taxonID	type	description	language	source
03926D377958FFEF5580257EFCF7995E.taxon	etymology	Etymology. Named after Sonia Ribes-Beaudemoulin, present curator of the Muséum d’Histoire Naturelle, Saint-Denis, La Réunion. She organised a dozen expeditions to collect important subfossil remains of vertebrates, especially tortoises, birds and bats from the marshes of l’Ermitage near St-Gilles.	en	Arnold, Nicholas, Bour, Roger (2008): A new Nactus gecko (Gekkonidae) and a new Leiolopisma skink (Scincidae) from La Réunion, Indian Ocean, based on recent fossil remains and ancient DNA sequence. Zootaxa 1705: 40-50, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.180883
03926D377958FFEF5580257EFCF7995E.taxon	distribution	Distribution. Known only from La Réunion, southwest Indian Ocean.	en	Arnold, Nicholas, Bour, Roger (2008): A new Nactus gecko (Gekkonidae) and a new Leiolopisma skink (Scincidae) from La Réunion, Indian Ocean, based on recent fossil remains and ancient DNA sequence. Zootaxa 1705: 40-50, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.180883
03926D377958FFEF5580257EFCF7995E.taxon	materials_examined	Material (Figs 2 – 3). Holotype: Grotte au Sable, St-Gilles, La Réunion; frontal bone; BMNH R 16534. Paratypes: Grotte au Sable, St-Gilles, La Réunion; 1 frontal, 1 maxilla, 1 dentary; BMNH R 16535 - 16537. DNA sequence. Grotte au Sable, St-Gilles, La Réunion. 681 base pairs (bp) of mitochondrial DNA sequence extracted from a frontal bone, comprising 305 bp of cytochrome and 374 bp of 12 S rRNA genes (J. J. Austin and E. N. Arnold, unpublished data).	en	Arnold, Nicholas, Bour, Roger (2008): A new Nactus gecko (Gekkonidae) and a new Leiolopisma skink (Scincidae) from La Réunion, Indian Ocean, based on recent fossil remains and ancient DNA sequence. Zootaxa 1705: 40-50, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.180883
03926D377958FFEF5580257EFCF7995E.taxon	diagnosis	Diagnosis. A small Nactus, estimated from available bones to be about 45 mm from snout to vent. Frontal not elongate, with only weakly developed anterior lateral submaxillary flanges. Maxilla with dorsal lamina inset medially, so outer surface of tooth-bearing body of bone is rounded; its posterior section comparatively short. Tooth counts low with 29 teeth in maxilla and 24 in dentary of available material. Also has distinctive mitochondrial DNA sequence (12 S rRNA and cytochrome b). Differs from other Nactus in conformation of maxilla and from other Mascarene species in the following additional features: N. serpensinsula and N. durrelli of Mauritius — smaller size and lower tooth counts; N. coindemerensis of Mauritius — larger size; two undescribed subfossil species from Rodrigues (E. N. Arnold, J. J. Austin and C. G. Jones, unpublished observations) — lower tooth counts, only weakly developed anterior lateral submaxillary flanges on frontal bone, also lacking the elongation of the frontal found in one of the Rodrigues species. Distinguished from sympatric Phelsuma geckos (Fig. 1) by much narrower frontal bone with a longer tubular section, a higher dorsal lamina on the maxilla and coarser dentition.	en	Arnold, Nicholas, Bour, Roger (2008): A new Nactus gecko (Gekkonidae) and a new Leiolopisma skink (Scincidae) from La Réunion, Indian Ocean, based on recent fossil remains and ancient DNA sequence. Zootaxa 1705: 40-50, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.180883
03926D377958FFEF5580257EFCF7995E.taxon	description	Description. Available material is very fragmentary with only three skull elements represented. Frontal somewhat expanded anteriorly, and strongly expanded posteriorly, with an intervening narrow waist between the orbits. The tubular section of the frontal is relatively long and the sides of the expanded posterior section of the bone are thickened below. Dorsal surface slightly but distinctly concave, with a depressed anterior facet or facets that would lie under the prefrontals in a complete skull. The shape of the anterior border of the subdermal surface of the frontal, bordering this facet posteriorly is convex anteriorly with a pointed projection on each side. Small lateral flanges are visible on the frontal anteriorly which would lie under the posterior dorsal projection of the lamina of each maxilla. The three N. soniae frontals examined (including one sacrificed during DNA extraction) show considerable variation in form, including how broad they are, the shape of the anterior border of the dermal surface which is convex and pointed in the holotype but more gently rounded in the others, and the precise size of the small anterior lateral