[Botany • 2025] Boswellia hesperia (Burseraceae) • A New Species from Socotra

Boswellia hesperia Thulin, M.H.Weber & Rzepecky, 

in Thulin, Weber, Mubarak et Rzepecky, 2025.

 DOI: doi.org/10.1111/njb.04728

Researchgate.net/publication/389133907

Abstract

The new species Boswellia hesperia Thulin, M.H.Weber and Rzepecky is described, illustrated and mapped. It is a dwarf tree, restricted to westernmost Socotra (Yemen), growing on limestone rocks, in which the usually prostrate stems tend to fill out holes and crevices. It differs from B. nana Hepper, another dwarf tree endemic to Socotra but restricted to the easternmost parts of the island, by having leaves densely pubescent with whitish hairs beneath and by its smaller flowers and fruits.

Keywords: dwarf tree, frankincense, taxonomy, Yemen

Boswellia hesperia sp. nov. from mountain ridge above Neet, 5–6 km from the coast, Socotra, 18 May 2021.
(A) plant filling out crevice in limestone rock, leafless, showing reddish white flowers and fruits, (B) leafless plant with flowers and fruits. Photographs by Alain Rzepecky.

Boswellia hesperia sp. nov. from the type locality above Neet in Socotra, 30 Apr. 2023.
(A) plant showing upper surfaces of leaves and 5- or 4-merous flowers with reddish white petals, (B) flowers, showing calyx and outside of petals, and undersides of leaves with dense indumentum of crisped whitish hairs, (C) plant showing 3-locular fruit. Photographs by Michael Weber.

Boswellia hesperia sp. nov. from above Neet, Socotra, 17 May 2024.
 (A) plant showing flower and 4-locular fruits, (B) plant showing 4-merous flowers with cream or whitish petals, (C) plant showing 3-merous flower with whitish petals. Photographs by Michael Weber.

Boswellia hesperia sp. nov.
(A) flower, top view, (B) detail of petal margin, (C) flower, side view, (D) fruit, (E) pyrene, ventral view, (F) pyrene, dorsal view, (G) leaf from short shoot, upper side, (H) leaf from short shoot, lower side, (I) leaf from long shoot, upper side, (J) portion of plant with leaves, (K) long shoot, (L) seedling, showing lobed cotyledons. Drawing by Alain Rzepecky.

Boswellia hesperia sp. nov., plant filling out hole in limestone rock, showing leaves and reddish flowers; above Neet, Socotra, 31 Oct. 2007. Photograph by Lisa Banfield.

Boswellia hesperia Thulin, M.H.Weber and Rzepecky, sp. nov.  

A dwarf tree similar to Boswellia nana Hepper, but differing by having leaves densely pubescent with ± crisped whitish hairs (versus glabrous or subglabrous) beneath, smaller flowers with petals 3–4 mm (versus 4.5–5.5 mm) long and smaller fruits (5–7 mm versus ca 10 mm long).

Etymology: The epithet ‘hesperia' (Latin, western) refers to the distribution of this species that is restricted to the westernmost part of Socotra.

Mats Thulin, Michael Weber, Sami Ali Mohammed Mubarak and Alain Rzepecky. 2025. Boswellia hesperia sp. nov. (Burseraceae) from Socotra. Nordic Journal of Botany. DOI: doi.org/10.1111/njb.04728

 Researchgate.net/publication/389133907_Boswellia_hesperia_sp_nov_from_Socotra

[Entomology • 2023] Lygistorrhina woodi • A New Species of Lygistorrhina (Lygistorrhina) Skuse, 1890 (Diptera: Keroplatidae: Lygistorrhininae) with A Key to the Subgenus

Lygistorrhina (Lygistorrhina) woodi 

 Blagoderov, Ollerton & Whittington, 2023

DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5361.2.1 

 jeffollerton.co.uk

Abstract

A new species of Lygistorrhina (Lygistorrhina) Skuse, 1890, Lygistorrhina woodi sp. nov., is described. The specimen was dissected from an alcohol-preserved flower of Ceropegia aristolochioides ssp. deflersiana Bruyns (Apocynaceae, Asclepiadoideae, Ceropegieae) stored in the Kew herbarium. This is the first occurrence of the lygistorrhine gnats in a hot, semi-arid climate. A key to all known species of the subgenus Lygistorrhina (Lygistorrhina) is provided.

Keywords: Diptera, biodiversity, Ceropegia, Apocynaceae, fungus gnats, taxonomy, new taxa, Afrotropical region

Lygistorrhina woodi, sp. nov., holotype, habitus

Lygistorrhina woodi, sp. nov.

