Systematics and biogeography of Hemidactylus homoeolepis Blanford, 1881 (Squamata: Gekkonidae), with the description of a new species from Arabia

Researchers have identified a new species of gecko, Hemidactylus minutus, from Oman and eastern Yemen, previously misclassified as Hemidactylus homoeolepis. This discovery, based on morphological and genetic analyses of mitochondrial and nuclear markers, reveals that H. minutus is the smallest Hemidactylus in mainland Arabia and distinct from related species. Notably, this finding redefines Socotra Archipelago's reptile fauna as entirely endemic, marking it as one with the highest proportion of endemic reptiles relative to its size. The study also highlights the need for reassessing the conservation status of both H. minutus and H. homoeolepis due to changes in their known distributions.

VASCONCELOS, R., & CARRANZA, S. (2014). Systematics and biogeography of Hemidactylus homoeolepis Blanford, 1881 (Squamata: Gekkonidae), with the description of a new species from Arabia. Zootaxa, 3835(4). https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3835.4.4