Hemidactylus lopezjuradoi

Hemidactylus cf. lopezjuradoi Arnold et al., 2008 *

Specimen.

Cabo Verde: “ St. Iago ”: BMNH 1875.4.26.10 (not examined) [putative syntype of Hemidactylus cessacii Bocage, 1873] .

Comments.

Bocage (1873 a) described Hemidactylus cessacii based on three specimens (erroneously stated as a single specimen by Arnold et al. 2008) collected by Léon de Cessac (1841–1891) from Santiago Island in Cabo Verde. Bocage presented one specimen to the British Museum in 1875, together with additional duplicates of species described by him (NHMA /DF/ZOO/200/1/191). Boulenger (1885 a) referred it to the synonymy of Hemidactylus bouvieri and cited the specimen sent by Bocage “ as typical of H. cessacii ”. In a first revised taxonomy of the endemic Hemidactylus from the archipelago, Arnold et al. (2008) described a population from Fogo Island as Hemidactylus lopezjuradoi and followed previous authors in assigning material from Santiago Island to Hemidactylus bouvieri (Boulenger 1885 a; Loveridge 1947). Although Arnold et al. (2008) examined and photographed (see fig. 5 E in Arnold et al. 2008) the specimen sent by Bocage to the British Museum in 1875, the authors did not fully assess the status of Hemidactylus cessacii and failed to recognize the possibility of surviving syntypes. In a subsequent revision, Vasconcelos et al. (2020) hypothesized that the Hemidactylus population from Santiago Island is conspecific with H. lopezjuradoi or represents a distinct species, although the lack of modern material from Santiago precludes further conclusions. Considering the pattern of local endemism observed on the reptile fauna from the Cabo Verde archipelago (Miralles et al. 2010; Vasconcelos et al. 2012, 2020), it is plausible that the Hemidactylus population from Santiago represents a distinct endemic species, for which the name cessacii would be available. On the other hand, if material from Santiago is conspecific with H. lopezjuradoi from neighboring Fogo Island, the nomen cessacii would represent a senior synonym and have priority. In any case, further research is needed to establish the status of Hemidactylus cessacii, and the specimen presented by Bocage to the British Museum may play a crucial role in this matter, as the only known surviving syntype. Although not recognized as a type by Arnold et al. (2008) or Vasconcelos et al. (2020), it is plausible to assume that the specimen was part of the type series, as no additional specimens were available to Bocage at that time, and it was presented in a shipment containing only duplicates of species described by Bocage (NHMA /DF/ZOO/200/1/191). Unfortunately, the specimen could not be located during our visits and remains unaccounted since last examined by Edwin Nicholas Arnold (1940–2023).