Tarentola bocagei

Abstract: A new nematode species, Spauligodon nicolauensis n. sp., is described from geckos Tarentola bocagei and Tarentola nicolauensis on the island of Sao Nicolau, Cape Verde. The new nematode was found in the pellets obtained directly from the geckos in a non-invasive fashion, and its identity was assessed both at morphologic and genetic levels. The new species has morphological similarities with Spauligodon tarentolae Spaul, 1926, also parasitizing geckos from the Canary Islands. However, the male cloacal region in the new species is distinct, presenting a different shape of the caudal papillae. The overall resemblance probably resulted from colonization via descent from an ancestor of S. tarentolae carried by the ancestor of Cape Verde Tarentola. The analysis of nuclear DNA sequences confirms that the new species is phylogenetically distinct from all other Spauligodon species already analyzed, forming a group clearly separated from species parasitizing lacertid lizards. The COI genetic distance suggests that the S. nicolauensis n. sp. found in the 2 species of geckos in Sao Nicolau Island may have resulted from a host-switching event, when they came into contact after the unification of the island. The Tarentola geckos from the Cape Verde archipelago originated from a single colonization, followed by radiation events between the islands (Carranza et al., 2000). Currently there are 12 accepted endemic species (Vasconcelos et al., 2012). However, despite extensive knowledge regarding these geckos, as far as we know, no studies on their helminth fauna have been performed to date. During a helminthological examination of pellets from Tarentola bocagei Vasconcelos et al., 2011, and Tarentola nicolauensis Schleich, 1984, both endemic to Sao Nicolau Island, an undescribed Spauligodon Skrjabin, Schikho- balova and Lagodovskaja, 1960, species was found. Spauligodon includes a cosmopolitan group of nematode parasites of reptiles comprising at least 47 described species, with 20 of them occurring in the Palearctic region (Bursey and Goldberg, 2011). The recent use of molecular techniques in phylogenetic studies of Spauligo- don suggests that probably there are still several undescribed species within the Palearctic (Jorge et al., 2011).