A new distribution record of Arnold's Gecko, Pristurusminimus (Arnold, 1977) (Squamata, Sphaerodactylidae), in Saudi Arabia

Mohammed Al Mutairi; Abdulaziz R Alqahtani; Zaffar Rais Mir; Riyaz Ahmad; Saad Alsubaie; Michael Smith

doi:10.3897/BDJ.11.e101647

A new distribution record of Arnold's Gecko, Pristurusminimus (Arnold, 1977) (Squamata, Sphaerodactylidae), in Saudi Arabia

Biodivers Data J. 2023 Jul 17:11:e101647. doi: 10.3897/BDJ.11.e101647. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Mohammed Al Mutairi¹, Abdulaziz R Alqahtani², Zaffar Rais Mir¹, Riyaz Ahmad¹, Saad Alsubaie¹, Michael Smith¹

Affiliations

¹ National Centre for Wildlife, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia National Centre for Wildlife Riyadh Saudi Arabia.
² University of Bisha, Bisha, Saudi Arabia University of Bisha Bisha Saudi Arabia.

Abstract

Reptiles are considered an important element of Saudi Arabia's wildlife to be conserved as a priority. However, the status and distribution of the Kingdom's reptile fauna is not well understood, thus hindering the conservation initiatives. Better understanding of the taxonomy and distribution of the Kingdom's reptile fauna is important for implementing effective conservation measures. Here, we provide the new distribution record of Pristurusminimus (Arnold, 1977; common name, Arnold's Gecko) from southern Saudi Arabia. The species was recorded from the Uruq Bani Ma'arid Protected Area (UBM) of southern Saudi Arabia. Four individuals were captured from different survey sites across the UBM and their species identification was confirmed through a mixture of physical and genetic examination. These results increase the number of species from the Pristurus genus to five for Saudi Arabia and improve the understanding of the Kingdom's reptile fauna and its distribution.

Keywords: Pristurusminimus; Saudi Arabia; habitat; new distribution record; protected area.

Mohammed Al Mutairi, Abdulaziz R Alqahtani, Zaffar Rais Mir, Riyaz Ahmad, Saad Alsubaie, Michael Smith.

Grants and funding

Mohammed Al Mutairi, Abdulaziz Alqahtani, Zaffar Rais Mir, Riyaz Ahmad, Saad Alsubaie, Michael Smith report administrative support, equipment, supplies, and travel were provided by National Centre for Wildlife - Saudi Arabia. The authors also report a relationship with National Centre for Wildlife that includes employment. No patent or patent application has patent pending to no patent.