Goggia sabula CONRADIE, HUNDERMARK, KEMP & KEATES, 2025
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Goggia sabula
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| Higher Taxa | Gekkonidae, Gekkota, Sauria, Squamata (lizards: geckos) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | |
| Synonym | Goggia sabula CONRADIE, HUNDERMARK, KEMP & KEATES 2025: 559 |
| Distribution | Republic of South Africa (Northern Cape) Type locality: 12 km south of Klein Pella (-29.107259 19.034182, 840 m a.s.l.), Northern Cape, South Africa |
| Reproduction | |
| Types | Holotype. PEM R27979, adult male with regenerated tail, collected by Courtney Hundermark and Luke Kemp on 14 September 2021. Paratypes. PEM R27980–81, 27983 (three adult males) and PEM R27978, 27982 (two adult females). Same collection details as holotype. |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis (n=6). The new species is assigned to the genus Goggia based on the combination of having leaf toes (single pair of large rectangular terminal scansors), a tuberculate dorsal scalation, dorsal cleft in rostral and small overall size (Heinicke et al. 2017) and phylogenetic similarity (see Results). In general, the genus is very conservative in morphology and species are mostly distinguished based on colour patterns and allopatric distribution due to substrate specificity. Goggia sabula sp. nov. can be distinguished from G. microlepidota based on its much smaller body size (maximum SVL 28.8 mm versus 68.7 mm), number of chin shields (2–3 versus 0), lower number of scales between nostril and eye (11–12 versus 13–17), lower number of scales across the crest of head at the anterior corners of orbits (14–18 versus 21–26) and lower number of rows of granules around the midbody (72–77 versus 122–138). The new species can readily be distinguished from G. lineata and G. incognita based on dorsal colour pattern (a clear reticulated pattern versus mostly stripes). Additionally, it differs in having more smaller granules between the nasorostrals (2–4 versus 0–3 in G. lineata and 1–2 in G. incognita), higher number of scales between nostril and eye (11–12 versus 7–10 in G. lineata and 7–9 in G. incognita), and higher number of rows of scales on the snout (10–14 versus 8–10 in G. lineata and 9–11 in G. incognita). It can be distinguished from G. braacki, G. essexi, G. hewitti, and G. hexapora by the prominent, reticulated dorsal pattern with large pale spots featuring yellow to orange anterior ocelli arranged in 6–7 transverse rows of darker scallops (versus finer reticulated pattern with small white to cream coloured scattered ocelli arranged in 10–11 rows of scallops). It further differs from the above species in having more and smaller granules between the nasorostrals (2–4 versus 0–3 in all four species) and lower number of rows of granules around the midbody (72–77 versus 79–88 in G. braacki, 78–84 in G. essexi, 77–91 in G. hewitti and 75–91 in G. hexapora). Additionally, it is smaller than G. braacki (maximum SVL 28.8 mm versus 37.9 mm) and G. hewitti (maximum SVL 28.8 mm versus 37.5 mm). Goggia sabula sp. nov. is most similar in dorsal colour pattern to G. gemmula, G. rupicola and G. matzikamaensis, having a prominent dorsal reticulated pattern with large pale spots and yellow to orange anterior ocelli. It differs from G. gemmula in the large, pale dorsal spots having yellow anterior ocelli, arranged in a discernible transverse scalloped pattern (versus no clear pattern). It differs from G. matzikamaensis in having more scales between nasorostrals (2–4 versus 1), having a higher number of granules between nostril and orbit (11–12 versus 9–11) and having hexagonal scales above orbits (versus oval scales). It differs from G. rupicola in being slightly smaller (maximum SVL 28.8 mm versus 31.5 mm) and having lower number of rows of granules around the midbody (72–77 versus 80–90). Additionally, the new species occurs in allopatry from all congeneric species, with the closest geographical relative being G. lineata (less than 30 km away) and differs from other Goggia species with regard to the ND2 gene fragment, by a net uncorrected p-distance value of 11.03–22.91% (Table 1). (Conradie et al. 2025) Additional details (5379 characters) are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. |
| Comment | Distribution: see map in Conradie et al. 2025: 553 (Fig. 1) |
| Etymology | Named after the Latin word sabulum, which refers to gravel or coarse sand, appertaining to the substrate with which the species is associated. The name is used as an adjective in the plural form. |
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