Hemidactylus turcicus ( Linnaeus, 1758:202 )

Bauer, Aaron M., DeBoer, Jonathan C. & Taylor, Dylan J., 2017, Atlas of the Reptiles of Libya, Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences 64 (8), pp. 155-318 : 191-194

Hemidactylus turcicus ( Linnaeus, 1758:202)

1758 Lacerta turcica Linnaeus , Systema Naturae per Regna Tria Naturae, Secundum Classes, Ordines, Genera, Species, cum Characteribus, Differentiis, Synonymis, Locis. Tomus I. Editio decima, reformata. Laurentii Salvii, Holmiae [Stockholm], Sweden. (4) + 823 + (I) pp.

HOLOTYPE.— Specimen figured on pl. 204 in Edwards (1751) fide Bauer (2012), unknown fide McCoy (1970), unlocated fide Anderson (1999), “in Oriente” [stated to be “ Türkei ” by Mertens and Müller (1928, 1940); restricted to “ Cairo, Egypt ” without comment by Smith and Taylor (1950a,b) and to “ Turkey in Asia” by Schmidt (1953)].

Hemidactylus turcicus, Le Berre 1989:154 .

Hemidactylus turcicus, Schleich, Kästle, and Kabisch 1996:236 .

Hemidactylus turcicus, Sindaco and Jeremčenko 2008:116 .

DISTRIBUTION.— Countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, from Portugal and Spain, around southern Europe to Greece, Bulgaria and Turkey, thence to Syria, Jordan and Israel, and from Sinai westwards to Morocco and south to northern Sudan. Introduced populations occur in scattered localities across Mexico, Central and South America, and from more than half of the 50 United States, Mexico and parts of Central America, as well as from isolated localities in Pakistan and East Africa ( Kraus 2009; Owusu et al. 2012; Werner 2016). Most Libyan records are from northern Cyrenaica, although there are isolated records from Tripoli.

Libyan Records (Map 13): TRIPOLITA-

NIA: TRIPOLI: 45: ZMB 15303, 15325, 15327–

28; Condorelli Francaviglia 1896; Werner

1909; Zavattari 1934; Loveridge 1947. NALUT:

105: Ibrahim and Ineich 2005. “ Tripolitania settentrionale ”: Zavattari 1937. CYRE-

NAICA: BENGHAZI: 357: von Martens 1883;

Zavattari 1922, 1929, 1930, 1934; Calabresi

1923; Loveridge 1947. MARJ: 382: CUP R 034;

Frynta et al. 2000. 385: MCSN 522, 579;

Scortecci 1935b; Zavattari 1937; Loveridge

1947. 389: Zavattari 1922, 1929, 1930, 1934;

Calabresi 1923; Loveridge 1947. 393: Resetar

1981. 398: NHMC 80.3.87.21–27. 457b:

Schleich 1987. 457z: Schleich 1987. JABAL AL

AKHDAR: 410: Resetar 1981. 414: FMNH

214958; Resetar 1981. 417: CUP R 046; Cal-

MAP 13. Distribution of Hemidactylus turcicus in Libya. abresi 1923; Loveridge 1947; Zavattari 1922,

1929, 1930, 1934; Frynta et al. 2000. 419: CUP R 043; Frynta et al. 2000. 428: ZSM 123/1983. 431: SNHM BS 40234; Bshaena 2011. 434: FMNH 214957; Resetar 1981. 440: Resetar 1981. 441: Resetar 1981. 457: KNP 1981/152, 225, 233, 236, 269, 278, 285, 327, 336, 355, 360–361, 417– 420, 434, 451–452, 505, 512, 1983/123; Resetar 1981; Schleich 1987. 457as: Schleich 1987. 457at: Schleich 1987. 457au: Schleich 1987. 457az: Schleich 1987. 457ba: Schleich 1987. 457bc: Schleich 1987. 457be: Schleich 1987. 457bk: Schleich 1987. 457d: Schleich 1987. 457i: Schleich 1987. 457k: Schleich 1987. 457u: Schleich 1987. DARNAH: 458: NHMC 80.3.87.18. 460: NHMC 80.3.87.19. 465: Calabresi 1923; Zavattari 1929, 1930, 1934; Loveridge 1947. 477: NHMC

80.3.87.28. BUTNAN: 505: Vinciguerra 1927; Zavattari 1929, 1930, 1934; Gestro and Vinciguerra 1931; Loveridge 1947. 521: Loveridge 1947. “ Cyrenaica ”: Werner 1909; Ghigi 1913; Calabresi 1923; Loveridge 1947. LIBYA: RMNH RENA 10858. “ Gan Chenabi ” [unlocated]: Loveridge 1947.

