) Afroedura cf. bogerti – AGARWAL et al. 2017: 649 Afroedura bogerti (clade 1) – BRANCH et al. 2017a: 146 Afroedura donvae — LOBÓN-ROVIRA et al. 2022 (in error) |
| Distribution | Angola (SW Namibe province) Type locality: Omauha Lodge, 15 km south of Tambor (-16.20061, 12.40183, 341 m a.s.l.), Namibe Province, Angola |
| Reproduction | |
| Types | Holotype. PEM R17937, adult female, collected by William R. Branch, Werner Conradie, Krystal Tolley and John Measey on 18 January 2009. Paratype. PEM R17936, collected from Omauha Lodge, 15 km South Tambor (-16.20061, 12.40183, 341 m a.s.l), Namibe Province, Angola, by William R. Branch, Werner Conradie, Krystal Tolley and John Measey on 18 January 2009. |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis: A member of the greater ‘transvaalica’ group as it possesses two pairs of enlarged scansors per digit and a strongly verticillate and flattened tail (Jacobsen et al. 2014). Part of the A. bogerti-group which differs from other members of the ‘transvaalica’ group by having less than 78 mid-body scale rows (vs. 97–102 in A. gorongosa, 113–120 in A. loveridgei, 102–119 in A. transvaalica); by the rostral bordering the nostril (nostril excluded from rostral in A. loveridgei); by the anterior nasals always in contact (separated by 1–3 granules in A. gorongosa; always in broad contact in A. loveridgei; usually in broad contact in A. transvaalica ~ 3–18%); and in having 11–14 scales between the anterior borders of the eyes (19–22 in A. gorongosa; 15–19 in A. loveridgei; 15–20 in A. transvaalica) (comparative data fide Branch et al. 2017a). Afroedura donveae sp. nov. differs from other members of the A. bogerti-group by a combination of the following characters (see Tables 3, 4): 64–78 (mean 72.8) mid-body scale rows (69–77 [mean 73.5] in A. bogerti, 76–88 [mean 79.3] in A. wulfhaackei sp. nov., 73–86 [mean 80.3] in A. vazpintorum sp. nov., 73–78 [mean 74.8] in A. praedicta sp. nov.); by the anterior nasals always in contact (similar to A. vazpintorum and A. praedicta sp. nov.; in contact in ~ 33% of A. bogerti; in contact in ~ 68% of A. wulfhaackei sp. nov.); in each verticil having 5–6 (mean 5.5) ventral and 6–7 (mean 6.6) dorsal rows of scales (5–6 [mean 5.0] and 6–7 [mean 6.1] to A. vazpintorum sp. nov.; 4 and 5 in A. bogerti and A. praedicta sp. nov., 4–5 [mean 4.0] and 5–6 [mean 5.1] in A. wulfhaackei sp. nov.); ventral surfaces immaculate (similar to A. vazpintorum sp. nov.; greyish with black spots in A. bogerti, A. wulfhaackei sp. nov. and A. praedicta sp. nov.); larger average adult size 57.6 mm SVL (versus 50.0 mm in A. bogerti, 51.7 mm in A. wulfhaackei sp. nov., 51.3 mm in A. vazpintorum sp. nov.; 49.9 mm A. praedicta sp. nov.). Afroedura donveae sp. nov. differs more specifically from its sister lowland species A. vazpintorum sp. nov. in being larger (57.6 mm versus 51.3 mm average SVL) and having lower mid-body scale counts (64–78 [mean 72.8] versus 73–86 [mean 80.3]), higher numbers of precloacal pores (11–12 [mean 11.5] versus 9–11 [mean 10.2]), bolder colouration and distinct tail banding (versus duller colouration and less distinct tail banding) (Branch et al. 2021). |
| Comment | Distribution: see map in Branch et al. 2021: 57 (Fig. 1), Conradie et al. 2023: 280 (Fig. 3). |
| Etymology | This gecko is named after Donvé Branch, WRB’s wife, with the following personal quote: “This, the most beautiful of all the Angolan flat geckos, is named for my wife, Donvé Branch (‘Dove’) who bore the long periods I was away on fieldwork, and to whose nest I returned, and surrounded me with love until the end”. The name is constructed in the feminine singular genitive. |
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