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Lygodactylus is the most speciose gekkonid group in Africa, with several additional, candidate species already identified from previous studies. However, in mainland Africa, several groups remain only partially resolved, and there are several taxonomic inconsistencies. Lygodactylus gutturalis was described from Guinea-Bissau in the 1870s and since then, the species has been recorded from West to East Africa, and it is widely distributed through different biomes and ecoregions. However, this taxon has never been studied in detail. In this work, we use an integrative approach, including molecular phylogenetic analysis, morphometrics, skull osteology, and biogeography to provide the first systematic revision of the L. gutturalis species complex. The L. gutturalis complex is a subgroup within the L. picturatus group and includes nine well-differentiated species. We elevate Lygodactylus gutturalis dysmicus to full species status, recognize Lygodactylus depressus as the sister species to L. gutturalis , describe five new species (Lygodactylus kibera sp. nov. , Lygodactylus karamoja sp. nov. , Lygodactylus mirabundus sp. nov. , Lygodactylus leopardinus sp. nov. and Lygodactylus gamblei sp. nov.), and propose an additional candidate species that requires further research. Also, in order to shed light on some taxonomic inconsistencies between the L. gutturalis and Lygodactylus angularis groups, we revisit the L. angularis group, within which we elevate Lygodactylus angularis heeneni and Lygodactylus angularis paurospilus to full species status. The L. gutturalis subgroup diversified during the Late Miocene (between 5–15 Mya), probably as a consequence of multiple vicariant events driven by the expansion of the African savannahs and the establishment of climatic refugia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recently erected chameleon genus Kinyongia currently includes 17 species, with the majority of this diversity occurring in montane regions of East Africa. Kinyongia adolfifriderici is one of only three species in the genus to occur in Central Africa, with numerous populations occurring from low- to high-elevation forests of the Albertine Rift. Recent fieldwork in the Lendu Plateau in northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) led to the discovery of a population of chameleons that is significantly larger than and morphologically distinct from the closely related species K. adolfifriderici, which was described from the lowland Ituri forest, DRC. Analyses of mitochondrial (16S and ND2) and nuclear (RAG1) DNA sequence data revealed that K. adolfifriderici is a complex of cryptic species. Herein, we describe the Lendu population as a new species, underscoring the endemism and conservation importance of this poorly known, unprotected montane region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been little recent work on the sub-Saharan species of the African and Eurasian genus Chalcides, possibly because the morphology of the genus seems to be highly conserved and specimens are generally rare. As a result, there is a lack of consensus concerning the taxonomic status and distributions of these species in the literature. Herein, we expand upon the brief original descriptions of C. bottegi and C. ragazzii, which we consider to be valid and allopatrically distributed species (separated by the Ethiopian highlands). Examination of populations previously assigned to C. ragazzii in the south-central Saharan highlands and the West African Niger River floodplain indicates that these populations are most similar to populations of C. ocellatus, and we assign them to this widespread, variable species. A disjunct populations of C. ocellatus in Somalia is separated from its nearest conspecifies by the Ethiopian highlands and the Indian Ocean; however, we did not find morphological evidence to recognize it as a distinct species. All three species of Chalcides are readily distinguishable from the West African endemics C. armitagei, C. pulchellus, and C. thierryi, which are the only other sub-Saharan representatives for the genus. An identification key is provided for all six sub-Saharan Chalcides species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]