Mocquard's Madagascar ground gecko

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Mocquard's Madagascar ground gecko
Wild adult at Berenty Reserve

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Gekkonidae
Genus: Paroedura
Species:
P. bastardi
Binomial name
Paroedura bastardi
(Mocquard, 1900)
Range of the species within the Paroedura bastardi clade, with P. bastardi indicated by the yellow squares
Synonyms
  • Phyllodactylus bastardi
    Mocquard, 1900
  • Paroedura bastardi
    — Dixon & Kroll, 1974

Mocquard's Madagascar ground gecko (Paroedura bastardi) is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. It is a moderately-sized reptile reaching just over 7 cm (2.8 in) in snout–vent length. The species is endemic to southeastern Madagascar, where it can be found on the ground or climbing tree trunks.

Although it was formerly thought to be a widespread species throughout much of west and south Madagascar, morphological and genetic analyses have found that this was due to misclassification, and that this definition of the species is actually a

cryptic species
. Today, it is known that P. bastardi in the strict sense is actually restricted to the extreme southeast of the country.

Taxonomy

The Mocquard's Madagascar ground gecko was first described in 1900 by François Mocquard under the scientific name Phyllodactylus bastardi.[2] The specific name, bastardi, is in honor of French paleontologist Eugène Joseph Bastard (1865–1910).[3] In 1974, several Malagasy species assigned to Phyllodactylus were reassigned to the genus Paroedura, including this species (renamed as Paroedura bastardi).[4] The Ibity ground gecko was initially described as a subspecies of Mocquard's Madagascar ground gecko, but has been recognized as a separate species since 2008.[5]

The

sensu stricto. One of the cryptic lineages was reclassified by Miralles et al. (2021) as Paroedura guibeae, originally described in 1974 and later synonymized with P. bastardi, with the study supporting its resurrection as a separate species. The same study named another one of the cryptic species as Paroedura rennerae.[8] In 2023, the name Paroedura manongavato was given to the cryptic lineage found in Anja and Tsaranoro.[9]

The following cladogram is based on a multilocus phylogenetic analysis and shows the position of P. bastardi among its closest relatives according to Piccoli et al. (2023):[9]

Paroedura picta
(Outgroup)

Distribution and habitat

Older sources commonly state that Mocquard's Madagascar ground gecko is found across western and southern Madagascar in

sympatrically in Tranoroa.[8][9]

Description

Tolagnaro

The Mocquard's Madagascar ground gecko is a moderately-sized species which may attain a

lamellae-lined toe pads that are wider than the rest of the digit.[2]

The body is a tawny brown color with scattered grayish spots and three lighter crossbands. The bands are most prominent in younger individuals, where they may be white with dark borders, whereas in adults they are less distinct.[2] Juveniles also have a distinct pattern on the head which has been described as "butterfly or bat-shaped" that becomes less visible with age. There is no banded patterning on the digits.[8]

Behaviour

This gecko is a

oviparous, laying eggs which the female buries in substrate. While this species is known to coexist with the related Paroedura guibeae in Tranoroa, molecular evidence indicates there is reproductive isolation between the two species.[8]

Conservation

This species was listed as

IUCN in 2011 due to "its wide distribution" and because it is unlikely to be declining.[1] However, this assessment occurred before the Paroedura bastardi species complex was split into several lineages, and its range is now known to be more restricted than originally thought. Severe deforestation and slash-and-burn practices since the 1950s have drastically changed the landscape in south-central Madagascar, and some related species are known to be threatened by the resulting habitat loss. This species itself is not confirmed to be affected or declining.[10] Mocquard's Madagascar ground gecko is known to be collected for international pet trade, though the severity of this has not been assessed.[1]

Gallery

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Paroedura bastardi.

References

  1. ^
    doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2011-2.RLTS.T172874A6933540.en
    . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. ^
    doi:10.5962/bhl.part.12289
    .
  3. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5
    . (Paroedura bastardi, p. 18).
  4. JSTOR 1443003
    .
  5. ^ Rösler, Herbert; Krüger, Jens (1998). "Eine neue Unterart von Paroedura bastardi (Mocquard, 1900) (Sauria: Gekkonidae) aus dem zentralen Hochland von Madagascar". Sauria. 20 (2): 37–46.
  6. doi:10.3897/zse.90.8705
    .
  7. PMID 30313226
    .
  8. ^
    doi:10.3897/vz.71.e59495
    .
  9. ^
    PMID 37841030
    .
  10. doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2018.04.008
    .

Further reading

  • ISBN 978-3929449-03-7
    .
  • Rösler H (2000). "Kommentierte Liste der rezent, subrezent und fossil bekannten Geckotaxa (Reptilia: Gekkonomorpha)". Gekkota 2: 28–153. (Paroedura bastardi, p. 100). (in German).
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