Diagnosis. Lygistorrhina woodi sp. nov. is unique among other species of the subgenus in having compound eyes with very short interommatidial setae, proboscis relatively short; costa reaching only ~½ of distance between r5 and M1; and tergite 9 of male terminalia with shallow sinus basally and very small arms of apodeme.

Etymology: the specific epithet is a patronym for John R. I. wood, a prominent botanist, who inadvertently collected the holotype of the species.

Vladimir Blagoderov, Jeff Ollerton, Andrew Whittington. 2023. A New Species of Lygistorrhina (Lygistorrhina) Skuse, 1890 (Diptera: Keroplatidae, Lygistorrhininae) with A Key to the Subgenus.  Zootaxa. 5361(2); 151-158. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5361.2.1

  jeffollerton.co.uk/2023/11/01/weve-just-named-a-new-species-of-fly-from-yemen-and-it-came-out-of-a-flower-from-kew

[Entomology • 2022] Odontochrydium arabicum • A New Species of Odontochrydium Brauns (Hymenoptera: Chrysididae) from the Arabian Peninsula

Odontochrydium arabicum Soliman & Rosa,

in Soliman, Rosa & Dhafer, 2022. 

DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5100.2.8

 

Abstract

Odontochrydium arabicum sp. nov., a new chrysidid species from Oman, southwestern Saudi Arabia, and Yemen is described, illustrated and compared with the African species, O. bicristatum Rosa from Kenya.

Key words: Afrotropical, male genitalia, new species, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Yemen

Odontochrydium arabicum sp. nov., male, holotype.
 A. Habitus, lateral view; B. Habitus, dorsal view; C. Habitus, ventral view.

Scale = 1.0 mm.

Odontochrydium arabicum sp. nov., female, paratype.
 A. Habitus, lateral view; B. Head, frontal view; C. Mesosoma and T1, detail; D. T2–T3.

 Scales = 1.0 mm.

Odontochrydium arabicum Soliman & Rosa, sp. nov.

Diagnosis. Body metallic dark blue, with violet and greenish reflections (Figs 1, 4); mesoscutal median area reticulate-foveate, with two stout longitudinal ridges forming elongate fovea between ridges (Figs 2E, 4C); meta-somal tergites sparsely, largely punctate (Figs 1B, 3C, 4C, D); T3 apico-median tooth longer to distinctly longer than lateral ones (Figs 3C, 4D); S1 and S2 with pair of widely separated black spots, adjacent to lateral margin of sternites (Fig. 3D).

Etymology. The new species name refers to the Arabian Peninsula, where the type specimens were collected.

Distribution. Oman, Saudi Arabia and Yemen.

  Ahmed M. Soliman, Paolo Rosa and Hathal M. Al Dhafer. 2022. Description of A New Species of Odontochrydium Brauns (Hymenoptera: Chrysididae) from the Arabian Peninsula. Zootaxa. 5100(2); 287-295. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5100.2.8

[Crustacea • 2021] Tethysbaena dioscorida • A New Thermosbaenacean of the Genus Tethysbaena (Peracarida, Thermosbaenacea, Monodellidae) from Socotra Island, Yemen

Tethysbaena dioscorida

 Wagner & Van Damme, 2021

 DOI: 10.1163/15685403-bja10115

 facebook.com/KayvanDamme92 

 

Abstract

A new species of the thermosbaenacean genus Tethysbaena Wagner, 1994 (Crustacea: Peracarida: Thermosbaenacea) is described based on females from a freshwater cave lake and a brackish coastal well on Socotra Island (Yemen) as Tethysbaena dioscorida n. sp. It is the first representative of the Thermosbaenacea that is described from the Socotra Archipelago and the first member of the order known from an Indian Ocean island. The new species is the eighth known member of what is considered the “Tethysbaena relicta” species-group, which is known from Oman (four species), Somalia (one species), Israel (two species) and now Socotra Island (one species). The new species shows closest morphological affinities with T. barbatula Wagner, 2020 from Oman. We suggest that the speciation in this well-defined species-group is due to regressions of the Tethys Sea and the appearance of dry land since the Oligocene-Miocene boundary to the present time, forming major barriers and creating isolated populations of the ancestral species. Also the potential biocrisis in Socotra as a result of developmental activities during the last decades is mentioned, which may affect the subterranean faunas in particular in coastal areas, exemplified by the destruction of one of only two localities where the new species was found.

