Hemidactylus gubanensis MAZUCH, JANÁK, VELENSKÁ, NISTRI, ABDIRAHMAN-ELMI & ŠMÍD, 2024
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Hemidactylus gubanensis
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| Higher Taxa | Gekkonidae, Gekkota, Sauria, Squamata (lizards: geckos) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | E: Guban gecko Somali: Qoroto [pronounced Koroto] |
| Synonym | Hemidactylus gubanensis MAZUCH, JANÁK, VELENSKÁ, NISTRI, ABDIRAHMAN ELMI & ŠMÍD 2024: 8 Hemidactylus sinaitus — PARKER 1942 Hemidactylus sinaitus — LANZA 1983, 1990 Hemidactylus sinaitus — LARGEN & SPAWLS 2006 (in part) Hemidactylus sinaitus — LARGEN & SPAWLS 2010 (in part) Hemidactylus turcicus turcicus — LOVERIDGE 1947 (in part) Hemidactylus afarensis — ŠMÍD et al. 2020 (in part) Hemidactylus afarensis — SPAWLS et al. 2023 (in part) |
| Distribution | Somaliland Type locality: Somaliland, Sahil Region, 1 km west of Girigoyan (or Gari Goan, Gorigaan) Mountain (10.297° N, 44.996° E; datum WGS84 hereafter, 261 m above sea level [asl]) |
| Reproduction | |
| Types | Holotype: NMP-P6V 76683 (sample code TMHC_998), adult male, collected by T. Mazuch on 27 January 2022 (Figures 4, 5, 6a). Paratypes (four): NMP-P6V 76682 (sample code TMHC_997), adult female, NMP-P6V 76684 (sample code TMHC_999), adult male; same collection data as the holotype. NMP-P6V 76680 (sample code S22-03), juvenile (Figure 6b), NMP-P6V 76681 (sample code TMHC_996), adult male; Somaliland, Sahil Region, 1 km north-west of Girigoyan (or Gari Goan) Mountain (10.309° N, 45.0° E, 241 m asl), collected by T. Mazuch on 25 January 2022. Other material (16): TMHC 2024.01.1036, TMHC 2024.01.1038-1039, adult males, TMHC 2024.01.1037, adult female; Somaliland, Awdal Region, 3.5 km north-west of Jidhi village (10.636° N, 43.043° E, 468 m asl), collected by T. Mazuch, D. Hlaváč, P. Konečný, H. Sh. A. Elmi on 15 November 2023. TMHC 2024.01.1040–1041, adult females; Somaliland, Awdal Region, 1 km north-west of Gargara Galbeed (10.774° N, 43.031° E, 350 m asl), collected by T. Mazuch, D. Hlaváč, P. Konečný, H. Sh. A. Elmi on 15 November 2023. TMHC 2024.01.1042, TMHC 2024.01.1044, TMHC 2024.01.1047, adult males, TMHC 2024.01.1043, TMHC 2024.01.1045–1046, adult females; Somaliland, Sahil Region, 6 km east-southeast of Xagal village, (10.235° N, 45.793° E, 185 m asl), collected by T. Mazuch, D. Hlaváč, P. Konečný, H. Sh. A. Elmi on 22 November 2023. TMHC 2017.12.872-873, adult females (Figure 6c); Somaliland, Awdal Region, Geerissa village (10.629° N, 43.441° E, 223 m asl), collected by T. Mazuch on 11 September 2017. NHMUK 1937.12.5.293, adult male; Somaliland, Awdal Region, ca. 25 km south-western of Geerissa (10.5° N, 43.25° E, 485 m asl), collected by R.H.R. Taylor on 18 April 1933. NHMUK 1937.12.5.294, juvenile male; Somaliland, Awdal Region, ca. 25 km west of Zeila (11.416667° N, 43.25° E, 29 m asl), collected by R.H.R. Taylor on 9 January 1934. The NHMUK specimens were compared based on photographs but were not included in the morphological analysis. |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis: A species of the African radiation of the arid clade of Hemidactylus (sensu Šmíd et al. 2013a, 2020) with the following combination of morphological traits: (1) small size, SVL 41.5–53.3 mm in males, 36.5–52.9 mm in females; (2) large and robust head, head depth 32–50% of head length, head width 58–82% of head length; (3) relatively short tail, tail length 94.0–111.3 % of SVL; (4) uppermost nasals in broad contact; (5) large anterior postmentals usually in wide contact (in 84% specimens) or in one point (16% specimens); (6) large anterior postmentals usually in contact with the first and second infralabials (in 82% specimens, with the first infralabial only in 18% specimens); (7) 7–10 supralabials; (8) 6–8 infralabials; (9) dorsum with 14–16 rows of enlarged, strongly keeled, conical tubercles; (10) other dorsal scales smooth, juxtaposed, and rather homogeneous; (11) 3–6 (counted longitudinally) and 2–3 (transversely) small smooth dorsal scales between dorsal tubercles; (12) 22–27 tail segments; (13) 2–4 rows of small scales between tail tubercles of two adjacent tail segments; (14) subcaudals enlarged; (15) rather long free distal phalanges of digits (relative length of free distal phalanges and proximal parts with lamellae on the 3rd toe 0.35–0.57, mean 0.45 ± 0.05); (16) 5–6 lamellae under the 1st finger, 7–8 lamellae under the 4th finger, 5–6 lamellae under the 1st toe, and 8–11 lamellae under the 4th toe; (17) 4–7 precloacal pores in males; (18) presence of lateral postanal tubercles; (19) in life, body colour light beige-brownish with irregular and indistinct dark mottling, some tubercles whitish and some dark; tail with similar colouration and pattern like body or with very slightly marked light and dark irregular bands especially in the anterior half; head paler with darker brown snout and rather irregular pale brownish-yellow stripe running from posterior margin of eye to above the ear (Figure 6a,b,c). (Mazuch et al. 2024) Additional details (5779 characters) are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. |
| Comment | |
| Etymology | Named after Guban, a hot coastal plain in northern Somaliland where all specimens have been collected and where it is one of the most abundant ground-dwelling gecko species. The word Guban translates as ‘burnt’ in Somali language, referring to the torrid weather conditions that prevail in the region throughout most of the year (March−September). |
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