Geckos of the genus Trigonodactylus are widely distributed in the sand deserts of the Arabian Peninsula. Three species of this genus are currently recognized, with a fourth one, Stenodactylus pulcher, which placement within Trigonodactylus has been tentatively suggested, but not yet confirmed. We present a phylogenetic analysis of the genus Trigonodactylus with new specimens collected in central Saudi Arabia and southern Jordan. New genetic data has been generated from three mitochondrial markers to investigate the phylogenetic relationships of all species of the genus and to assess the putative generic assignment of S. pulcher. Our results confirm that S. pulcher indeed belongs within Trigonodactylus, branching as a sister lineage to all other species of the genus. The new samples cluster within Trigonodactylus arabicus, thus confirming the genetic homogeneity of the species across its large and seemingly inhospitable range. The new specimen collected in southern Jordan represents the first record for the country and a considerable range extension to the northwest from all previously reported localities. Our findings and discovery of a new species for Jordan highlight the need of more field surveys to be carried out in the underexplored parts of Jordan and northern Saudi Arabia, as these places still hold a potential for new discoveries and are crucial for understating the biogeography of the Arabian herpetofauna.

Biology Department Science College Taif University P O Box 11099 Taif 21944 Saudi Arabia

Department of Biology Jordan University of Science and Technology Irbid Jordan

Department of Biology The University of Jordan Amman Jordan

Department of Zoology Faculty of Science Charles University Viničná 7 12844 Prague Czech Republic

Department of Zoology National Museum Cirkusová 1740 19300 Prague Czech Republic

Institute of Evolutionary Biology Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta 37 49 Barcelona Spain

Otovická 268 403 39 Chlumec Czech Republic

Saudi Wildlife Authority Prince Saud Al Faisal Research Center Taif Saudi Arabia

Zoological and Botanical Garden in Pilsen Pod Vinicemi 9 30116 Pilsen Czech Republic

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