Tolarenta wilkinsonii Gray, 1842

Metallinou, Margarita & Crochet, Pierre-André, 2013, Nomenclature of African species of the genus Stenodactylus (Squamata: Gekkonidae), Zootaxa 3691 (3), pp. 365-376 : 371

Tolarenta wilkinsonii Gray, 1842

1842 Tolarenta Wilkinsonii Gray, The Zoological Miscellany : 59.

Gray (1842) explicitly included in his new species at least one specimen from the British Museum collections donated by “Sir G. Wilkinson” and the specimen illustrated in Plate 1, Figure 3 of “ Reptiles - Supplément” of the “Illustrations de Description de l’Égypte” (Anonymous 1809–1827). Boulenger (1885) moved wilkinsonii to the genus Stenodactylus and stated the existence of a “ type ” found in “bad state” in the collections of the British Museum (Natural History) (now The Natural History Museum, London). A specimen from “ Egypt ” marked as “ Type of S. wilkinsonii ” (BMNH 1946.8.23.25) is indeed found in the Natural History Museum, where it is the only specimen of Stenodactylus obtained from Wilkinson (pers. obs.). These two specimens are thus apparently the only two syntypes of Tolarenta wilkinsonii Gray, 1842 .

Wagner and Crochet (2009) showed that the specimen illustrated in “Illustrations de Description de l’Égypte” is a Stenodactylus sthenodactylus and is apparently lost. Only the BMNH specimen is still extant today. This specimen can also be identified as S. sthenodactylus on the basis of the description and illustration in Boulenger (1885) and personal observation based on photos provided by S. Carranza (pointed snout and strongly swelled nostrils). Since both syntypes belong to the same species-rank taxon, there is currently no need of a lectotype designation. The type locality according to Gray is “ Egypt ”, although the specimen from “Illustrations de Description de l’Égypte” could also originate from Israel (see previous nomen).

Name-bearing type: two syntypes, the specimen illustrated in Figure 3 of Plate 1 of “ Reptiles - Supplément” of the “Illustrations de Description de l’Égypte” (Anonymous 1809–1827), now apparently lost, and specimen BMNH 1946.8.23.25 of the Natural History Museum. Type locality: Egypt or Egypt and Israel.

Proposed status: subjective junior synonym of Stenodactylus sthenodactylus ( Lichtenstein, 1823) .