COMMENTS.— The nominate subspecies occurs in Libya and the remainder of mainland North Africa. Hemidactylus t. spinalis Buchholz, 1954 from Addaya Grande Island, Spain has recently been synonymized with the nominotypical form (Šmid et al. 2015), whereas H. t. lavadeserticus Moravec and Böhme, 1997 from the lava desert region of Jordan and adjacent Syria has been elevated to specific status ( Moravec et al. 2011). Hemidactylus turcicus generally occurs close to the coast, at least in northern Africa ( Rato et al. 2011, Moravec et al. 2011). Isolated inland localities may well represent introduced populations as the species is known to be highly invasive elsewhere, even in habitats and climatic zones not present within its native range ( Kraus 2009).

IUCN THREAT STATUS.— Least Concern.

Stenodactylus mauritanicus Guichenot 1850:5 , pl. 1, figs. 1, 1a–d ( FIG . 16)

1850 Stenodactylus Mauritanicus Guichenot, Histoire naturelle des reptiles et des poissons de l’Algérie. Exploration Scientifique de l’Algérie pendant les annees 1840, 1841, 1842. Imprimerie Nationale, Paris. 144 + [4] pp. and Histoire naturelle des reptiles et des poisons. Atlas . Imprimerie Nationale, Paris. 12 pls [4 reptiles, 8 Poissons, separately numbered].

SYNTYPES.— MNHN 2339 , 6768 , 6769 , “environs d’Oran ” [ Algeria] .

Stenodactylus sthenodactylus [part], Le Berre 1989:166.

Stenodactylus sthenodactylus [part], Schleich, Kästle, and Kabisch 1996:261.

Stenodactylus sthenodactylus mauritanicus, Sindaco and Jeremčenko 2008:131 .

Stenodactylus sthenodactylus [part], Trape, Trape, and Chirio 2012:256.

DISTRIBUTION.— From coastal and near coastal Mauritania and Western Sahara through northern Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia and east to the area of the Nile Delta ( Metallinou et al. 2012). In Libya they are found only along the Mediterranean coast and adjacent areas.

Libyan Records (Map 14): TRIPOLITANIA: TRIPOLI: 42: Zavattari 1937; Loveridge 1947. 45: BMNH 1858.4.20. 53; FMNH 82944; Condorelli Francaviglia 1896; Werner 1909; Ghigi 1913; Zavattari 1934; Loveridge 1947; Sayers 1964. MURQUB: 60: BMNH 1965.1128. 64: MCZ R 21906, 21908. MISRATAH: 79: NHMC 80.3.88.45; Metallinou et al. 2012. 80: BMNH 1913.12.30. 1–2; MCSN 1983; Boulenger 1914; Zavaratti 1934; Loveridge 1947. 82: NHMC 80.3.152.1. 87:

NHMC 80.3.152.24. NALUT: 111: Sindaco,

pers. obs. 5/2/2008. 129: Sindaco, pers. obs.

4/30/2008. JABAL AL GHARBI: 135: BMNH

1965.1173. 142: BMNH 1965.1170. 145:

NHMC 80.3.88.42, 80.3.152.21–22; Metallinou et al. 2012. 146: NHMC 80.3.152.2; Metallinou et al. 2012. 147: FMNH 82943; MCZ R

127837, 127838, 127836. SIRTE: 166: BMNH

1970.2127. 185: BMNH 1965.1167–68.

“ Tripolitania settentrionale ”: Zavattari 1937.

Misurata to Tripoli: Loveridge 1947. “ Sirtica ”: Zavattari 1937; Loveridge 1947. CYRE-

NAICA: BENGHAZI: 335: NHMC 80.3.88.44,

80.3.152.23; Metallinou et al. 2012. 350:

BMNH 1954.1.5. 26. 351: BMNH 1965 .1161.

