Matobosaurus Bates and Tolley, 2013

Marques, Mariana P., Ceríaco, Luis M. P., Blackburn, David C. & Bauer, Aaron M., 2018, Diversity and Distribution of the Amphibians and Terrestrial Reptiles of Angola Atlas of Historical and Bibliographic Records (1840 - 2017), Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences 65, pp. 1-501 : 235-236

Genus Matobosaurus Bates and Tolley, 2013

Matobosaurus maltzahni ( de Grys, 1938) WESTERN GIANT PLATED LIZARD

Gerrhosaurus Maltzahni de Grys 1938:58 , figs. 1–2. Holotype: ZMH 5114 (collector A. von Maltzahn), lost

? (not reported by Hallermann 1998). Type locality: “Farm Roidina, D.S.W.-Afrika” [= Roidina Nature

Farm], Namibia. Gerrhosaurus robustus : Bocage (1870:68, 1887b:203). Gerrhosaurus validus : Bocage (1895a:36), Boulenger (1905:111), Mertens (1938a:435), Frade (1963:253),

Branch (1998:181). Gerrhosaurus validus maltzahni : Loveridge (1942:497), Hellmich (1957b:58). Matobosaurus maltzahni : Bates and Tolley (2013:470), Ceríaco et al. (2016b:59).

Global conservation status (IUCN): Not Evaluated.

Global distribution: The species is known from central and northwestern regions of Nambia and extends into southern Angola.

Ocurrences in Angola (Map 192): The species occurs in the southwestern Angola. Benguela: “Entre Rios” [-13.01667, 14.63333] ( Hellmich 1957b:56); “Cubal” [-13.03333, 14.25000] ( Mertens 1938a:435; Loveridge 1942:497). Huíla: “Quillengues” [-14.06667, 15.08333] ( Bocage 1895a:36; Loveridge 1942:497). Namibe: “Rio Chimba” [-14.30000, 12.40000] ( Bocage 1895a:36; Loveridge 1942:497; Ceríaco et al. 2016a:59); “Mossamedes” [-15.20000, 12.15000] ( Bocage 1887b:203, 1895a:36; Ceríaco et al. 2016a:59); “ 0.5 km S of Tambor, Iona” [-16.13556, 12.42972] ( Bates et al. 2013:470; Ceríaco et al. 2016a:59) and “Omuaha Lodge, Iona” [-16.19872, 12.40008] ( Bates et al. 2013:470 Ceríaco et al. 2016a:59). Undetermined locality: “Between Benguella and Bihé” ( Boulenger 1905:111; Loveridge 1942:497); “Mossamedes to Huilla” ( Bocage 1895a:36; Loveridge 1942:497).

Taxonomic and distributional notes:

The species was for some time considered a subspecies of Gerrhosaurus validus (Smith,

1849). A combination of molecular, morphological and geographical evidence, suggests that the two taxa represent separate evolutionary lineages ( Bates et al. 2013) that occur in allopatry, with validus distributed in southeastern Africa and maltzahni restricted to northern

Namibia and southern Angola ( Bates et al.

2013; Bates et al. 2014). Thus records of Gerrhosaurus validus (or Gerrhosaurus robustus

Peters, 1854) from Angola ( Bocage 1870,

1887 b, 1895a; Boulenger 1905; Mertens

1938a; Frade 1963) are, in fact, referrable to maltzahni . A new genus, Matobosaurus was erected by Bates and Tolley (2013) to incorpo-

rate this distinctive clade of gerrhosaurs (Bates MAP 192. Distribution of Matobosaurus maltzahni in Angola.

et al. 2013).