Lygodactylus namoroka Rakotoarison, Gippner, Multzsch, Miralles, Razafimanafo, Hasiniaina, Glaw & Vences, 2025, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Rakotoarison, Andolalao
name: Gippner, Sven
name: Multzsch, Malte
name: Miralles, Aurélien
name: Razafimanafo, Delina
name: Hasiniaina, Alida
name: Glaw, Frank
name: Vences, Miguel
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Squamata
Gekkonidae
Lygodactylus
Lygodactylus namoroka

description: Lygodactylus namoroka sp. nov.
Figs 7–8
Holotype. ZSM 70 /2023 (field numbers ZCMV 15820; MIRZC 1274), Tsingy de Namoroka National Park, Petit Tsingy (east of the massif), 16.43521°S, 45.36824°E, 115 m a.s.l., northwestern Madagascar, collected between 7:00 am and 9:00 am, on 8 October 2023 by A. Miralles, N.A. Rahagalala, A. Rakotoarison, D. Razafimanafo, and A. Razafimanantsoa.
Paratypes. Two specimens: UADBA-ZCMV 15837, same locality as holotype, collected between 5:00 pm and 7:00 pm, on 8 October 2023 by the same collectors as the holotype; UADBA-ZCMV 15854, Tsingy de Namoroka, Grand Tsingy (south of the massif), 16.46933°S, 45.34853°E, 132 m a.s.l., collected between 3:00 pm and 7:00 pm, on 10 October 2023 by the same collectors as the holotype.
Diagnosis. The new species is allocated to the Lygodactylus verticillatus group based on a combination of its mental scale being semi-divided by sutures, by the presence of three postmentals, distinct whorls on the tail, and by its molecular phylogenetic relationships. Within the L. verticillatus group it differs from the species of the L. tolampyae complex by presence of tail whorls (vs. absence), absence of contact between the posterior part of the mental and first infralabial (vs. presence), and presence of longitudinal dark lines on throat (vs. absence). It differs in throat pattern from L. arnoulti, L. blancae and L. verticillatus by presence of faint but visible longitudinal stripes on the throat (vs. absence or irregular/interrupted), from L. ornatus and L. klemmeri (including the holotype of its junior synonym praecox) by longitudinal (vs. transverse/diagonal) arrangement of dark lines on the throat, and from L. heterurus by a weaker expression of throat lines (Fig. 9). From all other species of the group it furthermore differs by a distinct contact between the lateral parts of the mental and the postmentals (vs. very faint or no such contact; see Fig. 10).
Description of the holotype. Male, in moderate state of preservation, tail is not present, cloaca might be damaged. SVL 23.4 mm, for other measurements, see Table 1. Body width (5.7 mm) is slightly greater than head width (4.7 mm). The distance from the tip of the snout to the anterior border of the eye (3.0 mm) is larger than the anterior interorbital distance (4.0 mm), and greater than the distance between the eye and ear opening (2.1 mm). Snout covered with granular scales slightly larger than those on the dorsum. Nostril surrounded by four scales: rostral, first supralabial, one postnasal and one supranasals. The mental scale is semi-divided; no contact between posterior projection of mental scale and first infralabial scale; three symmetrical postmental scales, followed by five post-postmentals; five enlarged infralabial scales; six enlarged supralabial scales; two internasal scales; femoral pores indistinct and difficult to count, but seemingly about eight; granular dorsal scales; dorsum with small, homogeneous, granular, and unkeeled scales of similar size to those on trunk, slightly larger on limbs; 181 dorsal scales (LCDS) longitudinally along the body; 89 ventral scales (LCVS) between mental and cloaca; venter with larger homogeneous smooth scales; first finger present, small, but bearing a claw; three pairs of subdigital lamellae on the fourth toe; no dorsolateral tubercles; laterally on the base of the tail, a small bulge and tubercle but no distinct spines. After one year of preservation in ethanol (Fig. 8), the specimen appears dorsally and laterally dark brownish and displays a broad grayish stripe starting from the head which becomes narrower towards the tail base. Along the spine a distinct darker line runs from the neck towards the tail base. The head displays a large grayish spot. The forelimbs are irregularly patterned in contrast to the hindlimbs where coloration appears more uniform; toes are striped. No neck tubercle visible. The ventral side of the body and of the limbs appears uniformly whitish. The throat displays three dark posterior-anterior lines. The two outer lines start at the base of the throat and run in parallel until they reach the jaw. The center line also runs in parallel to the outer lines but splits in a V-shape at the center of the throat before respectively reaching the left and right sides of the jaw. In life (Fig. 7), dorsal coloration appears more intense and of higher contrast. Two rows of ocelli-like spots are visible on the dorsum. No photo of the ventral color in life is available.
Variation. Paratypes were not accessible for detailed examination, but some information can be extracted from images. Whorls are visible on a patterned complete tail in paratype UADBA-ZCMV 15837 (Fig. 7). This paratype had large rounded beige markings on the dorsum, arranged in two dorsolateral rows of five markings on each side of the body. Two distinct blackish markings are present between ear and forelimb insertion, and a thin black line from eye to ear.
Etymology. The species epithet is a noun in apposition to the genus name, and refers to the type locality of the new species, the Namoroka National Park in north-western Madagascar.
Natural history. The holotype was found during the day on a dead tree, approximately 1 meter in height, in the middle of the Petit Tsingy. The paratype UADBA-ZCMV 15837 was found at night in the fissure of the tsingy limestone rocks, where ferns, as well as trees and shrubs, grow in the fissures. UADBA-ZCMV 15854 was discovered on a small tree approximately 1.5–2 meters tall, and most of the tree's leaves had fallen. Lygodactylus namoroka sp. nov. is likely widely distributed within the Namoroka massif, as it has been found in two different localities more than 4 km apart: on the eastern border of the karstic massif, in the so-called “Petit Tsingy” (Little Tsingy), and on the southern border of the massif, in the “Grand Tsingy” (Great Tsingy) (Fig. 11). Both areas share in common a typical “tsingy profile”, i.e. a karstic plateau where groundwater has gouged a dense network of caverns, canyons and fissures into the limestone, and which are connecting open-air chambers of varying size, sunshine exposure and vegetation. However, in Namoroka the Petit Tsingy area differs from the Grand Tsingy area by a denser network of corridors that are narrower (ranging from 0.5–2 m wide versus several meters wide) and shallower (2–6 m high versus 10–20 m high). According to local guides, both localities can be abundantly flooded during the rainy season, as evidenced by marks on the limestone wall indicating a high level reachable by water (around two meters above the ground) and the presence in many places of aquatic snail shells remaining on the floor. Although the temperatures have not been recorded, the Grand Tsingy is significantly cooler than the Petit Tsingy, as even during the dry season, it benefits from a natural air-conditioning effect generated by the surrounding network of caverns where a few water reservoirs still remain. All the specimens were found active and were collected at the end of the dry season (8–10 October 2023).
Distribution. Only known from Namoroka National Park in northwestern Madagascar.
description: Published as part of Rakotoarison, Andolalao, Gippner, Sven, Multzsch, Malte, Miralles, Aurélien, Razafimanafo, Delina, Hasiniaina, Alida, Glaw, Frank & Vences, Miguel, 2025, Molecular systematics of the enigmatic dwarf gecko Lygodactylus ornatus and description of a new species of the L. verticillatus group from the North West of Madagascar, pp. 420-436 in Zootaxa 5621 (4) on pages 429-433, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5621.4.2, http://zenodo.org/record/15262928