Tethysbaena dioscorida n. sp.

  H. P. Wagner and K. Van Damme. 2021. A New Thermosbaenacean of the Genus Tethysbaena (Peracarida, Thermosbaenacea, Monodellidae) from Socotra Island, Yemen. Crustaceana. 94(4); 487–506. DOI: 10.1163/15685403-bja10115

 facebook.com/KayvanDamme92/posts/2941421379513215

[Ichthyology • 2020] Hemitrygon yemenensis • A New Species of Stingray (Myliobatoidea: Dasyatidae) from the northwestern Indian Ocean

Hemitrygon yemenensis 

 Moore, Last & Naylor, 2020

DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4819.2.8  

 twitter.com/AlecBMMoore

Abstract

A new stingray, Hemitrygon yemenensis sp. nov., is described from old preserved material collected on the Arabian Sea coast of eastern Yemen. Consistent with other members of the genus, H. yemenensis sp. nov. is a small dasyatid (males mature at ~22 cm disc width), but it is the only Hemitrygon known to occur outside the western Pacific and eastern Indian Oceans. Hemitrygon yemenensis sp. nov. most closely resembles H. bennetti, but H. yemenensis is separable based on several characters including a longer and more narrowly pointed snout, shorter tail, and a longer disc and head. Hemitrygon yemenensis is unknown to science beyond the two type specimens collected nearly 120 years ago.

Keywords: Hemitrygon yemenensis, Dasyatidae, stingray, batoid, elasmobranch, new species, Yemen, western Indian Ocean, Myliobatoidea

 Alec B.M. Moore, Peter R. Last and Gavin J. P. Naylor. 2020. Hemitrygon yemenensis sp. nov., A New Species of Stingray (Myliobatoidea: Dasyatidae) from the northwestern Indian Ocean. Zootaxa. 4819(2); 364–374. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4819.2.8 

  twitter.com/AlecBMMoore/status/1286216696777367552

[Entomology • 2018] Socoflata gen. nov. • described for Two New Planthopper Species (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Flatidae) from the Mountains in Socotra Island

 Socoflata histrionica

 Stroiński, Malenovský & Świerczewski, 2018

DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4379.3.3 

Abstract

A new genus of flatid planthoppers (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Flatidae) is described from the island of Socotra (Yemen): Socoflata gen. nov., for Socoflata aurolineata sp. nov. and Socoflata histrionica sp. nov. (type species). Habitus, male and female external and internal genital structures of the new species are illustrated and diagnosed. Both Socoflata species are abundant and syntopic in the evergreen montane woodland and dwarf shrubland at high elevations in the Hagher mountains in central Socotra and are likely endemics of this area.

Keywords: Hemiptera, Fulgoroidea, systematics, taxonomy, Afrotropical region

 Adam Stroiński, Igor Malenovský and Dariusz Świerczewski. 2018.  Socoflata gen. nov., described for Two New Planthopper Species from the Mountains in Socotra Island (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Flatidae).  Zootaxa. 4379(3); 388–406.  DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4379.3.3

[Botany • 2017] Carex socotrana • A New Endemic Species (Cyperaceae) from Socotra Island

 Carex socotrana  Rěpka & Maděra

in Řepka, Maděra, Čermák & Forrest, 2017.  
 @CMEPorg  ||  DOI: 10.3417/D-16-00004   

ABSTRACT

We describe Carex socotrana Rěpka & Maděra, a new endemic species found in the Hajhir Mountains on Socotra Island. It differs from the morphologically similar African continental species C. steudneri Boeckeler in having a shorter stem, smaller leaf length and width, completely smooth leaf blades and margins, and pistillate scales without a whitish membranous margin and with distinctive awns at the apex. The spike clusters are smaller and more scattered on the stem, and the perigynium and its beak are smaller than in C. steudneri. So far only one small and one large population have been found near the highest mountain peak, Mount Scand. The new taxon is 1370 km from the closest known site of C. steudneri.

