Lygodactylus hodikazo, Vences & Multzsch & Gippner & Miralles & Crottini & Gehring & Rakotoarison & Ratsoavina & Glaw & Scherz, 2022

Vences, Miguel, Multzsch, Malte, Gippner, Sven, Miralles, Aurélien, Crottini, Angelica, Gehring, Philip-Sebastian, Rakotoarison, Andolalao, Ratsoavina, Fanomezana M., Glaw, Frank & Scherz, Mark D., 2022, Integrative revision of the Lygodactylus madagascariensis group reveals an unexpected diversity of little brown geckos in Madagascar’s rainforest, Zootaxa 5179 (1), pp. 1-61 : 49-50

Lygodactylus hodikazo sp. nov.

Lygodactylus sp. 23: Gippner et al. (2021)

Holotype. ZSM 77 /2006 ( FGZC 828 ), collected by F. Glaw, J. Köhler, P. Bora, and H. Enting at Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park , Bendrao Forest, western Madagascar, geographical coordinates S18.7844, E44.8603, 427 m a.s.l., on 25 March 2006 ( Fig. 15 ).

Diagnosis. Lygodactylus hodikazo sp. nov. is the only Domerguella lineage known from the West of Madagascar, and only one specimen is so far known. In our multigene analysis, it forms with high support the sister taxon of the clade of L. madagascariensis and L. petteri , thus belonging to subclade A4 of Domerguella as defined herein. Since these two species are to be considered as distinct species given their sympatric occurrence without allele sharing in the analysed nuclear markers, it is justified to allocate species status also to this western lineage, despite its similarity in morphological characters (scale counts) to L. madagascariensis . The justification for this species thus mainly relies on its phylogenetic position, on the high mitochondrial divergence (>8% 16S distance), and large geographical and ecological distance (only Domerguella in western Madagascar) to L. madagascariensis , which morphologically is the most similar species.

Lygodactylus hodikazo sp. nov. can be assigned to the subgenus Domerguella morphologically by an undivided mental scale with two postmentals, and absence of a claw on the first finger. Within Domerguella , the new species is the only lineage known from western Madagascar, and belongs to subclade A4. From the species of subclades A1–A4 occurring in northern Madagascar except L. madagascariensis it differs as follows: from L. expectatus by non-enlarged dorsolateral scales (longitudinal count of dorsal scales 231 vs. <170); from L. rarus by lack of regular crossbands on tail (vs. presence) and different body shape without elongated limbs (relative hindlimb length 0.44 vs.>0.55); from L. petteri , L. salvi , L. roellae , and L. hapei by a higher longitudinal count of dorsal scales (231 vs. 159– 222), and from L. roellae and L. hapei also by a higher longitudinal count of ventral scales (109 vs. 83–92); from L. tantsaha by a higher number of supralabials (10 vs. 6–7) and infralabials (8 vs. 5–6). Genetically, the new species is highly distinct from all species in subclade A5, and we hypothesize that it will differ from many of these by less expressed tubercles at the tail base in males (these tubercles are weakly expressed in the female holotype). The new species is morphologically most similar to L. madagascariensis from which it differs by 8.4–10.5% pairwise distance in the 16S gene, and has different haplotypes in RAG1 and CMOS (although intermixed with haplotypes of L. madagascariensis in the network). The new species also differs as far as known from L. madagascariensis , and indeed from all other Domerguella , by a high number of supralabials (10 vs. 7‒9 in L. madagascariensis and 5‒9 in all other species; Table 1 ); this character however requires confirmation by examination of additional specimens.

Etymology. The species epithet is derived from the Malagasy words hodi-kazo (= tree bark), in reference to the habitat of most Domerguella (and supposedly also this species) who are typically found on trees in forest and with a color pattern mimicking the bark. The name is used as noun in apposition.

Description of the holotype. Adult female, in a good state of preservation ( Fig. 15 ). SVL 29.4 mm, TAL 37.2 mm; for other measurements see Table 1 . Head and neck long, body broader than head. The distance from the tip of the snout to the anterior border of the eye (3.9 mm) is greater than the interorbital distance anteriorly (3.8 mm), and greater than the distance between the eye and ear opening. Snout covered with granular scales larger than those on the rest of the dorsum. Nostril surrounded by five scales: rostral, first supralabial, and three supranasals. Mental scale undivided; small contact between posterior projection of mental scale and first infralabial; two asymmetrical postmental scales with four postpostmental scales; eight infralabial scales; ten supralabial scales; one internasal scale; granular dorsal scales; dorsum with small, homogeneous, granular and unkeeled scales of similar size to those on trunk, smaller than on head and tail, the scales on limbs can be slightly larger; 231 dorsal scales longitudinally along the body; 109 ventral scales between mental and cloaca; venter with large homogeneous smooth scales; first finger present but very small, not bearing a claw; three pairs of subdigital lamellae on the fourth toe; no dorsolateral tubercles; tail without whorls; small lateral spines at the base of the tail.

Coloration of the holotype is only described from the preserved specimen after 15 years in ethanol. The dorsum is fawn to brownish with two symmetrical pairs of brown stripes on the neck. A brownish stripe runs from the snout to the eye and splits into three thinner stripes behind the eye followed by an irregular pattern of brownish stripes on the flanks. The tail is beige with weak patterning. Venter and the snout are uniformly whitish without a distinct pattern.

Variation. Only a single individual (the holotype) is known.

Distribution. L. hodikazo is only known from its type locality, Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park in the West region of Madagascar.

Natural history. Practically nothing is known of the natural history of this enigmatic species. Its presence in the dry forests of the Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park indicates a tolerance for more arid environments that may set it apart from other Domerguella species ( Bora et al. 2010).

Figures

FIGURE 15. Dorsal and ventral views of preserved holotypes of new species of the Lygodactylus madagascariensis group named in the current study.