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

The genus Lygodactylus currently contains 33 Malagasy species, all of them endemic to the region. Several of these are poorly known, and sometimes known only from their name-bearing type specimens. Molecular genetic work has revealed the existence of numerous highly divergent but not yet formally named lineages.

Here, we report on the finding of L. ornatus Pasteur, 1965, a species that was previously known only from the holotype and a few field observations made in 1994. The species was observed to be relatively common in rocky areas at a location near the rural town of Mandritsara and is characterized by a conspicuous color pattern, with bright yellow throat marked with 3–6 mostly interrupted sharp black transversal stripes, and an orange underside of the tail.

Phylogenetically, the species was found to be related to L. arnoulti, L. blancae and L. heterurus, within the L. verticillatus group, despite lacking the distinct tail whorls typical of the species belonging to this group. We discovered an additional species-level lineage of Lygodactylus in the same clade, for which we provide a formal taxonomic description. The genetically highly distinct Lygodactylus namoroka sp. nov. was collected in the Tsingy de Namoroka National Park and is characterized by a throat pattern with poorly marked dark gray longitudinal stripes, and a distinct contact between the lateral parts of the mental with the postmental scales, which appears to be unique for this species within the L. verticillatus group.