Hemidactylus mabouia (Moreau de Jonnès, 1818)

Figure 8G

Material. ANGOLA – Cabinda Province • Caio Cacongo; –5.0618, 12.2588; 43 m a.s.l.; P2.105; GenBank: PQ455975. • Fazenda Mandarim; –5.0401, 12.0508; 14 m a.s.l.; P4.068; GenBank: PQ455978. • Mayombe NP, Mbundu; –4.6875, 12.4981; 127 m a.s.l.; P4.106; GenBank: PQ455979. • Mayombe NP, Miconge; –4.4860, 12.8780; 377 m a.s.l.; P2.232– 33; GenBank: PQ455976–77.

Identification. A medium-sized Hemidactylus (SVL <68 mm) that can be distinguished from other Angolan Hemidactylus based on the presence of enlarged subcaudal scales, absent in other close relatives. The specimens collected at Mayombe NP are identical (16S p -distance) to other individuals from Angola, which represent H. mabouia sensu stricto (fide Agarwal et al. 2021). However, the specimens from Caio Cacongo differ by 1.3% (16S p -distance) from other relatives from Cabinda Province and other regions of Angola, which may suggest a posterior colonisation event of this invasive species.

Biology and distribution. Hemidactylus mabouia is a nocturnal gecko widely distributed across Africa, Madagascar and the Neotropics (Agarwal et al. 2021). Frequently associated with human infrastructure, the species can also be found in trees at night near villages or construction. All material from Cabinda Province was collected while active at night in or next to human infrastructure, such as walls, fences and planted trees, in villages and farms.