Lygodactylus kibera LOBÓN-ROVIRA, BAUER, PINTO, TRAPE, CONRADIE, KUSAMBA, JÚLIO, CAEL, STANLEY, HUGHES, BEHANGANA, MASUDI, PAUWELS & GREENBAUM, 2023
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Lygodactylus kibera
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| Higher Taxa | Gekkonidae, Gekkota, Sauria, Squamata (lizards: geckos) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | |
| Synonym | Lygodactylus kibera LOBÓN-ROVIRA, BAUER, PINTO, TRAPE, CONRADIE, KUSAMBA, JÚLIO, CAEL, STANLEY, HUGHES, BEHANGANA, MASUDI, PAUWELS & GREENBAUM 2023: 28 |
| Distribution | Burundi (Bubanza) Type locality: village near montane forest at Mpishi, near Kibira National Park, Bubanza Province, Burundi, S03.06974, E29.48445, 1660 m a.s.l. |
| Reproduction | |
| Types | Holotype: UTEP 22566 (ELI 1145), a male with a ventral incision, collected on 20 December 2011 by locals and brought to Eli Greenbaum. Paratypes (11 specimens): • Burundi (10 specimens): UTEP 22567–69 (ELI 1146–48), females, and UTEP 22570 (ELI 1149), male with the same collection data as the holotype; UTEP 22571–73 (ELI 1195–97), males, and UTEP 22574–75 (ELI 1199–98), a male and a female, respectively, collected in a banana field at Mpishi, near Kibira National Park, Bubanza Province, S03.06749, E29.48560, 1705 m a.s.l. on 21 December 2011 by Wandege M. Muninga and Eli Greenbaum; UTEP 22576 (ELI 1071), female, collected at Bujumbura City, Bujumbura Mairie Province, S03.38236, E29.36419, 811 m a.s.l. on 16 December 2011 by Wandege M. Muninga and Eli Greenbaum. • DRC (one specimen): UTEP 22586 (EBG 1556), male, collected in a gallery forest at N’Komo River, road. Bukavu-Uvira, South Kivu Province, S02.71471, E28.94641, 1260 m a.s.l. on 15 June 2008 by Maurice Luhumyo, Chifundera Kusamba, Mwenebatu M. Aristote, Wandege M. Muninga, John Akuku, Felix Akuku, Asukulu M’Mema, and Eli Greenbaum. |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis: A large Lygodactylus [maximum SVL 37.7 mm (mean 34.7 ± 2.5 mm)], that shares a similar distinctive gular chevron ornamentation with the L. gutturalis subgroup. It has 7–9 supralabials and 5–7 infralabials. Dorsal pholidosis with granular scales that become flattened, larger, and imbricate on original tails. Large triangular mental followed by usually three (occasionally two) symmetrical postmental scales (Supporting Information, Fig. S6). Nostril never in contact with rostral. Ventral pholidosis with large, flattened, imbricate scales. Five to six terminal scansors on the tail tip. Digits elongated with five terminal scansors on the fourth toe (Supporting Information, Table S7). This species may be easily differentiated from the L. angularis group by the characteristic ∩-shaped gular pattern as L. gutturalis (see L. gutturalis diagnosis). It can be differentiated from L. paurospilus, found in the same region, on the basis of three ∩-shaped thick chevrons reaching the chest vs. two V-shaped broken gular chevrons in paurospilus; and by having a reduced, almost vestigial postorbitofrontal bone vs. well-developed postorbitofrontal in L. paurospilus. It can also be differentiated from other members of the L. picturatus group based on dorsal coloration and gular pattern (see L. gutturalis account). Lygodactylus kibera sp. nov. can be differentiated from other species within the L. gutturalis subgroup by subtle morphometric and meristic features. This species is best regarded as cryptic, but we provide some characters that are diagnostically useful. Lygodactylus kibera sp. nov. differs from L. dysmicus by its larger size (maximum SVL 37.7 mm vs. 27.6 mm); gular patterning always with three ∩-shaped thick chevrons reaching the chest (vs. two thinner ∩-shaped chevrons, that never extend beyond the posterior part of the lower jaw); fewer precloacal pores (7–8 vs. 9); usually three symmetrical postmental scales vs. two; nostril never in contact with rostral scale (vs. nostril contacting rostral); and lower number of ventral scales across the body (16–18 vs. 21 in L. dysmicus). It can be distinguished from L. gutturalis s.s. by its slightly larger size [maximum SVL 37.7 mm (mean 34.7 ± 2.5 mm) vs. 36.2 mm (mean 33.3 ± 1.8 mm)]; snout proportionally narrower (IN/HW 0.20–0.27 vs. 0.29–0.34) with usually one large internasal scale vs. two smaller internasal scales (this character has shown to be variable in both species). It also differs from L. gutturalis and L. depressus based on gular pattern always having three thick ∩-shaped chevrons reaching the chest [vs. two or three (in L. gutturalis), or one or two (in L. depressus) thinner ∩-shaped chevrons that never extend beyond the posterior part of the lower jaw]; proportionally more elongated head (HL/SVL 0.27–0.30 vs. 0.24–0.26) with larger eyes (OD/HL 0.24–0.27 vs. 0.20–0.23) than L. depressus (Fig. 4; Table 3). The new species occurs in mid-elevation moist forest, agricultural fields, and human habitations, vs. lowland dry sub-Saharan savannah (L. gutturalis) and lowland rainforest of the Congo Basin (L. dysmicus; see Fig. 6). For a distinction with other species described below, see their respective diagnoses. (Lobón-Rovira et al. 2023) |
| Comment | Distribution: for a map of localities see Lobón-Rovira et al. 2023: 18 (Fig. 6). |
| Etymology | The name ‘kibera’ derives from the word ‘kibira’ or ‘kibera’ in Kinubi—a Sudanese Arabic-based creole language spoken in some regions of Burundi, Kenya, and Uganda—that means ‘forest’, the main habitat type associated with the species. |
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