Mocquard's Madagascar ground gecko (''Paroedura bastardi'') is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

lizard Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The group is paraphyletic since it excludes the snakes and Amphisbaenia alt ...

in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

'' Gekkonidae''. It is a moderately-sized reptile reaching just over in

snout–vent length Snout–vent length (SVL) is a morphometric measurement taken in herpetology from the tip of the snout to the most posterior opening of the cloacal slit (vent)."direct line distance from tip of snout to posterior margin of vent" It is the most c ...

. The species is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to southeastern

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

, 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 species complex comprising several

cryptic species In biology, a species complex is a group of closely related organisms that are so similar in appearance and other features that the boundaries between them are often unclear. The taxa in the complex may be able to hybridize readily with each oth ...

. 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 François Mocquard (27 October 1834 – 19 March 1917) was a French herpetologist born in Leffond, Haute-Saône. In 1860 he was named ''préparateur du physique'' after receiving his Bachelor of Science degree at the Faculty of Besançon. Subseque ...

under the

scientific name In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

''Phyllodactylus bastardi''. The

specific name Specific name may refer to: * in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules: * Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...

, ''bastardi'', is in honor of French

paleontologist Paleontology (), also spelled palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of life that existed prior to, and sometimes including, the start of the Holocene epoch (roughly 11,700 years before present). It includes the study of fossi ...

Eugène Joseph Bastard (1865–1910). In 1974, several Malagasy species assigned to '' Phyllodactylus'' were reassigned to the

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

Paroedura ''Paroedura'' (Madagascar ground geckos) is a genus of geckos, endemic to Madagascar and the Comoros. These geckos are typically terrestrial, though the young of most species can climb until they are too heavy for their feet to support. Species ...

'', including this species (renamed as ''Paroedura bastardi''). The Ibity ground gecko was initially described as a

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

of Mocquard's Madagascar ground gecko, but has been recognized as a separate species since 2008. The

type series In biology, a type is a particular specimen (or in some cases a group of specimens) of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally attached. In other words, a type is an example that serves to anchor or centralizes the ...

is made up of 5 syntypes, and the species was formerly thought to include populations from across much of Madagascar. However, several molecular analyses of

mitochondrial A mitochondrion (; ) is an organelle found in the cells of most Eukaryotes, such as animals, plants and fungi. Mitochondria have a double membrane structure and use aerobic respiration to generate adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which is use ...

and nuclear DNA sequences in the 2010s have found that this supposed species was actually

paraphyletic In taxonomy (general), taxonomy, a group is paraphyletic if it consists of the group's most recent common ancestor, last common ancestor and most of its descendants, excluding a few Monophyly, monophyletic subgroups. The group is said to be pa ...

, with the Ibity ground gecko nested among several distinct mitochondrial lineages assigned to Mocquard's Madagascar ground gecko. The type series was also found to include individuals from at least two of these lineages. These lineages are now recognized as

within the ''Paroedura bastardi'' species complex, and a juvenile specimen was designated as the lectotype of ''P. bastardi''

sensu stricto ''Sensu'' is a Latin word meaning "in the sense of". It is used in a number of fields including biology, geology, linguistics, semiotics, and law. Commonly it refers to how strictly or loosely an expression is used in describing any particular co ...

. 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''. In 2023, the name '' Paroedura manongavato'' was given to the cryptic lineage found in Anja and Tsaranoro. 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):

Distribution and habitat

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

shrubland Shrubland, scrubland, scrub, brush, or bush is a plant community characterized by vegetation dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, herbs, and geophytes. Shrubland may either occur naturally or be the result of human activity. It m ...

