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Afroedura pundomontana; Afroedura otjihipa Conradie, Schmitz, Lobón-Rovira, Becker, Vaz Pinto & Hauptfleisch, 2022 DOI: 10.3897/zse.98.86299 |
Abstract
Newly collected material from northern Namibia’s Otjihipa Mountains and west-central Angola allowed us to revisit the Afroedura bogerti Loveridge, 1944 group. The employment of additional gene markers, including nuclear markers, allowed us to identify two new species in the group and infer species boundaries and potential speciation events in Afroedura from southwestern Africa. The new Namibian material is recovered as a sister species to A. donveae, from which it differs mostly by the colour of the iris (copper versus black) and dorsal colouration. Material from the first elevational gradient of the escarpment in Benguela Province, Angola was found to be more closely related to A. bogerti than A. wulfhaackei. The differences between these two species are more subtle, although the new species exhibits higher mid-body scale rows (79.5 versus 74.8), different dorsal colouration and supranasal scales always in contact (versus 57% in contact).
Key Words: endemism, flat geckos, Gekkonidae, Reptilia, speciation
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| Live specimens of: A–B. Afroedura bogerti (A. P1-286, not vouchered; B. JLRZC0015, not vouchered) from Serra da Namba, Cuanza Sul Province, Angola; C–D. Afroedura pundomontana sp. nov. (FKH0689) from Morro do Pundo, Benguela Province, Angola. Photos: A, C, D. Pedro Vaz Pinto; B. Javier Lobón-Rovira. |
Afroedura pundomontana sp. nov.
Bocoio Flat Gecko (English)
Osga-achatada do Bocoio (Portuguese)
Note: According to Branch et al. (2021), historical material from near Bocoio in Benguela Province, Angola clustered morphologically with A. wulfhaackei. However, due to the occurrence at lower elevations and being isolated from other known populations of Afroedura it was suggested that the status of this population required further investigation (Branch et al. 2021). Newly-collected material allowed for its re-assessment within a wider phylogenetic framework, and it was determined that it represented a novel lineage, related to A. bogerti and not A. wulfhaackei, as initially hypothesised. It is therefore described below as a new species.
Diagnosis: A member of the greater ‘transvaalica’ group, possessing two pairs of enlarged scansors per digit, and a strongly verticillate and flattened tail (Jacobsen et al. 2014). As part of the A. bogerti group it differs from other members of the ‘transvaalica’ group by having 78–82 midbody scale rows (versus 97–102 in A. gorongosa, 113–120 in A. loveridgei, 102–119 in A. transvaalica); and rostral excluded from the nostril (in contact in A. gorongosa) [Note: in Branch et al. (2021) it was incorrectly recorded that the rostral is in contact with the nostril in the A. bogerti-group]; with the supranasals always being in contact (separated by 1–3 granules in A. gorongosa; always in broad contact in A. loveridgei; usually in broad contact in A. transvaalica ~ 3–18%); and in having 13–15 scales between the anterior borders of the eyes (19–22 in A. gorongosa; 15–19 in A. loveridgei; 15–20 in A. transvaalica) (comparative data fide Branch et al. 2017, 2021).
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Etymology: The new species is named in reference to the area where it was found. The region lies on top of a ridge known as Morro do Pundo that translates to the ‘Hills’ or ‘Mountain’ of the Baboons. The name thus comprises two parts: pundo (= baboon) and montana (= mountain).
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| Live specimens of: A–B. Afroedura donveae from Omahua, Namibe Province, Angola (not sampled); C–D. Afroedura otjihipa sp. nov. (holotype female, NMNW R11253) from Otjihipa Middleberg, Kunene Region, Namibia. Photos: A–B. Javier Lobón-Rovira; C–D. Francois Becker. |
Afroedura otjihipa sp. nov.
Otjihipa Flat Gecko (English)
Otjihipa Platgeitjie (Afrikaans)
Diagnosis: A member of the greater ‘transvaalica’ group as it possesses two pairs of enlarged scansors per digit and a strongly verticillate and flattened tail (Jacobsen et al. 2014). Part of the A. bogerti group which differs from other members of the ‘transvaalica’ group by having less than 72 mid-body scale rows (vs. 97–102 in A. gorongosa, 113–120 in A. loveridgei, 102–119 in A. transvaalica); rostral excluded from the nostril (in contact in A. gorongosa); supranasals always in contact (separated by 1–3 granules in A. gorongosa; always in broad contact in A. loveridgei; usually in broad contact in A. transvaalica ~ 3–18%); and 15–16 scales between anterior borders of the eyes (19–22 in A. gorongosa, 15–19 in A. loveridgei, 15–20 in A. transvaalica) (comparative data from Branch et al. 2017, 2021).
Etymology: The new species is named in reference to the area it was collected, namely Otjihipa Mountains in northern Namibia.
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| Habitat photos of: A–B. Afroedura pundomontana sp. nov.: Morro do Pundo, 25 km west of Bocoio, Benguela Province, Angola; C–D. Afroedura otjihipa sp. nov.: Otjihipa Middleberg, Kunene Region, Namibia. Photos: A–B. Pedro Vaz Pinto; C–D. Francois Becker. |
Werner Conradie, Andreas Schmitz, Javier Lobón-Rovira, François S. Becker, Pedro Vaz Pinto and Morgan L. Hauptfleisch. 2022. Rock Island Melody Remastered: Two New Species in the Afroedura bogerti Loveridge, 1944 Group from Angola and Namibia. Zoosystematics and Evolution. 98(2): 435-453. DOI: 10.3897/zse.98.86299
Resumo: O material recém-colectado nas montanhas Otjihipa do norte da Namíbia e no centro-oeste de Angola permitiu-nos revisitar o grupo Afroedura bogerti Loveridge, 1944. O emprego de marcadores genéticos adicionais, incluindo marcadores nucleares, permitiu-nos identificar duas novas espécies no grupo e inferir limites para separar as espécies e potenciais eventos de especiação nos Afroedura do sudoeste Africano. O novo material da Namíbia é recuperado como espécie mais próxima de A. donveae, do qual difere sobretudo pela cor da iris (acobreada ao invés de negra) e pela coloração dorsal. Ao passo que o material obtido no primeiro gradiente topográfico da escarpa na província de Benguela, Angola, revelou ser mais relacionado com A. bogerti do que com A. wulfhaackei. As diferenças entre estas duas espécies são mais subtis, muito embora as novas espécies axibam maior número de escamas a meio do corpo (79.5 em vez de 74.8), diferente coloração dorsal e escamas supranasais sempre em contacto (em vez de apenas em contacto em 57%).
Palavras-chave: endemismo, especiação, Gekkonidae, Osga-achatada, Reptilia