flanges. The lateral borders of the frontal anterior to its narrow waist may also be rather wavy. Maxilla generally similar to other Nactus, especially N. serpensinsula, with a high dorsal lamina that rises to an acute point posteriorly, where it contacts the frontal, overlapping its anterior lateral flange. A row of four foramina in a horizontal line on the lateral surface of the tooth-bearing body of the bone and two more where the body and the dorsal lamina join. Differs from N. serpensinsula and other Nactus in the dorsal lamina being inset medially on the tooth-bearing body of the maxilla so, in transverse section, the outer face of this is rounded before the lamina rises. The body of the maxilla posterior to the lamina is relatively short. There are 24 teeth, a similar count to that found in Mauritian N. coindemerensis which has about 26, but considerably lower than those in N. serpensinsula and N. durrelli which have about 36 – 38 teeth in adults. Dentary is similar to that of most other Nactus species, being rather slender, with a short ventral groove at the anterior extremity; six foramina in a roughly horizontal line on lateral surface which has a tridentate posterior border, medial surface with a depressed splenial scar and a V-shaped posterior border in which the upper edge has a pronounced step. The bone, which is from a relatively small individual, has 29 teeth, a count again similar to that found in Mauritian N. coindemerensis, but considerably lower than those in N. serpensinsula and N. durrelli which have about 39 – 40 teeth in adults. The size of the frontals, the elements apparently from the largest individuals represented in the available sample, indicate that N. soniae was around 45 mm from snout to vent. It is consequently intermediate in size between N. coindemerensis of Mauritius, which grows to about 36 mm from snout to vent, and N. serpensinsula and N. durrelli from the same island which reach at least 67 mm and 55 mm (Arnold and Jones, 1994). Relationships. DNA confirms that N. soniae is a Nactus and indicates it is most closely related to the diminutive N. coindemerensis of Mauritius (J. J. Austin and E. N. Arnold, unpublished data), something also supported by its relatively small size and low tooth counts.	en	Arnold, Nicholas, Bour, Roger (2008): A new Nactus gecko (Gekkonidae) and a new Leiolopisma skink (Scincidae) from La Réunion, Indian Ocean, based on recent fossil remains and ancient DNA sequence. Zootaxa 1705: 40-50, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.180883
03926D37795AFFE95580224BFB7D9CFB.taxon	etymology	Etymology. Named after Cécile Mourer-Chauviré, celebrated specialist on fossil birds, who took part in excavations for subfossil remains on La Réunion between 1987 to 2001, identifying half a dozen of new species of birds. She also proposed the hypothesis of a ‘ great extinction’ on the island, associated with cataclysmic volcanic eruptions, 180,000 – 230,000 years ago (Mourer-Chauviré et al., 1999).	en	Arnold, Nicholas, Bour, Roger (2008): A new Nactus gecko (Gekkonidae) and a new Leiolopisma skink (Scincidae) from La Réunion, Indian Ocean, based on recent fossil remains and ancient DNA sequence. Zootaxa 1705: 40-50, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.180883
03926D37795AFFE95580224BFB7D9CFB.taxon	distribution	Distribution. Known only from La Réunion, southwest Indian Ocean.	en	Arnold, Nicholas, Bour, Roger (2008): A new Nactus gecko (Gekkonidae) and a new Leiolopisma skink (Scincidae) from La Réunion, Indian Ocean, based on recent fossil remains and ancient DNA sequence. Zootaxa 1705: 40-50, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.180883
03926D37795AFFE95580224BFB7D9CFB.taxon	materials_examined	Material (Figs 4 – 6). Holotype: Grotte au Sable, St-Gilles, La Réunion; right dentary; BMNH R 16538. Paratypes: Grotte au Sable, St-Gilles, La Réunion; 1 juvenile frontal, 1 fused postorbital and postfrontal, 2 right maxillae *, 2 quadrates *, 1 left pterygoid, 4 left and 5 right dentaries *, 2 right posterior mandibles *, 6 presacral vertebrae *, 3 left and 3 right humeri *, 1 sacrum, 2 left and 3 right pelves *, 1 left and 1 right femora *, 1 right tibia; BMNH R 16539 - 16564. Grottes des Premiers Français, St-Paul, La Réunion; 1 right quadrate, 1 right posterior mandible, 1 right humerus; BMNH 16565 - 16567. Cave near St-Paul, La Réunion; 1 right dentary, 1 partial right humerus, 1 right tibia; BMNH 1977.881 - 883 (material previously reported and tibia illustrated by Arnold, 1980). Most paratype material of Leiolopisma ceciliae is deposited in the reptile collection of the Department of Palaeontology, Natural History Museum, London. An asterisk indicates that examples of the elements concerned have also been placed in the Muséum d’Histoire Naturelle, St-Denis, La Réunion. DNA sequence. Grotte au Sable, St-Gilles, La Réunion. 