''Paroedura neglecta'' is a species of

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 Gekkonidae. It was first discovered in 2006, but the species was not named until 2019, hence the specific name meaning "neglected". It is endemic to Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park in northwestern Madagascar.

Taxonomy

The holotype specimen of ''Paroedura neglecta'' is an adult male collected on 1 April 2006 from Andafiabe at the Beboka River, in the Melaky region of western Madagascar. Although the specimen was recognized as an unnamed species shortly after its discovery, it was not described until 13 years later in May 2019, thus it was given the specific name ''neglecta'' (Latin for "neglected"). Genetic analysis has found that ''Paroedura neglecta'' is a member of the ''

Paroedura bastardi 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 in snout–vent length. The species is endemic to southeastern Madagascar, whe ...

'' clade, and is a sister taxon to ''

Paroedura tanjaka ''Paroedura tanjaka'' is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. It is endemic to northwestern Madagascar, and is currently known only to occur in Bemaraha and Namoroka. This nocturnal species is found in karstic dry forests at night, and ...

''. The following cladogram shows the position of ''P. neglecta'' among its closest relatives according to Piccoli ''et al.'' (2023):

Distribution and habitat

This gecko is currently known from only two localities, both within Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park in northwestern Madagascar, and the species may be widespread within the park. It is believed to be endemic to this area as it has not been observed outside of it, and numerous other reptile species in the park are also endemic to it. These two localities are approximately 12 kilometers apart from each other, and both represent karstic dry forests. Three individuals have been collected close to rivers, two of which were near the bed of the Beboka River. Several congeneric species are

sympatric 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 sh ...

with ''Paroedura neglecta'', including '' P. homalorhina'', '' P. tanjaka'', '' P. karstophila'', '' P. spelaea'' and '' P. stumpffi''.

Description

All collected specimens of ''Paroedura neglecta'' were found at night, indicating this species is mostly or entirely nocturnal. The holotype individual has a

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 ...

of 61.3 mm, with a triangular head measuring 20.8 mm long, 14.6 mm wide and 9.2 mm tall. The head is wider than the neck and body, with a vertical slit as the ear opening. The rostral scale is rectangular in shape, much wider than it is tall, and makes contact with the nostril. Enlarged tuberculate scales are present on the dorsal surface and arranged in longitudinal rows. The dorsal scales of the front limbs are mostly flat, whereas those of the hind limbs are mainly keeled and tuberculate. Each digit is widened at the tip, with a downward-curving claw between the terminal pads. The tail similarly has primarily tuberculate scales. The dorsal colors are mainly reddish-brown, with reticulated patterns on the head and regularly-spaced light crossbands on the torso. The iris is a golden color, with a reddish area surrounding the pupil and a vessel running down the posterior of the iris, visible as a red-brown stripe. Slightly marbled grey and beige patterns are present on the limbs. The underside of this lizard is whitish with a fine grey shade.

Conservation

Due to limited available data, it has been recommended that ''Paroedura neglecta'' be listed as Data Deficient according to the IUCN guidelines. Both localities the species is known from have only had little anthropogenic disturbance, however nearby areas within Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park have been subject to severe cattle browsing and logging. Due to its restricted range, this lizard could become threatened by the impacts of farming, fire and logging which lead to habitat loss.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q85792287 Paroedura Geckos of Africa Reptiles of Madagascar Endemic fauna of Madagascar Reptiles described in 2019 Taxa named by Frank Glaw Taxa named by Jörn Köhler Taxa named by Mark D. Scherz Taxa named by Miguel Vences