Keywords: Carex, Cyperaceae, IUCN, Socotra

Radomír Řepka, Petr Maděra, Martin Čermák and Alan Forrest. 2017. Carex socotrana, A New Endemic Species from Socotra Island. Novon: A Journal for Botanical Nomenclature. 25(4); 467–472.  DOI: 10.3417/D-16-00004 

ResearchGate.net/publication/321198484_Carex_socotrana_a_New_Endemic_Species_from_Socotra_Island

 twitter.com/CMEPorg/status/934055316542640128

[Mammalogy • 2011] Taxonomic Revision of the Genus Asellia (Chiroptera: Hipposideridae) with A Description of A New Species, Asellia arabica, from southern Arabia

  Asellia arabica  

Benda, Vallo & Reiter, 2011

from Ain Jarziz, Dhofar, SW Oman, photo by A. Reiter  || DOI:  10.3161/150811011X624749 

Two species are currently recognised within the genus Asellia, a typical inhabitant of arid areas of northern Africa and south-western Asia. Most of the distribution range of the genus is covered by Asellia tridens, while the other species, A. patrizii, is restricted to Ethiopia, Eritrea and several Red Sea islands. We analysed the morphological variation in an extensive set of Asellia samples covering the range of the genus, including most of the available type material. In a representative subset of samples, we employed molecular genetic analysis to infer the phylogenetic relationships within the broadly distributed A. tridens. Morphological comparisons revealed four distinct morphotypes. Except for the endemic A. patrizii, almost all African Asellia were found to belong to the same morphotype as most of the Middle Eastern specimens. This morphotype was unambiguously identified as A. tridens. Two other morphotypes of tentative A. tridens were further recognised based on skull shape differences; one in the southern Arabian region of Dhofar, the other in Socotra and Somalia. Phylogenetic analysis of complete sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene yielded three main monophyletic groups, which corresponded to the morphotypes revealed for A. tridens. Significant genetic divergences reaching over 5% and 12%, respectively, were discovered between them. Based on the morphological and molecular data obtained, we propose a split of the current A. tridens into three separate species: A. tridens in northern Africa and most of the Middle East, A. italosomalica in Socotra and Somalia, and Asellia sp. nov. in southern Arabia. Molecular dating, along with the available paleontological information and geological history of the Arabian Peninsula, supports an Arabian origin of the contemporary Asellia. While profound divergence of the Socotran form may be linked to the split of Socotra from the southern Arabian coast in the Middle Miocene, the low sequence variation of Asellia in most of Africa and the Middle East suggests a relatively recent colonisation of this vast area during the Pleistocene. The newly described form from southern Arabia most likely represents a relic of aridisation during the Miocene-Pliocene transition.

 Keywords: Asellia, morphology, morphometry, mfDNA, taxonomy, phylogeny

FIG. 10. Portrait of   Asellia arabica sp. nov. from Ain Jarziz, Dhofar, SW Oman

photo by A. Reiter

Asellia arabica sp. nov.

Synonymy: 

Asellia tridens (Geoffroy, 1813): Pockock, 1935: 442; Harrison, 1964: 98; Harrison, 1980: 390; Kingdon, 1990: 37; Harrison and Bates, 1991: 55.

Asellia tridens tridens (Geoffroy, 1813): Harrison, 1957: 5; Kock, 1969: 129; Nader, 1990: 340; Al-Jumaily, 1998: 483.

Asellia patrizii De Beaux, 1931: Al-Jumaily, 2004: 60.

Type locality: Republic of Yemen, Province of Al Mahra, oasis of Hawf (easternmost edge of the country), 16°39’N, 53°03’E, 410 m a.s.l.

Derivatio nominis: The name arabica (Arabian) reflects the area of occurrence of the new species, i.e. the southern part of Arabia

Distribution: Coastal areas of southern Arabia stretching from the Hadramaut Province in south-eastern Yemen (ca. 49°E) to the Dhofar Province in south-western Oman (ca. 55°E), i.e., ca. 650 km of a narrow coastal strip.

Petr Benda, Peter Vallo and Antonín Reiter. 2011. Taxonomic Revision of the Genus Asellia (Chiroptera: Hipposideridae) with A Description of A New Species from southern Arabia. Acta Chiropterologica. 13(2); 245–270. DOI:  10.3161/150811011X624749

http://www.nm.cz/admin/files/PM/download/zivotopisy-publikace/benda2011ac.pdf

[Herpetology • 2014] Hemidactylus minutus • Systematics and Biogeography of Hemidactylus homoeolepis Blanford, 1881 (Squamata: Gekkonidae), with the Description of A New Species from Arabia

