Lygodactylus expectatus Pasteur & Blanc, 1967

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 : 13-15

Lygodactylus expectatus Pasteur & Blanc, 1967

Lygodactylus (Domerguella) expectatus Pasteur & Blanc, 1967

Chresonyms:

Lygodactylus expectatus: Kluge (1991) ; Glaw & Vences (1992, 1994, 2007); Puente et al. (2009); Röll et al. (2010); Gippner et al. (2021)

Lygodactylus (Domerguella) expectatus: Rösler (2000b)

Name-bearing type: male holotype MNHN 1990.1 (original number BP 640).—Type locality: “Karst d’Ambilobe (Ankarana), à une douzaine de kilomètres au NNW de cette localité”, according to the original description.—Other types: according to the original description, five specimens were examined but explicitly only two of these were designated as paratypes, namely MNHN 1990.2 – 3 (BP 641, female, and BP 642, young female, according to original description).—Etymology: From Latin expectatus = expected. As explained in the original description, G. Pasteur and C.P. Blanc were expecting to find a new species in the karstic regions of the Ambilobe region .

Identity and Diagnosis. According to the diagnosis given by Puente et al. (2009), the species differed from all species in the L. madagascariensis group known at the time by its dorsolateral scales, which are enlarged relative to the dorsal and lateral scales (not distinctly enlarged in the other species), and by the presence of two dark spots in the region of the neck (not distinct in the other species). The enlarged scales in the dorsolateral region, contrasting with the very small scales in the vertebral region, indeed represent a diagnostic character of this species that we could not observe in any other species of Domerguella ( Fig. 6 ). This typical character state of L. expectatus is visible in all of the genetically characterized specimens collected, as well as the holotype (examined in June 2021, in relatively poor state of preservation). It is also reflected by a low longitudinal count of dorsal scales, of 130 scales or less if counting the enlarged scales (slightly more, with a maximum of 164, if counting the small vertebral scales, but also this value is still smaller than in all other nominal Domerguella , overlapping with only one candidate species, L. sp. 17). The dark spot in the region of the neck is located anterodorsal to the forelimb region, roughly in the scapular region, and we here name it the scapular semi-ocellus, considering that it is bordered by a whitish row of tubercles dorsally, giving the impression of an ocellus but lacking a ventral light lining. This semi-ocellus is typical for L. expectatus , but sometimes weakly expressed, and in such cases easy to confuse with dark lateral markings that can also be seen in other species of Domerguella , but often in slightly different positions ( Figs. 7–8 ).

Given these two diagnostic character states, which both have been verified in the holotype and in the genotyped specimens, along with the provenance of all these specimens from the Ankarana Massif, there is no doubt about the correct attribution of our specimens to L. expectatus .

The species is rather small sized, with adult SVL 24.3–29.7 mm vs. a maximum size larger than 30 mm in several other species. There are no dorsolateral tubercles and no spiny tubercles at the tail base as they are characteristic for several other Domerguella , and no distinct, regular broad crossbands on the tail as in L. rarus (see below). According to the available counts, the species has 87–98 ventral scales longitudinally.

Distribution. L. expectatus is only known from its type locality, the Ankarana Massif. According to the original description ( Pasteur & Blanc 1967), additional specimens also came from “Ambilobé” and from “Region de DiégoSuarez”, but we have not verified the identity of the respective vouchers, and the localities are not precise enough for firmly concluding they are not in the Ankarana Massif (which is geographically located inbetween the towns of Ambilobe and Antsiranana (=Diego-Suarez).

Figures

FIGURE 6. View of central dorsum (posterior to forelimb insertion) in seven specimens of Lygodactylus expectatus, and four representative individuals of other species. In all L. expectatus, including the holotype, the scales in the dorsolateral area are distinctly enlarged, while the vertebral scales are much smaller. In the other species, all scales are roughly of similar size, without obviously enlarged dorsolateral scales. Pictures not to scale.

FIGURE 7. Lateral view of head and anterior body in seven specimens of Lygodactylus expectatus, and four representative individuals of other species. In all L. expectatus, a black spot is visible in the shoulder region, with at least traces of light color along its dorsal edge; this spot, poorly expressed in some specimens, is here called the scapular semi-ocellus. Individuals of other species of Domerguella may also have dark markings in the scapular region, but these usually are not at all bordered by light color dorsally, and often are in a more anterior position, as exemplified by four representative pictures of other species. Asterisks mark photos that were mirrored. Pictures not to scale.

FIGURE 8. Photos of specimens of Lygodactylus expectatus from Ankarana in life. A, B, Adult male ZSM 284/2004 (FGZC 543), photographed in 2004. C, D, E, Specimen photographed in 2001 by Gerardo García, not collected.