First exact record and phylogenetic position of the gecko Ptyodactylus hasselquistii (Squamata: Phyllodactylidae) from Lebanon

The genus Ptyodactylus comprises 12 species distributed in North Africa and the Middle East. The most widely distributed species of the genus, Ptyodactylus hasselquistii, is known for its great morphological and genetic diversity, and ranges from Sudan and Egypt through Israel and Jordan towards Saudi Arabia and Yemen. In 1905 the first specimen of P. hasselquistii was collected from Lebanon, described later as a distinct subspecies, Ptyodactylus hasselquistii krameri. Here we provide a second record of P. hasselquistii from Lebanon collected in 2010, which represents the first exact record of the species in Lebanon in over 105 years. We use morphological comparisons and genetic analyses of two markers to account for the phylogenetic position of the new specimen within Ptyodactylus and to evaluate the taxonomic status of P. h. krameri. This integrative examination revealed a close association of the Lebanese specimen with nominotypic P. hasselquistii populations from Egypt and Sudan suggesting a relatively recent introduction from that general area. Similar morphological characteristics between the two Lebanese specimens and those from Egypt, and identical genetic sequences, suggest rejecting subspecific status of the Lebanese population and synonymizing the name Ptyodactylus hasselquistii krameri with the name Ptyodactylus hasselquistii.