Ptyodactylus ragazzi Anderson, 1898

Bauer, Aaron M., Tchibozo, Sévérin, Pauwels, Olivier S. G. & Lenglet, Georges, 2006, A review of the gekkotan lizards of Bénin, with the description of a new species of Hemidactylus (Squamata: Gekkonidae), Zootaxa 1242, pp. 1-20 : 5-6

Ptyodactylus ragazzi Anderson, 1898

Loveridge (1947) regarded Ptyodactylus from northern Togo as referable to P.

hasselquistii togoensis Tornier, 1901 and referred P. h. ragazzi , with its type from Eritrea, to the synonymy of P. h. hasselquistii Donndorff. However, Heimes (1987) demonstrated that P.h. ragazzi and P.h. togoensis were synonyms and resurrected the older name for the subspecies ranging across the central Sahara and the Sahel. He considered the range in West Africa to span from Côte d’Ivoire to Cameroon, but did not examine any material from Bénin. Schleich et al. (1996) subsequently accorded full species status to P. ragazzi , but without explicit justification. Baha El Din (1999) provided evidence of sympatry between P. hasselquistii and P. ragazzi in southeastern Egypt, demonstrating that they should indeed be considered distinct species. The species is widespread in northern areas of Nigeria ( Dunger 1968; Butler 1986) and Cameroon ( LeBreton 1999). Dunger (1968) considered P. ragazzi to be a rupicolous or crevice­dwelling savanna species, although Butler (1986) collected it at the Jebba crossing of the Niger River in western Nigeria in a small shed. There appear to be no prior published records of this species from Bénin. Our material was collected on boulders ( Fig. 3 ) or abandoned buildings adjacent to boulders, confirming earlier ecological observations from Nigeria. The largest individual collected (IRSNB 17151­3) measured 77.7 mm SVL.

Localities

Chutes de Koudou, Parc National du W du Bénin, Département de l’Alibori (11°38’N, 02°18’E): IRSNB 17151­1, 17151­2, 17151­3; Parc National du W du Bénin, Département de l’Alibori: IRSNB 17154; without specific locality: IRSNB 17171­1, 17171­4.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Boulder habitat of Ptyodactylus ragazzi at Chutes de Koudou, Parc National du W du Bénin, Département de l’Alibori.