Morocco / known only from high altitudes (between 2,000 m and 2,500 m a.s.l. but precise elevation known for a very small number of localities only) in the southwestern High Atlas (Tizi n’Tichka) and in the Jbel Siroua massif, 60–70 km southwest of the Tzin-n-Tichka area. 

Species:

Acanthodactylus montanus  MIRALLES et al., 2020

Types:

Holotype: MNHN-RA 2018.0026 (formerly BEV.11794, tissue sample in the BEV tissue collection, code T5771), adult male, collected on May 12th 2012, by Pierre-André Crochet and Raphaël Leblois (Fig. 8A).
Paratypes. Nine individuals, BEV.11791 to 11793, 11795 to 11800 (tissue sample codes T5768–5770, 5772– 5777), collected at the type locality at the same date by the same collectors.

Terra Typica:

800 m after the Tizi n’Tichka pass towards Marrakech, southwestern High Atlas, Morocco, 31.2879°N, 7.3824°W (WGS84), 2,176 m elevation.


Relevant taxonomic literature:

  • Miralles, A. & Geniez, P. & Beddek, M. & Mendez-Aranda, D. & Brito, J.C. & Leblois, R. & Crochet, P.-A. (2020) -  Morphology and multilocus phylogeny of the Spiny-footed Lizard (Acanthodactylus erythrurus) complex reveal two new mountain species from the Moroccan Atlas -  Zootaxa 4747 (2): 302–326