Afroedura granitica JACOBSEN, KUHN, JACKMAN & BAUER, 2014
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Higher Taxa | Gekkonidae, Gekkota, Sauria, Squamata (lizards: geckos) |
Subspecies | |
Common Names | E: Granite Rock Gecko |
Synonym | Afroedura granitica JACOBSEN, KUHN, JACKMAN & BAUER 2014: 483 Afroedura langi 'Lillie' — JACOBSEN 1992 Afroedura langi 'Lillie' — JACOBSEN 1997 Afroedura granitica4714= 41.7% of all 11294 species. |
Distribution | Republic of South Africa (Limpopo) Type locality: Farm Lillie 148KT, 24°04' S, 30°51' E, Letaba district (2430BB), Northern Province |
Reproduction | |
Types | Holotype: DNMNH (= TM) 81187, adult male, collector R. E. Newbery, 11 November 1985. Paratypes. DNMNH (= TM) 81239-81240, 81243–81247, same data as for holotype; DNMNH (= TM) 81241–81242, same locality as for holotype, collector N. H. G. Jacobsen, 17 May 1980. |
Diagnosis | Diagnosis. A medium to large Afroedura (maximum SVL 58.0 mm) differing from all other congeners by the following combination of characters: two pairs of enlarged subdigital lamellae per digit; tail not obviously verticillate and weakly flattened, with four subcaudal rows and seven supracaudal rows per verticil; dorsal scales smooth, 99–107 scale rows at midbody; internasal scales typically absent, a deep furrow between nasorostrals; 13–16 precloacal pores in males. Comparisons: Afroedura granitica sp. nov. shares a suite of characters with A. langi and four other species described herein as new. The affinities of all but one of these, A. leoloensis sp. nov. have been confirmed by our molecular phylogeny (Fig. 1). In comparison with other members of this group A. granitica sp. nov. (maximum SVL 58 mm) is substantially larger than A. langi and A. waterbergensis sp. nov. (both reaching only 46 mm) and A. leoloensis sp. nov. (40.5 mm maximum SVL). In comparison with the last of these species it also has far fewer precloacal pores (13–16 versus typically 31–35), whereas compared to A. waterbergensis sp. nov. (4–7 pores) and A. broadleyi sp. nov. (8–12 pores) it has more. In addition, in comparison with the superficially similar A. langi, the nasorostrals of A. granitica sp. nov. form a deep furrow between them (versus weakly raised nasorostrals forming a shallow furrow). Afroedura granitica sp. nov. is most similar in the basic diagnostic features used herein to A. pienaari sp. nov., to which it is rather distantly related. It may be distinguished by its larger size (58 versus 53 mm maximum SVL and even greater mean differences; Table 4), lower number of male precloacal pores (mean ~14 versus ~16), and higher number of eye to ear scales (mean of 19.10 versus 16.20), although there is overlap in all characters. |
Comment | Abundance: only known from its original description (Meiri et al. 2017). |
Etymology | The specific epithet refers to the decomposing granite hills to which this gecko appears restricted. |
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