Hemidactylus minutus  

Vasconcelos & Carranza, 2014

   DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3835.4.4  

Abstract

A new species of gecko of the genus Hemidactylus (Squamata: Gekkonidae) is described from Oman and extreme eastern Yemen. Hemidactylus minutus sp. nov. is characterized morphologically by its very small size, being the smallest Hemidactylus in mainland Arabia, absence of enlarged tubercles anywhere on the body, expanded subcaudal scales beginning some way from tail base, number of preanal pores, number of lamellae under the first and fourth toes, and weakly contrasted black and white banded pattern on the ventral part of tail. It is also genetically distinct from H. homoeolepis to which it has previously been referred, and from all other closely related Hemidactylus from the arid clade in DNA sequence data for mitochondrial (12S, cyt b, ND4) and three nuclear (RAG1, MC1R, c‑mos) markers. An adult female from southern Yemen and a badly preserved juvenile from southwestern Saudi Arabia previously assigned to H. homoeolepis are morphologically differentiated from this species and from H. minutus sp. nov. and temporarily referred to as Hemidactylus sp. 12 and Hemidactylus sp. 13, respectively until more specimens are collected and analyzed.

        Up to now, H. homoeolepis was the only non-endemic native species of the Socotra Archipelago. With the description of H. minutus sp. nov., all native reptile species of Socotra are now endemic, such that this archipelago has one with the highest number of endemic reptiles in relation to its small size. In addition, as a result of our taxonomic change, the area of occupancy and extent of occurrence of H. homoeolepis have changed dramatically and thus its conservation status should be updated. Although H. minutus sp. nov. seems widely distributed and relatively abundant, its conservation status should also be re-evaluated.

Keywords: gecko, DNA, morphology, taxonomic revision, Socotra, Oman

FIGURE 5. Type localities, general dorsal views and details of Hemidactylus minutus sp. nov. from mainland Arabia. 
A) and C) type locality (Asylah, Oman) of H. minutus sp. nov.; B) dorsal view of Hemidactylus minutus sp. nov. holotype (voucher code: NHMUK2013.901; sample code: S7676); D), E), F) and G) details of the head, tail underside pattern, preanal pores, and lamellae of the 1st and 4th toes of the holotype. 

Etymology. The species epithet “minutus” is a Latin adjective that refers to the small size of this species, the smallest Hemidactylus in mainland Arabia. 

Diagnosis. A small Hemidactylus characterized by the following combination of morphological characters: (1) maximum recorded snout-vent length, SVL 34.6 mm (mean 29.2 ± 3.4 mm); (2) absence of enlarged tubercles anywhere on the body; (3) expanded subcaudal scales beginning some way from tail base; (4) head narrow and low (4.2–6.7 mm in width and 2.4–3.7 mm in height); (5) relatively short snout (2.0–2.9 mm nostril–eye); (4) 4–6 preanal pores, PAP (mean 5.8 ± 0.5); (6) four or five lamellae under the first posterior toe, LP1st (4.5 ± 0.5); (7) seven to nine, but most usually eight lamellae under the fourth posterior toe, LP4th (mean LP4th 8.0 ± 0.2); (8) weakly contrasted black and white banded pattern on the ventral part of tail.

......

Distribution. Distributed along the Arabian Sea coast, from northeastern Oman to extreme eastern Yemen (Fig. 1; Appendix I, II). In Dhofar it is found more than 70 km inland, as far as Thumrait. Although the population of Hemidactylus “homoeolepis” from the Hasikaya Island in the Hallaniyat Archipelago may belong to this species, a detailed genetic and morphological analysis is needed to assess whether this population is H. minutus sp. nov., H. paucituberculatus, (also present in coastal Dhofar) or a new species. Previous reports of Hemidactylus “homoeolepis” from Masirah Island and from Jazirat Hamar an Nafur Island have been recently assigned to H. masirahensis and H. inexpectatus, respectively (Carranza & Arnold 2012; pers. observ.). Hemidactylus minutus sp. nov. can be considered nearly endemic to Oman.

 Natural history. The new species is a ground dwelling strictly nocturnal gecko, usually found in dry places with stony, gravely or even sandy substrates with rocky outcrops (Fig. 5A, C). It is abundant in many parts of its distribution range. Observations of specimens of H. minutus sp. nov. carried out by Arnold (1980) at Wadi Ayoun and Thumrait indicated that almost all the specimens (63/64) were first sighted either on the ground (38/64) or lower than 60 cm from it (25/64), and only one was found on a rock above this height. At Wadi Sayq, eighteen individuals reported also by Arnold (1980) were at heights of between 50 cm and 2 m on rock faces, but this may have been because the ground here was covered by dense vegetation following the monsoon. Hemidacytlus minutus sp. nov. is very agile, often proceeding in a series of leaps when pursued. Gravid females, each carrying a single egg, have been recorded in late September at Khawr Sawli (Arnold 1980). 

