MoroccoHerps: Geco magrebí Saurodactylus mauritanicus (Duméril & Bibron, 1836)

As part of their monographic work, Dumeríl & Bibron (1836) described Gymnodactylus mauritanicus based on specimens originating from Algiers, Algeria. Only a few years later Fitzinger (1843) transferred this species to the genus Saurodactylus, of which it has been part ever since. Bons & Pasteur (1957) attributed the name S. m. brosseti to the allopatric populations occurring in south-western Morocco, which are now recognized at species level as S. brosseti (Bons & Geniez, 1996). Genetic variation within S. mauritanicus is minimal according to mtDNA and nuclear analyses (Rato & Harris, 2008), which is likely a result of the largely continuous distribution and wide environmental tolerances of this species. Leer más.