, and rocky areas, at

altitude Altitude or height (also sometimes known as depth) is a distance measurement, usually in the vertical or "up" direction, between a reference datum and a point or object. The exact definition and reference datum varies according to the context ...

s of . However, this is due to the fact that several lineages now known to be distinct were once assigned to this species, and the aforementioned range is actually that of the species complex as a whole. Miralles ''et al.'' (2021) found that "true" ''Paroedura bastardi'' are only known from the extreme southeast of Madagascar, and that records of this species from elsewhere on the island actually represent other cryptic species including '' P. rennerae'', '' P. guibeae'' and '' P. manongavato''. There is some overlap in range among members of the species complex, with ''P. bastardi'' and ''P. guibeae'' occurring

sympatrically In biology, two related species or populations are considered sympatric when they exist in the same geographic area and thus frequently encounter one another. An initially interbreeding population that splits into two or more distinct species s ...

in Tranoroa.

Description

The Mocquard's Madagascar ground gecko is a moderately-sized species which may attain a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of approximately . The triangular head is distinctly wider than the neck, and the ear opening is a vertical slit. Like its closest relatives, the dorsal surface of this species has enlarged

keeled scales Keeled scales refer to reptile scales that, rather than being smooth, have a ridge down the center that may or may not extend to the tip of the scale, Campbell, J. A., Lamar, W. W. (2004). ''The Venomous Reptiles of the Western Hemisphere''. Ithac ...

arranged in longitudinal rows. The tail has spiny

tubercle In anatomy, a tubercle (literally 'small tuber', Latin for 'lump') is any round nodule, small eminence, or warty outgrowth found on external or internal organs of a plant or an animal. In plants A tubercle is generally a wart-like projection ...

s, which in juveniles are arranged more regularly than in adults. The limbs are robust, with lamellae-lined toe pads that are wider than the rest of the digit. 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. 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.

Behaviour

This gecko is a terrestrial species capable of climbing, and can be seen on the ground or on vertical wooden surfaces such as tree trunks. It and other species of the ''P. bastardi'' complex have been reported to be quick to bite when handled, likely as a defence mechanism. It is

oviparous Oviparous animals are animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive method of most fish, amphibians, most reptiles, and all pterosaurs, dinosaurs (including birds), and ...

, laying

egg An egg is an organic vessel grown by an animal to carry a possibly fertilized egg cell (a zygote) and to incubate from it an embryo within the egg until the embryo has become an animal fetus that can survive on its own, at which point the a ...

s 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 The mechanisms of reproductive isolation are a collection of evolutionary mechanisms, behaviors and physiological processes critical for speciation. They prevent members of different species from producing offspring, or ensure that any offspring ...

between the two species.

Conservation

This species was listed as

Least Concern A least-concern species is a species that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as evaluated as not being a focus of species conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wild. T ...

by the

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

in 2011 due to "its wide distribution" and because it is unlikely to be declining. 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 Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. The most concentrated d ...

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 Threatened species are any species (including animals, plants and fungi) which are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future. Species that are threatened are sometimes characterised by the population dynamics measure of ''critical depensat ...

by the resulting

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

. This species itself is not confirmed to be affected or declining. Mocquard's Madagascar ground gecko is known to be collected for i nternational pet trade, though the severity of this has not been assessed.

Gallery

File:Mocquard's Madagascar Ground Gecko (Paroedura bastardi) (9574690453).jpg, link=, Front facing specimen at

Kirindy Forest Kirindy Forest or Kirindy Private Reserve is a private park situated in western Madagascar, More precisely, the reserve is situated 50 km northeast of the town of Morondava. The Forest goes through two apparent seasons throughout the year, th ...

File:Mocquard's Madagascar Ground Gecko (Paroedura bastardi) (9601969030).jpg, link=, Dorsal view of a wild adult File:Mocquard's Madagascar Ground Gecko (Paroedura bastardi) (9634330017).jpg, link=, Adult being handled in

Berenty Reserve Berenty Reserve is a small private reserve of gallery forest along the Mandrare River, set in the semi-arid spiny forest ecoregion of the far south of Madagascar. For more than three decades the late primatologist Alison Jolly (who started the res ...