357: BMNH 1945.11.9. 2–3 ; MZUF 710 ; SMF

36490; Werner 1909; Ghigi 1913, 1920; Umani

1922; Zavattari 1929, 1930, 1934; Loveridge MAP 14. Distribution of Stenodactylus mauritanicus in Libya. The distribution of this species is primarily in more 1947. 361: Calabresi 1923; Zavattari 1929, mesic areas in Mediterranean regions of Libya. The alloca- 1930; Loveridge 1947. 366: NHMC tion of many records to this species and its sister species, S. 80.3.88.47, 80.3.152.3–4, 80.3.152.25, sthenodactylus , a more xeric adapted form, are tentative and 80.3.153.1–2; Metallinou et al. 2012. 367: based on geography rather than confirmation of specimens. BMNH 1965.1155–56. 372: Frynta et al. 2000. 376: SMF 34589. MARJ: 383: FMNH 214966. 384: MCZ R 127839. 385: MCSN 2013; Zavattari 1937; Loveridge 1947. 389: MZUT R2523; Calabresi 1923; Zavattari 1929, 1930, 1934; Loveridge 1947. 403: NHMC 80.3.88.9, 80.3.88.28, 80.3.152.9– 10; 80.3.152.26–47; Metallinou et al. 2012. JABAL AL AKHDAR: 417: Calabresi 1923; Zavattari 1922, 1929, 1930, 1934; Loveridge 1947. 425: Loveridge 1947. DARNAH: 462: Ghigi 1920; Calabresi 1923; Zavattari 1929, 1930, 1934; Loveridge 1947. 463: Calabresi 1923; Zavattari 1929, 1930, 1934; Loveridge 1947. 464: Calabresi 1923. 465: MZUT R2524; Zavattari 1929, 1930; Loveridge 1947. 466: SMF 34229; Calabresi 1923; Zavattari 1929, 1930, 1934; Loveridge 1947. 467: Zavattari 1929, 1930. 474: Vinceguerra 1927; Zavattari 1929, 1930, 1934; Gestro and Vinciguerra 1931; Loveridge 1947. 477: NHMC 80.3.88.29, 80.3.152.11; Metallinou et al. 2012. 484: MZUF 825, 13123; MZUT R2518; Calabresi 1923; Zavattari 1929, 1930; Loveridge 1947. BUTNAN: 487: SMF 34357. 493: NHMC 80.3.152.12. 505: Vinceguerra 1927; Zavattari 1929, 1930, 1934; Gestro and Vinciguerra 1931; Loveridge 1947. 506: Loveridge 1947. 507: BMNH 1962.560; Vinceguerra 1927; Zavattari 1934. 508: NHMC 80.3.88.1, 80.3.152.5–8 Metallinou et al. 2012. 514: Vinciguerra 1927; Zavattari 1929, 1930. AL WAHAT: 529: BMNH 1932.3.6. 3; NMP 34928/ 1–2; NMP 34928; Vinciguerra 1931; Zavattari 1934; Moravec 1995. 539: BMNH 1965.1160. 540: BMNH 1965.1157–59. 544: Vinciguerra 1931; Zavattari 1934; Loveridge 1947. “ Marmarica ”: Zavattari 1937; Loveridge 1947. “ Nordost-Libyen ”: ZMB 62960–63. LIBYA: KC190582, 190785; Metallinou et al. 2012.

COMMENTS.— Stenodactylus mauritanica has been variously accepted as specifically or subspecifically valid, or regarded as a synonym of S. sthenodactylus since its description (see Crochet et al. 2014). It had been treated as a synonym of S. sthenodactylus by Arnold (1980b) and as a subspecies by Loveridge (1947) and Sindaco and Jeremčenko (2008), but was elevated to full species by Baha El Din (2006), who found the two forms in sympatry in northern Egypt. Although morphologically similar to S. sthenodactylus , S. mauritanicus is mostly limited to mesic coastal semi-desert, within 50 km of the coast, at least in Egypt ( Baha El Din 2006a), whereas S. sthenodactylus inhabits more arid regions along the northern edge of the Sahara Desert. Metallinou et al. (2012) found S. mauritanica and S. sthenodactylus to be reciprocally monophyletic and deeply divergent from one another. Although specimens from near coastal localities in Libya may be assigned with confidence to S. mauritanicus , some populations from intermediate areas will require reexamination to confirm correct species allocation. The two species may occur in sympatry or near sympatry in northern Nalut. Metallinou et al. (2012) found Libyan lineages were sister to Egyptian and Tunisian ones and more distantly related to conspecifics from Morocco and Western Sahara.

IUCN THREAT STATUS.— Not evaluated, but anticipated to be Least Concern.

Figures

FIGURE 16. Stenodactylus mauritanicus male from Hotel Ghadames, Gadamis, Nalut, Tripolitania, Libya, 2008. Photo © Roberto Sindaco.