FIGURE 5. Type localities, general dorsal views and details of Hemidactylus minutus sp. nov. from mainland Arabia.
A) and C) type locality (Asylah, Oman) of H. minutus sp. nov.; B) dorsal view of Hemidactylus minutus sp. nov. holotype (voucher code: NHMUK2013.901; sample code: S7676); D), E), F) and G) details of the head, tail underside pattern, preanal pores, and lamellae of the 1st and 4th toes of the holotype.

FIGURE 5. Type localities, general dorsal views and details of Hemidactylus homoeolepis from Socotra.
  I) of an unvouchered specimen (photograph by Edoardo Razzetti); J) habitat type of H. homoeolepis, generally dry places with rocky substrate; K), M) and N) details of the head, preanal pores, and lamellae of the 1st and 4th toes of the syntype, respectively; L) detail of the pattern of underside the tail of and unvouchered specimen. 

Raquel Vasconcelos and Salvador Carranza. 2014. Systematics and Biogeography of Hemidactylus homoeolepis Blanford, 1881 (Squamata: Gekkonidae), with the Description of A New Species from Arabia. Zootaxa. 3835(4): 501–527.  DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3835.4.4

researchgate.net/publication/263889330_Systematics_and_biogeography_of_Hemidactylus_homoeolepis_Blanford_1881_(Squamata_Gekkonidae)_with_the_description_of_a_new_species_from_Arabia

http://molevol.cmima.csic.es/carranza/pdf/Hemidactylus_minutus2014.pdf

http://www.philipdepous.com/systematics-and-biogeography-of-hemidactylus-homoeolepis-blanford-1881-squamata-gekkonidae-with-the-description-of-a-new-species-from-arabia

[Herpetology • 2015] Systematics and Biodiversity Multilocus Phylogeny and Taxonomic Revision of the Hemidactylus robustus species group (Reptilia, Gekkonidae) with Descriptions of Three New Species – Hemidactylus adensis and H. mandebensis from Yemen and H. awashensis from Ethiopia

ABSTRACT

The gecko genus Hemidactylus, with its 132 currently recognized species, ranks among the most species-rich reptile genera. Recent phylogenetic studies disclosed unexpectedly high genetic variability and complex biogeographic history within its arid clade distributed in the Mediterranean, Northeast Africa, Middle East and the Indian subcontinent. Particularly, the species from the Arabian Peninsula have been lately the subject of many taxonomic revisions that have resulted in the descriptions of 16 new taxa. Yet not all detected cryptic lineages have been treated taxonomically and thoroughly investigated morphologically. Based on phylogenetic analyses of two mtDNA (12S, cytb) and four nDNA (cmos, mc1r, rag1, rag2) gene fragments of a total length of 4015 bp in combination with analysis of morphological characters, we reinvestigate the systematics of the H. robustus species group consisting of the widespread H. robustus and three undescribed species, two of which occur in Southwest Yemen and one in central Ethiopia. By comparing two phylogenetic inference methods, concatenated gene trees and species-tree estimation, we reconstruct the phylogeny of the H. robustus species group. The coalescent-based species-tree estimation resulted in different tree topology than the concatenation approach, being probably a result of incomplete lineage sorting of ancestral polymorphism, suggesting that the H. robustus species group is in a stage of incipient speciation. The degree of differentiation of the characters examined within the H. robustus species group allowed us to provide a redescription of H. robustus and formally describe three new species of Hemidactylus – H. adensis sp. nov. and H. mandebensis sp. nov. from Yemen and H. awashensis sp. nov. from Ethiopia.

Key words: Arabia, biogeography, diversity, geckos, Horn of Africa, incipient speciation, radiation, species tree

Jiří Šmíd, Jiří Moravec, Lukáš Kratochvíl, Abdul K Nasher, Tomáš Mazuch, Václav Gvoždík and Salvador Carranza. 2015. Systematics and Biodiversity Multilocus Phylogeny and Taxonomic Revision of the Hemidactylus robustus species group (Reptilia, Gekkonidae) with Descriptions of Three New Species from Yemen and Ethiopia.
Systematics and Biodiversity. 2015:1-23. DOI: 10.1080/14772000.2014.996264

researchgate.net/publication/272091403_Systematics_and_Biodiversity_Multilocus_phylogeny_and_taxonomic_revision_of_the_Hemidactylus_robustus_species_group_(Reptilia_Gekkonidae)_with_descriptions_of_three_new_species_from_Yemen_and_Ethiopia