Lygodactylus conraui Tornier, 1902

Bauer, Aaron M., Tchibozo, Sévérin, Pauwels, Olivier S. G. & Lenglet, Georges, 2006, A review of the gekkotan lizards of Bénin, with the description of a new species of Hemidactylus (Squamata: Gekkonidae), Zootaxa 1242, pp. 1-20 : 5

Lygodactylus conraui Tornier, 1902

This small, diurnal gecko is extremely widespread in West Africa from Sierra Leone in the west to Cameroon and possibly Equatorial Guinea in the east and south ( Loveridge 1947; Pasteur 1965; Dunger 1968). Pasteur (1965) noted that no specimens had been recorded from either Togo or Bénin. The specimens reported here thus represent the first confirmed record for the country. In addition, we also report a specimen (IRSNB 17158) of this species from the Forêt de Dzogbegan (07°04’15”N, 00°38’15”E), Togo ( Fig. 2 ), constituting the first record for this country as well. Variation within this species throughout its range is high ( Perret 1963; Pasteur 1965; van Eijsden 1978). The specimens from Togo and Bénin both definitively key out to L. conraui , but they differ substantially from one another. Whether this reflects intraspecific variation or the presence of multiple taxa within L. conraui as presently construed requires further investigation. The Bénin specimens were collected in swamp forest.

Locality

Lokoli, Département du Zou: IRSNB 17161­1, 17161­2.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Forêt de Dzogbegan, Togo. Habitat of Lygodactylus conraui.