683 bp of mitochondrial DNA sequence extracted from a left dentary, comprising 307 bp of cytochrome b and 376 bp of 12 S rRNA genes (Austin and Arnold, 2006 — GenBank accession numbers: AY 818748, AY 818818).	en	Arnold, Nicholas, Bour, Roger (2008): A new Nactus gecko (Gekkonidae) and a new Leiolopisma skink (Scincidae) from La Réunion, Indian Ocean, based on recent fossil remains and ancient DNA sequence. Zootaxa 1705: 40-50, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.180883
03926D37795AFFE95580224BFB7D9CFB.taxon	diagnosis	Diagnosis. A Leiolopisma intermediate in adult size and robustness between the two Mauritian species of the genus, L. telfairii and the giant L. mauritiana. Most similar to L. telfairii but differs in larger maximum size, coarser dentition, frontal bone narrower anteriorly at least in young animals, the fused postorbital and postfrontal bones with shorter posterior section and less prominent lateral spur, and quadrate more expanded lateromedially. L. mauritiana grows much larger than L. ceciliae and has coarser dentition. L. ceciliae is also separated from L. telfairii and L. mauritiana by distinctive mitochondrial DNA sequence (12 S rRNA and cytochrome b gene fragments). Fossil remains distinguished from those of the sympatric skink Gongylomorphus bojerii borbonicus by larger size, fused frontal bones and absence of a Meckel’s groove in the dentary.	en	Arnold, Nicholas, Bour, Roger (2008): A new Nactus gecko (Gekkonidae) and a new Leiolopisma skink (Scincidae) from La Réunion, Indian Ocean, based on recent fossil remains and ancient DNA sequence. Zootaxa 1705: 40-50, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.180883
03926D37795AFFE95580224BFB7D9CFB.taxon	description	Description. Available material is fragmentary, but seven cranial and six postcranial elements are represented. Comparison with material of living L. telfairii indicates a maximum snout-vent length of at least 175 mm. Frontal bones fused from an early stage of development as in other lygosomine skinks, narrower anteriorly than in L. telfairii at least in young animals. Fused postfrontal and postorbital bones with a shorter posterior section than in L. telfairii and with a less prominent lateral spur that is less obviously directed forwards. Dentaries with a closed Meckel’s groove and sometimes more robust than in equivalent sized L. telfairii from mainland of Mauritius (described by Arnold, 1980), but less so than in L. mauritiana; about six foramina in a horizontal line on anterior lateral surface. Dentition of maxillae and dentary bones coarser than in equivalent-sized L. telfairii and finer than in L. mauritiana: this is reflected in differences in tooth number for animals of similar size (Fig. 7) and in robustness of the teeth. Quadrate more expanded lateromedially than in L. telfairii and tibia with a more prominent lower tubercle. Distinctive features of type. Robust dentary originally with 25 teeth (numbers 2,3,4,9,14 and 22 missing), the last three teeth decreasing in size; a roughly horizontal line of six foramina present on the anterior lateral surface of the bone. DNA sequence. DNA of L. ceciliae differs from equivalent regions of the genome of living L. telfairii from Round island, north of Mauritius, in 39 nucleotide substitutions (5.7 % of uncorrected divergence), and from L. mauritiana by 29 nucleotide substitutions (4.2 % uncorrected divergence) – Austin and Arnold (2006). Relationships. A phylogeny of 42 species of skinks based on mitochondrial DNA associates L. ceciliae with the other two species of Leiolopisma, corroborating the clade status of this genus (Austin and Arnold, 2006). DNA sequence confirms that Leiolopisma is part of the Lygosominae, something also supported by its fused frontal bones, and within this subfamily belongs to the Eugongylus group of genera. It also indicates that, of the two Mauritian species in the genus, L. ceciliae may be more closely related to the giant L. mauritiana, rather than to the morphologically more similar L. telfairii (Austin and Arnold, 2006).	en	Arnold, Nicholas, Bour, Roger (2008): A new Nactus gecko (Gekkonidae) and a new Leiolopisma skink (Scincidae) from La Réunion, Indian Ocean, based on recent fossil remains and ancient DNA sequence. Zootaxa 1705: 40-50, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.180883
