Belluardo Francesco, Piccoli Costanza, Lobón-Rovira Javier, Oliveira Alves Ivo, Rasoazanany Malalatiana, Andreone Franco, Rosa Gonçalo M, Crottini Angelica
EnviXLab, Department of Biosciences and Territory, University of Molise, Contrada Fonte Lappone s.n.c., 86090 Pesche, Italy.
CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Universidade do Porto, Campus de Vairão, Rua Padre Armando Quintas, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal.
Zookeys. 2025 Jun 2;1240:1-38. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.1240.151016. eCollection 2025.
Historically, herpetological research in Madagascar has largely overlooked small forest fragments outside the country protected area network. Despite substantial declines in species diversity compared to large continuous forests, these fragments continue to sustain diverse herpetological communities and frequently harbour microendemic species. We describe a new gecko belonging to the genus , apparently microendemic to small and isolated forest fragments surrounding the Andringitra Massif in south-eastern Madagascar. is different from its congeneric species based on genetic distances in mitochondrial markers (16S and COI), phylogenetic position, and the lack of haplotype sharing at one nuclear locus (POMC). The new species is also distinguishable from its congeners based on a combination of 14 morphological characters. New genetic and morphological data are also provided for the sympatric and we propose a new assessment of its conservation status within the IUCN Red List. and are mostly found in forest fragments managed by local communities (community-managed reserves) outside legally protected areas. This study highlights the importance of community-based management for the conservation of local herpetofauna, particularly in regions heavily impacted by anthropogenic pressure and largely unsuitable for forest-dwelling species. The findings emphasise the importance of conducting research on small forest fragments, as they are essential for completing the inventory of Malagasy herpetofauna.
从历史上看，马达加斯加的爬虫学研究在很大程度上忽视了该国保护区网络之外的小片森林。尽管与大片连续森林相比，这些小片森林的物种多样性大幅下降，但它们仍继续维持着多样的爬虫动物群落，并且经常栖息着微型特有物种。我们描述了一种属于 属的新壁虎，它显然是马达加斯加东南部安德林吉特拉山周围小而孤立的森林碎片的微型特有物种。 根据线粒体标记（16S和COI）的遗传距离、系统发育位置以及在一个核基因座（POMC）上缺乏单倍型共享，它与其同属物种不同。基于14个形态特征的组合，新物种也可与其同属物种区分开来。我们还为同域分布的 提供了新的遗传和形态数据，并在世界自然保护联盟红色名录中对其保护状况提出了新的评估。 和 大多发现于法定保护区之外由当地社区管理的森林碎片（社区管理保护区）中。这项研究强调了基于社区的管理对于保护当地爬虫动物区系的重要性，特别是在受到人为压力严重影响且很大程度上不适于森林栖息物种生存的地区。研究结果强调了对小片森林进行研究的重要性，因为它们对于完成马达加斯加爬虫动物区系的编目至关重要。
