ANGOLAN NAMIB DAY GECKO

Rhoptropus taeniostictus Laurent, 1964

MATERIAL.— Namibe-Lubango road, 2 km east (by road) of Mangueiras, south side of the road, 5 December 2013, 15º2ʹ40.8ʺS, 13º9ʹ32.6ʺE, 664 m (CAS 254889); Namibe-Lubango road, road marker 59, 1.8 km west (by road) of Caraculo, on the north side of the road, 6 December 2013, 15º0ʹ58.0ʺS, 12º38ʹ37.3ʺE, 490 m (CAS 254895); 15º0ʹ57.9ʺS, 12º38ʹ42.3ʺE, 472 m (CAS 254897– 254898), 15º0ʹ57.6ʺS, 12º38ʹ36.8ʺE, 500 m (CAS 254901), 15º1ʹ0.7ʺS, 12º38ʹ31.9ʺE, 492 m (CAS 254904–254905), 15º0ʹ58.8ʺS, 12º38ʹ33.8ʺE, 491 m (CAS 254908), 15º0ʹ58.9ʺS, 12º38ʹ32.4ʺE, 497 m (CAS 254911), 15º0ʹ57.3ʺS, 12º38ʹ32.6ʺE, 497 m (CAS 254916), 15º1ʹ0.1ʺS, 12º38ʹ31.9ʺE, 497 m (CAS 254917–254918), 15º1ʹ0.9ʺS, 12º38ʹ30.4ʺE, 503 m (CAS 254919) .

COMMENTS.— The Angolan endemic R. taeniostictus was described from a single specimen from “ 60 km on the road from Moçâmedes [presently Namibe] to Sá da Bandeira [presently Lubango]”. Laurent (1964a) also considered the populations of R. barnardi from Mucungo cited by Schmidt (1933) as referable to R. taeniostictus . The species appears restricted to Namibe Province and is represented by many specimens in our collection as well as more widespread Namibe localities in the Ditsong National Museum of Natural History.