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| Rhoptropus minimus, R. megocellus & R. crypticus Lobón-Rovira, Heinicke, Bauer, Conradie & Pinto, 2025 |
ABSTRACT
Angola remains one of the least explored countries in Africa, and several groups of reptiles still require taxonomic and phylogenetic revision. To shed light on the true diversity of geckos in this gecko diversity hotspot of southwestern Africa, we conducted fieldwork in some of the less explored coastal regions of southern Angola. As a result, we identified previously unknown populations of Namib day geckos (genus Rhoptropus) which represent candidate new species. Through a comprehensive revision of the group, we describe three new endemic Rhoptropus spp. from the northern region of Namibe Province in Angola, based on morphological, phylogenetic and biogeographic data: R. minimus sp. nov., R. megocellus sp. nov., and R. crypticus sp. nov. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the biogeographic patterns of gecko diversity in Angola, highlighting the importance of this region as a significant center of endemism and diversification in Africa.
Keywords: Africa, endemism, Gekkonidae, Namib desert, Rhoptropus crypticus sp. nov., Rhoptropus megocellus sp. nov., Rhoptropus minimus sp. nov.
Rhoptropus crypticus sp. nov.
Osga-diurna-críptica do Namibe
Rhoptropus megocellus sp. nov.
Osga-diurna-de-manchas-grandes do Namibe
Rhoptropus minimus sp. nov.
Osga-diurna-miniatura do Namibe
Javier Lobón-Rovira, Matthew P. Heinicke, Aaron M. Bauer, Werner Conradie and Pedro Vaz Pinto. 2025. Three New Endemic Species of Namib Day Geckos (Gekkonidae: Rhoptropus) From the Namibe Province, Angola. Ecology and Evolution. DOI: doi.org/10.1002/ece3.71609 [27 June 2025]
