Karyotypes of two species of Malagasy ground gecko (Paroedura: Gekkonidae)

AbstractThe karyotypes of Malagasy geckos are poorly known. Herein, we describe the karyotypes of two Malagasy gecko species, Paroedura pictaand an undescribed or currently unrecognised Paroeduraspecies. These are the first karyotypes described for the genus Paroedura. Each species had a distinct karyotype; P. pictahad 2n=36 and Paroedurasp. had 2n=34. We used a fragment of the mitochondrial ND2gene to conduct a phylogenetic analysis of 17 described and putative Paroeduraspecies and show that the Paroedurasp. examined here is unique and related to P. bastardi, P. ibityensis, P. tanjakaand another undescribed Paroeduraspecies from Tsingy de Bemaraha. Our results highlight the need for continued research into the basic biology and taxonomy of Malagasy lizards.