A new gecko from Libya: Tarentola neglecta lanzai n. ssp.

Abstract

New findings from two Central Libyan oases extend the distribution area of the Saharan gecko Tarentola neglecta considerably to the East. Scale counts falling outside the range of the two known subspecies show that the new specimens belong to a third subspecies which is described here under the name Tarentola neglecta lanzai. A molecular phylogeny with mitochondrial genes presents further evidence that T. neglecta is the sister species of the Egyptian T. mindiae, both of which constitute a monophyletic clade within the T. fascicularis-deserti group.