Lygodactylus Gray, 1864

Marques, Mariana P., Ceríaco, Luis M. P., Blackburn, David C. & Bauer, Aaron M., 2018, Diversity and Distribution of the Amphibians and Terrestrial Reptiles of Angola Atlas of Historical and Bibliographic Records (1840 - 2017), Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences 65, pp. 1-501 : 188-192

Genus Lygodactylus Gray, 1864

Lygodactylus angolensis Bocage, 1896 ANGOLA DWARF GECKO

Lygodactylus angolensis Bocage 1896a:110 . Syntypes: MBL (2 specimens) specimen numbers not known (collector J.A. d’Anchieta), destroyed by fire 18 March 1978. Type locality: “Hanha, Benguella,” Benguela Province, Angola.

Lygodactylus laurae Schmidt (1933:4) . Holotype: CM 5860 (collector R. and L. Boulton). Type locality: “Chitau,” Bié Province, Angola.

Lygodactylus capensis : Bocage (1895a:15), Laurent (1964a:31).

Lygodactylus angolensis : Bocage (1870:68, 1873b:209, 1897a:193), Loveridge (1947:207, 1957:187), Hellmich (1957a:35), Pasteur (1964:56), Branch (1998:245), Broadley and Cotterill (2004:41), Ceríaco et al. (2016b:57).

Lygodactylus laurae : Mertens (1937a:6), Barbour and Loveridge (1946:147); Marx (1959:464), McCoy and Richmond (1966:154).

Global conservation status (IUCN): Not Evaluated.

Global distribution: The distribution of Lygodactylus angolensis is poorly known in much of its range. It occurs from southern and central Angola east through Zambia, the former Katanga Province of the Democratic Repuiblic of Congo, northern Zimbabwe, northern and western Mozambique and Malawi to scattered localities in Tanzania and southern Kenya.

Ocurrences in Angola (Map 136): Lygodactylus angolensis is known from widely scattered localities across the interior of Angola.

Malanje: “ Cangandala National Park ”

[-9.84606, 16.72233] (Ceríaco et al. 2016b:57).

Lunda Sul: “Alto Cuílo” [-10.01667,

19.55000] ( Laurent 1964a:31). Moxico: “ Falls of Luisavo, Poste de Calunda ” [-11.86667,

23.58333] ( Laurent 1964a:31). Bié: “Gauca”

[-11.18333, 17.45000] ( Schmidt 1933:4;

Loveridge 1947:208 Marx 1959:464); “Chitau”

[-11.43333, 17.15000] ( Schmidt 1933:4; Barbour and Loveridge 1946:147; Loveridge

1947:208, 1957:187; Pasteur 1964:56; McCoy and Richmond 1966:154); “Farm Goedecke on

Conjo, 25 km north of General Machado

(= Camacupa)” [-12.03333, 17.46667]

( Mertens 1937a:6; Loveridge 1947:208). MAP 136. Distribution of Lygodactylus angolensis in

Huambo: “Galanga” [-12.06667, 15.15000] Angola .

( Bocage 1897a:193; Loveridge 1947:208). Benguela: “Cahata” [-12.35000, 14.81667] ( Bocage 1895a:15, 1897a:193; Monard 1937b:53; Loveridge 1947:208); “Ebanga” [-12.73333, 14.73333] ( Monard 1937b:53; Loveridge 1947:208); “Hanha” [-13.01667, 14.63333] ( Bocage 1896a:110, 1897a:193; Loveridge 1947:208); “Entre Rios” [-13.30000, 14.20000] ( Hellmich 1957a:35). Taxonomic and distributional notes: Some citations to the name of Lygodactylus capensis ( Bocage 1895a; Laurent 1964a) were later transferred to the synonymy of L. angolensis . Pasteur (1964) provided a map (his fig. 15) depictng records for Angolensis , which indicates its wide range from the inland southwest of Angola, where it may be sympatric with Lygodactylus capensis (Smith, 1849) . He also provided data on scale varation in this species. Recently, several individuals of L. angolensis where collected in Cangandala National Park, Malanje Province (Ceríaco et al. 2016b), which confirms its northern extent in the country.

Lygodactylus bradfieldi Hewitt, 1932 BRADFIELD’S DWARF GECKO

Lygodactylus bradfieldi Hewitt 1932:126 , pl. 6, fig. 10. Syntypes: originaly deposited at Albany Museum, now including BMNH 1946.8 .30.69, MCZ R-33443 (collector R.D. Bradfield), PEM R14574-82 , R14586- 92 . PEM material incorrectly reported as lost by De Lisle et al. (2013). Type locality: “farm Quickborn near Okahandja,” Namibia.

Lygodactylus capensis : Bocage (1895a:15), Loveridge (1947:208).

Lygodactylus capensis capensis : Schmidt (1933:4)

Lygodactylus bradfieldi : Branch (1998:246), Bates et al. (2014:117), Conradie et al. (2016:24) .

Global conservation status (IUCN): Not Evaluated.

Global distribution: The species is known from Northern Cape through Namibia to southern Angola and northwestern Botswana, with an apparently isolated population in northwestern Limpopo Province ( Branch 1998; Bates et al. 2014).

Ocurrences in Angola (Map 137): Presumably restricted to Namibe Province.

Namibe: “Mucungu” [-14.78333, 12.48333]

( Schmidt 1933:4; Loveridge 1947:212);

“Capangombe” [-15.10000, 13.15000]

( Bocage 1895a:15). Cuando Cubango: “Cuito basin (32)” [-17.04880, 19.53333] ( Conradie et al. 2016:9, 11, 24); “Cuito basin (35)”

[-16.62322, 19.05352] ( Conradie et al.

2016:9,11, 24).

Taxonomic and distributional notes:

Lygodactylus bradfieldi Hewitt, 1932 was for some time treated as a western race of

L. capensis , although Pasteur (1964) revived it as a full species. Pasteur (1964) considered

Angolan and northeastern Namibian records to be referable to L. capensis Smith, 1849 , however, records assigned to L. capensis from MAP 137. Distribution of Lygodactylus bradfieldi in Angola.

“Mucungu” ( Schmidt 1933; Loveridge 1947)

and “Capangombe” ( Bocage 1895a), Namibe Province may belong to L. bradfieldi given the species distribution and adaptation to arid savanna habitats. Recently, Conradie et al. (2016) collected three specimens that correspond to L. bradfieldi from Cuíto drainage, in Cuando Cubango Province. Namibian and Angolan specimens assigned to both L. bradfieldi and L. capensis require reexamination to confirm the species boundaries.

Lygodactylus capensis (Smith, 1849) CAPE DWARF GECKO

H emidactylus capensis Smith 1849 : pl. 75, fig. 3 and two associated unnumbered text pages. Syntpes: lost fide

FitzSimons (1937) (collector A. Smith). Type locality: “ Kaffirland , and the districts to the north of Cape

Colony,” South Africa. Hemidactylus capensis : Bocage (1867b:219, 1870:68). Lygodactylus capensis : Bocage (1895a:15), Monard (1937b:53), Loveridge (1947:208, 1957:187), Frade

(1963:253), Pasteur (1964:62), Branch (1998:246). Lygodactylus capensis capensis : Bates et al. (2014:118).

Global conservation status (IUCN): Not Evaluated.

Global distribution: The species is known from chiefly savanna habitats of central and southern Africa, from warmer regions of South Africa north to Tanzania in the east and southern Angola in the west. Isloated records exist from southern Kenya and the south central Democratic Republic of Congo.

Ocurrences in Angola (Map 138): Published records for Lygodactylus capensis are from the southwestern provinces of Angola. Benguela: “Dombe” [-12.95000, 13.10000] ( Bocage

1867b:219, 1895a:15; Monard 1937b:53;

Loveridge 1947:212). Huíla: “Caconda”

[-13.73333, 15.06667] ( Bocage 1895a:15;

Monard 1937b:53; Loveridge 1947:212).

Cunene: “Kuvelaї, Kasinga” [-15.65000,

15.80000] ( Monard 1937b:53; Loveridge

1947:212). Namibe: “Chiyaka district”

[-15.08333, 12.73333] ( Loveridge 1947:212).

Taxonomic and distributional notes:

Pasteur (1964) provided a map (his fig. 15)

showing the distribution of this species and provided data on scale variation and comparisons with L. angolensis , which he regarderd as a member of the same species group. The species L. grotei Sternfeld, 1911 was previously considered a subspecies of L. capensis (e.g.,

Pasteur 1964), which it replaces in the lowlands of Mozambique and Tanzania. Genetic MAP 138. Distribution of Lygodactylus capensis in Angola.

data indicate that there are multiple undescribed species within the L. capensis complex ( Travers 2012) and extensive taxonomic work will be necessary to delimit species in the group as a whole. Isolated records from southern Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo especially require investigation.

Lygodactylus chobiensis FitzSimons, 1932 OKAVANGO DWARF GECKO

Lygodactylus picturatus chobiensis FitzSimons 1932:35 . Holotype: TM 14580 (collector V.F. FitzSimons). Type locality: “Kabulabula, Chobe River ,” Botswana.

Lygodactylus chobiensis : Pasteur (1964:77), Haacke (1970:279), Branch (1998:247), Broadley and Martiz (2010).

Global conservation status (IUCN): Least Concern.

Global distribution: The species extends from the southeast of Angola and adjacent Namibia and northern Botswana to western Mozambique, northern Zimbabwe and southeastern Zambia. There is an apparently isolated population in northern Mozambique (Broadley and Maritz 2010a).

Ocurrences in Angola: The species occurs in Angola, probably in both Moxico and Cuando Cubango provinces (see notes below).

Taxonomic and distributional notes: Despite the lack of precise published locality records for Lygodactylus chobiensis from Angola, the currently accepted distribution for the species includes portions of Angola ( Haacke 1970; Branch 1998; Broadley and Martiz 2010). Pasteur (1964) provided a provisional map of the distribution of the species from Lygodactylus picturatus group and noted that the species probably occurs in the most eastern areas of Moxico Province, Angola, adjacent to the border with Zambia. It may also be expected in at least southeastern Cuando Cubango as there are records nerby in the neighboring Caprivi Strip of Namibia. New surveys and aquisition of new fresh material is absolutely required to clarify L. chobiensis distribution.

Lygodactylus lawrencei Hewitt, 1926 LAWRENCE’S DWARF GECKO

Lygodactylus lawrencei Hewitt 1926b:478 . Holotype: SAM 17289 (collector R. F. Lawrence). Type locality: “Otjitambi, Kaokoveld, S.W.A.” Kamanjab Constituency, Kunene Region, Namibia.

Lygodactylus lawrencei : Pasteur (1964:70), Branch (1998:247).

Global conservation status (IUCN): Not Evaluated.

Global distribution: The species is known from northwestern Namibia and adjacent southwestern Angola.

Ocurrences in Angola: The species occurs in southwestern regions of Angola, near the border with Namibia, but there are no precise published records.

Taxonomic and distributional notes: Lygodactylus lawrencei is a species of rocky, dry savannas from the Kaokoveld regions in northern Namibia, extending into southern Angola ( Branch 1998). New surveys and acquisition of new material are absolutely required to clarify the range of L. lawrencei in Angola, given the lack of precise published locality records for this species in the country.